From The News Tribune:
BELLINGHAM – The city can legally withhold from the public much of the text of a letter from Mayor Kelli Linville to Costco Wholesale, in which she proposes steps to help the retailer build a new store, an open-government expert said.
Tim Ford, open government ombudsman at the Attorney General's Office, said that, because of recent case law, the city would likely win if this issue went to court.
Still, the redaction isn't something he personally likes, he said.