The Public Disclosure Commission met in executive session before reluctantly agreeing to a hefty fine.
The Public Disclosure Commission on a vote of 3-1 has just reluctantly approved a stipulated agreement with the Washington Realtors Quality of Life PAC for a $130,000 fine for sloppy reporting of its campaign activities from 2004 through 2007.
Of that, $50,000 is suspended if no further errors occur through 2011.
The Olympians Brad Shannon wrote about the problems earlier this week.
Commissioners approved the agreement but not without giving the Realtors a tongue lashing.
This is a very large and able organization and there is no excuse for what happened, Commissioner Jane Noland said. The organization has violated the statute and violated the publics right to know who is giving what to campaigns.
Commissioner Jim Clements called the roll on the vote.
Those opposed? he called. Thats me. No.
Clements said he didnt think the fine was stiff enough, calling the transgressions egregious violations of state law.
He noted that should another violation occur Ill still be on this board and will accept a $50,000 payment.
Stay updated with the Olympia Dispatch RSS feed:
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/944/v-highlights/index.rss
Similar stories:
Dems hit lax fed drilling oversight
Dems hit lax fed drilling oversight
Federal policing of oil and natural gas drilling on public lands is lax and inconsistent, with only 6 percent of violations resulting in monetary fines over 13 years, House Democrats said in a report Wednesday.
Umatilla chemical depot contractor fined $47,000
Umatilla chemical depot contractor fined $47,000
Oregon environmental regulators have assessed a contractor destroying chemical weapons almost $47,000 in fines for violations that happened before it finished incinerating mustard agent stored at the Umatilla depot.
The state Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday that the violations were in June and September, and the fines were for carbon monoxide emissions greater than allowed and failing to do required air monitoring and maintenance of air monitoring equipment.
Workers at the depot burned the last of its store of chemical weapons in October, finishing seven years of that work.
OREGON: Umatilla chemical weapons contractor fined
OREGON: Umatilla chemical weapons contractor fined
PORTLAND — Oregon environmental regulators have assessed a contractor destroying chemical weapons in Eastern Oregon almost $47,000 in fines for violations that occurred before it finished incinerating mustard agent stored at the Umatilla depot.
The state Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday the violations were in June and September, and the fines were for carbon monoxide emissions greater than allowed and failing to do required air monitoring and maintenance of air monitoring equipment.
Workers at the depot burned the last of its store of chemical weapons in October, finishing seven years of that work.
Law firm to be hired to handle Port of Kennewick document request
Law firm to be hired to handle Port of Kennewick document request
Port of Kennewick commissioners decided this week to hire a law firm to plow through about 38,000 pages of documents before releasing them in their largest ever public records request.
Tim Arntzen, the port's executive director, said port commissioners believe paying $31,000 a year to a Richland law firm to conduct the estimated two-year records review will be more efficient than port employees doing it.
Not only will the attorneys do the job as well, but port staff also will be freed up to go back to more vital port business, Arntzen said.
Record request costly for Port of Kennewick
Record request costly for Port of Kennewick
KENNEWICK -- The largest public record request the Port of Kennewick ever has faced could cost the agency more than $100,000 and force many projects to be shelved next year.
Kennewick attorney John Ziobro asked the port in August for travel expense records going back to 2005 for all port employees and commissioners.
Ziobro won't say who his client is or why he wants to see what is expected to be thousands of pages of documents.
Print
Email Story
