Forum on ethics panel draws a crowd

Nearly 100 Spokane residents turned out Thursday evening to consider the possibility of establishing an ethics commission to oversee the performance of elected officials and public employees.

It was coincidental that the forum at Spokane City Hall occurred on the same day that a recall petition against Mayor Jim West was validated by the county auditor. Mail-in balloting is expected later this fall on whether West violated his office by using his position for personal benefit.

Thursday’s ethics forum was sponsored by the Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane, the Spokane Center for Justice and Spokane City Council members.

“We really look at an ethics commission as an agreement the community makes among itself about what the rules are going to look like,” said Breean Beggs, executive director of the Center for Justice.

While each person’s view of ethics may vary, the community can set standards for public officials and employees, Beggs said.

“We don’t know what those rules will be, but we want to start that process,” he said. “We’re all pretty much on the same page” about the need for an ethics commission.

The forum was not a direct outgrowth of the scandal surrounding West, but the events of the past five months have raised public awareness of ethical issues, Council President Dennis Hession said in a separate interview.

Hession did not attend the forum because of another engagement, but said it appears there is sufficient political support on the council and in the community to move forward with a discussion of ethical standards and an enforcement mechanism, such as a commission.

Hession also said he would favor establishing a recall provision in the City Charter in which the council could send a recall vote to the public, thus bypassing the need for a large petition effort.

The recall election against West, expected to close by mail on Dec. 6, came after organizers gathered more than 17,000 signatures starting late in August.

“The things with the mayor kind of exacerbate everything,” Hession said.

Thursday’s ethics forum featured an appearance by Wayne Barnett, executive director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.

Barnett said Seattle formed its ethics panel in 1971 in the wake of a kickback scandal involving police. It was merged with a separate elections commission in 1991.

The Seattle commission consists of seven members. Three are appointed by the mayor and three by the City Council. Those six members appoint a seventh.

Barnett said the independence of commissioners is a key to the panel’s success. “Independence is the coin of the realm,” he said.

The commission enforces an ethics code enacted into Seattle city law. It has the power to levy fines and uses a hired staff to investigate complaints. The Seattle office has a $550,000 budget, but Barnett said Spokane could run an office for much less than that.

An ethics commission could be empowered to oversee numerous local governments, Barnett said.

During the forum, businessman and former Democratic congressional candidate Don Barbieri asked whether an ethics code would discourage well-connected community members from running for office since their associations might by questioned.

Barnett said there is no evidence to show that it does, but a drive to establish an ethics commission must not be seen as affront to existing officeholders, he said.

Rick Shulman of the Comstock Neighborhood Council wanted to know who oversees the commission.

Barnett said the commission does a good job of policing itself.

Julian Powers, a city resident, said the commission could be intimidating.

Barnett said that an ethics code would establish ground rules for enforcement. The code most likely would forbid officials or employees from using their positions for gain, whether personal or financial. The gain might also apply when a family member is involved. Contracts, hiring, enforcement and policy-making are areas where problems might arise, he said.