Council Erupts In Acrimony Park Board President Denies Anderson’s Conflict Charge

It all started with a calm discussion of leasing Riverfront Park’s Pavilion to the Pacific Science Center.

Then City Councilman Chris Anderson lobbed a grenade.

“I am prepared to show this evening an egregious conflict of interest that would entirely invalidate (the Park Board’s) vote,” said Anderson. “This is nothing less than a cover-up, and it deserves to be presented tonight.”

Just after Park Board President Dennis Hession had wrapped up his presentation on the proposed contract leasing the park Pavilion to the Seattle science center to develop a hands-on science exhibit, Anderson charged that Hession, an attorney, had an undisclosed conflict of interest.

“Did you, Mr. Hession, take $30,000 from the city of Spokane to act as a representative for the Pacific Science Center?” Anderson asked. “I will not allow this kind of action to take place.”

“This is a serious charge,” said Mayor Jack Geraghty. “I would suggest that this is not the right venue at this moment.”

After several more minutes of heated accusations from Anderson, Hession stepped in, telling Anderson he was “offended by his conduct.”

Hession added that he is “confident there is no conflict of interest.”

The council then voted to refer the matter to City Attorney James Sloane for legal review.

Geraghty adjourned the meeting for a 15-minute break. “We’ve going to get this meeting under control,” he said.

During the break, Hession said his law firm, Richter-Wimberly, had signed a contract in 1993 to coordinate the Pacific Science Center’s move into the Pavilion.

The contract’s $30,000 price tag was paid by Momentum, and Hession wasn’t involved in the work, he said.

He added that as Park Board president, he never voted on issues unless there was a tie and he never voted on issues related to the science center.

“The man is totally unprofessional,” said Hession, referring to Anderson’s charges.

“He’s obnoxious,” said city Parks Director Frank McCoy.

After the meeting, Anderson said Hession never had mentioned his connection to the science center.

He added that he believes other Park Board members also had conflicts of interest that made it impossible for the board to have had enough voting members to ratify the contract.

Anderson added that he thinks it was a “chicken-hearted disgrace” that the discussion was cut off by other council members.

The proposed contract would lease the Pavilion to the science center for 20 years with options for two 10-year renewals.

The Park Board approved the lease two weeks ago, along with a separate five-year services contract requiring the city and Park Board to pay the center $400,000 annually for two years, reducing the amount thereafter.

The proposed lease and services contract have drawn criticism from some Spokane residents who say the plan is too costly and that the Pavilion is the wrong place for the science center.

Council members will have final say on the contract and plan to hold a public hearing on the issue March 2. At that time, they’ll also get a report from Sloane on Anderson’s charge. After the break, Geraghty called the council meeting back to order, saying, “Hopefully, we’re in better form than when we left.”