Lawmaker will lose assignments over remark

VANCOUVER – State Rep. Jim Dunn, R-Vancouver, will be stripped of his committee assignments and denied travel reimbursement after the 17th District lawmaker made what even Dunn acknowledged was an “inappropriate” remark to a woman at a legislative function in the Tri-Cities last month.

“We want to have zero tolerance for our members for inappropriate comments,” said House Republican leader Richard DeBolt. “We asked (Dunn) to go get sensitivity training. Until he does that, he won’t be serving on any committees.”

Dunn said he regretted the incident, which occurred during a dinner at a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

“I opened my mouth inappropriately and apologized for it,” Dunn said. He said he couldn’t recall exactly what he said to the woman, who was a stranger to him. But it was along the lines of “I bought you a drink because I want to take you home.”

Dunn, who is married, said he was pressured to resign but refused.

DeBolt denied that he asked Dunn to step down.

“I can’t ask him to resign,” he said. “My main concern was that we have the opportunity to be proactive as a caucus, to send the message that we need to respect each other.”

DeBolt said the decision to take disciplinary action was made by “the entire leadership team” after members of his own caucus and committee staff members from both parties witnessed the incident and reported it to him.

DeBolt informed Dunn by letter late Monday that he will ask House Speaker Frank Chopp to strip him of all his committee assignments and will recommend that the chief clerk of the House deny him reimbursement for travel and per diem costs after the 2008 legislative session.

DeBolt said the disciplinary action against Dunn was not related to the caucus’ decision last week to ask 18th District Rep. Richard Curtis, R-La Center, to resign over revelations about his tryst with a male porn model in Spokane. Curtis has since resigned.

One House member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the latest incident was one of several over the years in which Dunn crossed a line in dealing with women.

“Jim has a long history of sexual complaints,” the legislator said.

Dunn said one of those complaints, involving pornographic images e-mailed to his computer while he was on the House floor, was filed by a female legislative aide in retaliation because she knew she was about to be let go.

Dunn, 65, served two terms in the Legislature before losing to Rep. Deb Wallace in 2002. He staged a comeback in 2004, defeating Pat Campbell, a retired probation officer, and narrowly won a rematch with Campbell in 2006.

He was ranking Republican on the House Housing Committee and served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. But he has not personally shepherded any piece of legislation through committee in the past two years. When asked to list his accomplishments, Dunn told the Columbian’s editorial board during last year’s campaign, “I showed up on time every day.”

In 2006 Dunn won notoriety for casting the sole “no” vote on 42 bills, more than any other House member.