Nelson Appointment Process Goes to Ethics Commission

Regular readers of our newsletter will be familiar with the controversies that surrounded Ward Nelson’s appointment to a vacant seat on the County Council last December. Two separate lines of action will unfold in April that will attempt to “resolve” the controversy: adopting clear and specific nomination rules for the future, and a public hearing on an ethics complaint dealing with past actions.

**UPDATE:  A public hearing on an ethics complaint will be held April 12th at 4pm in the 2nd floor conference room of the Whatcom County Civic Center, 322 N. Commercial St, Bellingham.**

Council members Ken Mann and Sam Crawford have started work on a proposal that would clarify the rules surrounding appointments. Unfortunately, Crawford’s proposal would codify everything that was done wrong in the last process, specifically, sitting Council members nominated for an appointment would be allowed to vote on other nominees as long as they don’t vote for themselves.

It is precisely this issue that will be considered by the Whatcom County Ethics Commission. A public hearing on an ethics complaint will be held April 12th at 4pm in the 2nd floor conference room of the Whatcom County Civic Center, 322 N. Commercial St.
The ethics complaint, filed by Shane Roth of Bellingham (and a member of the Whatcom Democrats Executive Board) states:

The moment any council member accepts a nomination...that nominated council member acquires a direct financial interest in the outcome of the nomination process. From that point on, that council member is no longer voting on 24 nominees; that council member is now voting on 24 opponents who are competing with that council member for that financial interest. A such nominated council member who votes on the matter clearly secures an inherently unfair advantage over the other 24 competitors for the vacant position.

Regardless of the findings of the Ethics Commission, the County Council has the power to set rules for future nominations, and is expected to consider rules this month. Issues of process go beyond political lines. A functioning and ethical government should not depend on which party is in power; it should depend on good, codified guidelines that keep this sort of mess from happening. We, as an engaged public, must make sure they have the guidelines and laws to keep the process open, transparent, and legal.