Ethics on the Ethics Commission

POSTED 23 July 2023

This coming Wednesday the Spokane Ethics Commission will determine jurisdiction and whether or not to proceed with complaints on violations by City Council Members Betsy Wilkerson (running for Council President) and Zack Zappone.  Also to be determined as to Ethics Commission jurisdiction are Wilkerson aide Mark Carlos and Zappone aide Jeff Gunn.  All are alleged to have committed several violations of the Spokane Ethics Code that occurred during the 2022 Spokane redistricting process.  All four have asked the Ethics Commission to dismiss their complaints.

Commission Chair Sarah O’Hare has an interesting decision to make.  According to her LinkedIn account, O’Hare serves in a volunteer capacity as Zack Zappone’s Volunteer Coordinator beginning in 2020 to present day.  Will O’Hare recuse herself from the Zappone vote?  And, since Wilkerson, Carlos and Gunn are close political allies of Zappone what will she do?

We will be at the 2:00 pm hearing and will update you as soon as we know the outcome.