No violations found in Bothell ethics complaint; second complaint withdrawn

The following is a release from the city of Bothell:

June 30, 2016 9:41 am
City of Bothell - Contributed art
City of Bothell - Contributed art

The following is a release from the city of Bothell:

The city of Bothell’s independent Ethics Officer, Wayne Tanaka, of Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC, has reviewed the ethics complaint filed by Blake Stedman (Ethics Complaint Pursuant to BMC 2.13.080) and found no violations on all five alleged counts. The complaint questioned actions of the Bothell City Council related to the termination of former City Manager Robert S. Stowe on May 3 and was filed on May 23.

“Violation of the OPMA (Open Public Meetings Act) requires a quorum of the Council to engage in an illegal meeting or a serial meeting. The OPMA does not prohibit less than a quorum of the Council from having discussions about City business outside a meeting,” said the report.

The Bothell City Council is scheduled to further review the Ethics Code on July 12.

In a separate but related matter, Councilmember Del Spivey notified the City on Monday, June 27 that he has withdrawn his ethics complaint, with an expectation that he may refile it after the Council reviews the code on July 12. The “Spivey Complaint,” also called Ethics Complaint Pursuant to BMC 2.13.080, was filed on June 7.