Ethics Panel Delays Ruling On Contract

The Legislative Ethics Board delayed a decision Thursday on whether state Sen. Dean Sutherland has a conflict of interest for dealings with Clark Public Utilities.

Chairwoman Thelma Jackson said the board decided to defer action because of the absence of two House members, Reps. Jim Horn, R-Mercer Island, and Marlin Appelwick, D-Seattle.

Horn and Appelwick were on the House floor because of a parliamentary move that requires all members to be present until adjournment. The call of the House was imposed by Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-East Wenatchee, while members were considering overrides of Gov. Mike Lowry’s vetoes of sections of the regulatory reform bill.

“We just felt that all members should be present before acting on the Sutherland case,” Jackson said. She said a special meeting will be held June 7 to consider the matter.

The board is examining whether Sutherland’s consulting contract with the Clark Public Utilities poses a conflict with his rule as Senate Energy and Utilities Committee chairman.