Does Lisa Brown’s 1994 state law prohibit her from being Mayor?
POSTED 10 July 2023
In 1994, nearly 30 years ago, Lisa Brown was in the WA legislature and voted for the “Ethics in Public Service” bill. State law (RCW 42.52) includes an important section entitled, “Employment after public service.” The section states,
“(1) No former state officer or state employee may, within a period of one year from the date of termination of state employment, accept employment or receive compensation from an employer if:
EDITOR’S NOTE: Olympia, and its leaders like Lisa Brown have more loopholes than the Cheney Rodeo. I don’t claim to be an expert on these, however my suspicious nature leads me to pose a few straight-shooting questions. If elected, Lisa Brown would become an employee of the City of Spokane, and would receive compensation?
(a) The officer or employee, during the two years immediately preceding termination of state employment, was engaged in the negotiation or administration on behalf of the state or agency of one or more contracts with that employer and was in a position to make discretionary decisions affecting the outcome of such negotiation or the nature of such administration;
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lisa Brown terminated her employment as Director of WA Dept. of Commerce effective March 3, 2023. Lisa Brown negotiated several contracts with the City of Spokane in the past two years. Does this mean that Lisa Brown couldn’t be Mayor (even if she wins election) of Spokane until March 3, 2024 or 2025 (see below)? The next Spokane Mayor takes office in January of 2024.
(b) Such a contract or contracts have a total value of more than ten thousand dollars; and
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lisa Brown presided over multiple contracts awarded by WA Dept of Commerce in excess of $10,000 with the City of Spokane.
(c) The duties of the employment with the employer or the activities for which the compensation would be received include fulfilling or implementing, in whole or in part, the provisions of such a contract or contracts or include the supervision or control of actions taken to fulfill or implement, in whole or in part, the provisions of such a contract or contracts. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit a state officer or state employee from accepting employment with a state employee organization.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The next Mayor of Spokane will involve the fulfilling and implementing of contracts established between the WA Department of Commerce and the City of Spokane while Lisa Brown was Director of the WA Department of Commerce.
(2) No person who has served as a state officer or state employee may, within a period of two years following the termination of state employment, have a direct or indirect beneficial interest in a contract or grant that was expressly authorized or funded by specific legislative or executive action in which the former state officer or state employee participated.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wasn’t Lisa Brown a member of the Executive Branch as Director of the WA Dept. of Commerce?
(5) No former state officer or state employee may at any time subsequent to his or her state employment assist another person, whether or not for compensation, in any transaction involving the state in which the former state officer or state employee at any time participated during state employment. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit any employee or officer of a state employee organization from rendering assistance to state officers or state employees in the course of employee organization business.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Does this section mean that if elected Mayor of Spokane that Lisa Brown would be violating State Law if she assisted in any transaction “at any time” as Mayor of Spokane with the WA Department of Commerce?
(6) As used in this section, "employer" means a person as defined in RCW 42.52.010 or any other entity or business that the person owns or in which the person has a controlling interest. For purposes of subsection (1) of this section, the term "employer" does not include a successor organization to the rural development council under chapter 43.31 RCW.”
EDITOR’S FINAL NOTE: These issues and the “revolving door” of government are exactly what the law that Lisa voted for aims to avoid. Lisa Brown has been revolving in and out of elected office, campaigns and political appointments for the past thirty years.