City, county consider new ethics panel

Allegations of sexual misconduct by the Spokane mayor and the potential for favoritism by Spokane County commissioners have some people talking about the need for better ethics in local government.

Citizen activists and a handful of Spokane elected officials are inviting members of the public to an ethics forum on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

Among the ideas being considered is the creation of a volunteer citizen ethics commission to monitor city and county government here. A strong ethics commission has the potential to recoup financial losses caused by unethical behavior.

“Government is the voice of the people,” said Spokane City Councilwoman Mary Verner, one of the sponsors of the forum. “We have to hold everyone in government to a high standard.”

She said the forum will focus on ways the Spokane area can increase its ethical oversight, not just the possible formation of a city-county citizen commission.

A central element in the discussion involves allegations that Mayor Jim West used his office and his computer to solicit personal relationships with young men, including the possibility of sex.

Verner is joining forces with Spokane’s Center for Justice and the Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane in sponsoring the forum. They have invited Wayne Barnett, executive director of Seattle’s Ethics and Elections Commission, to be the featured guest.

The Center for Justice is footing the bill for Barnett’s appearance, and the city is providing the meeting place.

Using public office for personal gain is just one of the numerous ethical issues confronting government employees and elected officials.

Favoritism in hiring, contracting and policy-making are among the most common of ethical lapses. Those often come from conflicts of interest in which public employees or elected officials hold personal or vested interests in the outcomes of governmental decisions or actions.

Bonnie Mager, the executive director of the neighborhood alliance, said Spokane’s county commissioners have pushed several ethical boundaries, including Commissioner Phil Harris’ possible nepotism in the county’s hiring of three Harris sons, she said.

“It sure seems peculiar to say the least,” she said of the hiring earlier this year of Phil Stephen Harris as a development assistant coordinator at an annual salary of $33,450.

Commissioner Harris has said he was not involved in the hiring decision. Two other Harris sons hold county maintenance jobs.

Mager accuses all three commissioners of systematically reducing citizen involvement in policy-making. She cited a decision to disband a citizen task force that was working on land-use development standards at the same time the commissioners have taken a more friendly approach to allowing greater development. She also said the commission’s public forum segment of commission meetings was trimmed.

While Mayor West’s predicament has underscored the need for ethical standards, Mager said, “I think both the city and county need more oversight.”

Still another issue is fair campaign practices.

Last week, Barnett charged Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels with improperly using city money to produce an eight-page flier on the mayor’s accomplishments. Barnett has contended the flier was campaign material, but a Nickels spokeswoman said the mayor had a duty to inform the public. Barnett is seeking $5,000 from Nickels to reimburse the city.

Barnett said ethical oversight helps ensure that elected officials and city employees “have only the city’s interests at heart when they are making official decisions.”

Last February, Barnett brought charges against a wastewater employee for using his position for financial gain. The employee retired the following month rather than face discipline and agreed to repay the city $4,500.

Barnett said his office has averaged 15 to 20 investigations per year. But another part of the job is fielding questions from city officials and employees about how to avoid any potential ethical problems or conflicts of interest.

Currently, the Spokane city attorney’s office handles those questions from Spokane city employees.

In the area of elections, Seattle imposes a $650 limit on individual contributions to candidates for city office. Barnett monitors campaign spending.

The Spokane City Council two years ago defeated a measure that would have limited contributions to $1,000 per individual and $2,500 per corporation. Council President Dennis Hession, who held a regular council seat in 2003, voted in favor of the limits. Among other members of the council at the time, Al French and Cherie Rodgers voted against the limits.

On Saturday, Hession said he and other council members have discussed increased ethical standards for city elected officials, and the controversy surrounding the mayor has added gravity to those conversations.

The council is separately investigating West’s use of his office, computer and internship program for personal gain, and they have hired an independent investigator who is seeking the contents of West’s office computer hard drive.

The council is expected to develop a code of ethics for the mayor and council, he said. Councilman French has been involved in those discussions.

Council members also are looking at the state’s ethics commission as a model for a Spokane commission.

While Barnett’s office has a budget of $550,000, any new ethics commission in Spokane probably would not be staffed with paid employees because of ongoing budget problems in city government, Hession and others said.

Verner is seeking election to her council seat this fall. Her opponent, Dallas Hawkins, was not available for comment on Saturday.