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Linda Aileen Lusk (previously also known as Linda Aileen Passmore due to a previous marriage, name at 27 Sept 1960 birth not known) was the first female mayor elected to represent Prosser, Washington. She ran for reelection but did not make the cut in the primary. During the primary she used a reelection website in which she announced her intention to become a write in candidate for reelection following her unsuccessful primary run. Once her write in campaign was announced, she learned through that Benton County and WA State do not allow unsuccessful candidates to attempt write in campaigns. At this point she declared her website had been hacked and she had nothing to do with the write in campaign. She was not re-elected for a second term, and went back to running her handbag shop "Get a Grip(p)".
She was covered extensively in the media in reaction to accusations that she had inappropriately touched and had engaged in sexting and other alleged immoral actions with a 14-year-old (as of April 28, 2010, when the alleged incident was said to occur, and Linda was 49 years old) boyfriend of her only daughter.
The police investigated this in 2010 as a result of a community member who heard the story from his child. The police department investigated later joined, under pressure, by the school district. The story of the former mayor turning to her daughter's boyfriend, was later aired on 20/20 in 2011.
In the 20/20 interview, with her then husband, the high school principal by her side, Lusk stated that the boy had asked repeatedly for photos of her and she said, when they ask 299 times, on the 300th time, what else do you do? Lusk was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 2 years probation as a result of a plea bargain. She served her time and was released.
Several months later, now as a registered sex offender and on probation, terms included keeping a distance from children under the age of 18. Lusk participated in a community Halloween event, where community children were invited into her handbag store in the retail part of town. She broke probation and was asked to report to the local parole officer. Declining to do so, she was taken in handcuffs from her store and sentenced back to jail.
In 2013 her former husband (Kevin Lusk, the town's school principal), who had been put on administrative leave for aiding in her violating parole by leaving county lines, which also resulted in Linda spending 12 days in jail) filed for divorce. A subsequent media stir happened as a result of being forbidden to attend her daughter's high school graduation ceremony.
A book deal is reportedly in discussion to assist with legal fees.