I appreciate the March 18 Bothell Reporter account of the pending Bothell city investigation into the mayor’s potential conflicts of interest.
The mayor’s insistence that his contract to buy the Wayne Golf Course back-nine is not through Element Residential, one of his development and real estate companies, is not surprising. He has in place more than a dozen corporations for his various businesses. Perhaps a more likely corporation is his Wayne Manor limited liability corporation, apparently incorporated for the purpose of developing the Wayne Golf Course. What is puzzling about this semi-mysterious real estate company is that Councilman Mark Lamb has insisted that he is not part of the investment group and that he has no conflict of interest with his city council role, yet Lamb is the registered agent for the mayor’s Wayne Manor Corporation.
Perhaps more importantly, the city manager appears to have focused the investigation on the Wayne Golf Course although, as the Bothell Reporter states, “Many are concerned that the mayor has used his position to influence council decision on properties other than the Wayne Golf Course.”
Further, this investigation should not focus only on Mayor Joshua Freed. As the Bothell Reporter states, “It isn’t just Freed caught up in the fracas about potential conflicts of interest….” Further, Councilmember Tris Samberg is quoted as saying, “…the mayor’s reason for recusing also applies to you (Councilmember Lamb).”
To the extent that there should be an investigation into the mayor’s potential conflicts of interest on the Wayne Golf Course, there should be an investigation into the mayor’s role during other city actions such as rezoning, purchase, sale, reimbursements, contracting and favoritism. As Samberg has stated, concern over the mayor’s role should extend to Lamb, the mayor’s real estate attorney and registered agent in a dozen or more limited liability corporations.
Is this focus on the Wayne Golf Course an attempt to hide other, larger problems?
Dennis Skofstad, Bothell
