Kennewick mayor issued a WA campaign warning. Was the complaint an election grudge?
Kennewick’s mayor was issued a written warning by the state’s campaign finance watchdog after promoting a citizens initiative during a public meeting earlier this year.
At an Aug. 13 study session, Mayor Gretl Crawford appeared to promote I-2066 — a statewide ballot measure restricting government bans on natural gas — during discussion of the region’s growing energy needs.
“I would highly recommend that people educate themselves and hopefully vote to not ban natural gas, because it’s going to end up costing us more and wreaking havoc,” she said at the time.
Crawford was almost immediately interrupted by fellow Council member Chuck Torelli, who said the council under state law “could educate, but not argue for” or against ballot measures.
“And I think we’re hitting that edge there. Maybe I’m wrong,” he said.
Crawford, a business owner and commercial developer, ended the discussion by saying, “OK, educate yourself. I won’t say any more tonight about it.”
Washington state law prohibits elected officials and public employees from using taxpayer-funded resources, either directly or indirectly, to promote or oppose ballot propositions. That includes office space, supplies, employee hours and other resources.
But there are some exceptions. Elected bodies are allowed to take action to collectively weigh in on such measures, so long as the language is publicly available beforehand and equal time is given to members of the public who may oppose the body’s expression.
Public officials also may make such statements during news conferences or in response to a similar inquiry.
The state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) complaint was filed in September by Don Britain, the former Kennewick mayor who experienced a landslide loss to Crawford during the 2021 general election.
Before being ousted, he served in the largely-ceremonial role of mayor since 2018 and on the council since 2009. Britain also had been dogged by an ethics complaint from a previous state job in the lead up to his election loss.
In a statement last week to the Herald, Britain said he was pleased with the PDC’s findings.
“It is a sad state of affairs for the citizens of Kennewick that Gretl blames her own admitted violation of state RCWs on me and the last election,” he wrote.
In a letter responding to the complaint, and filed with the PDC, Crawford said her comments may have unintentionally come close to what was alleged.
“My comments were germane to the presentation that we had just had and not a violation, especially when paired with the notes of the RCW that encourage public discussion on ballot measures,” she wrote.
“Mr. Britain lost to me in the last election and I see this as a frivolous complaint that is unfounded, however, I will be more thoughtful in the future how I phrase my comments,” Crawford continued.
She told the Herald after publication that Britain’s council was “rife with infighting, accusations and ethics allegations.”
“While I take the PDC warning under advisement and was not aware that my statements were out of line, it took him almost three years to try to find something to use against me,” Crawford said.
Britain denies his complaint had anything to do with the election results.
Aug. 13 Kennewick meeting
During the Nov. 5 election, Washington voters narrowly passed I-2066, which repeals state laws and certain regulations that discourage the use of natural gas utilities, and requires certain public utilities to offer the energy source to eligible customers.
The measure was the only one out of four on the ballot that got the support of a majority of general election voters.
Sponsor Let’s Go Washington and Washington Republicans also tried unsuccessfully to get three other voter initiatives passed that would have repealed an excise tax on capital gains in excess of $250,000, dismantled the state’s carbon taxing credit market, and created an opt-out option for the state’s long-term cares program and tax.
Months before I-2066 passed, the Kennewick City Council held a study session that included an update from Benton PUD General Manager Rick Dunn, who touched on the region’s rising energy needs and challenges, as well as the mechanisms of various clean energy projects.
After Dunn took questions from the council, Crawford highlighted her own frustrations with rate increases and the state’s strict energy code requirements.
She then pointed to I-2066 as a call-to-action of sorts for voters upset over the state’s energy regulations.
“There’s an initiative on the ballot that’s coming up, put on by the people, and I would just say you get to decide at this point in time what you want to vote for,” Crawford said, adding that she doesn’t believe it’s necessary to cut off natural gas.
Britain says in his complaint that’s when Crawford “intentionally urged voters” to vote “yes” on the initiative.
“The specific ballot initiative was not advertised as an official discussion topic for this meeting,” his complaint read. “Gretl Crawford has attended PDC training workshops in January 2022, 2023 and 2024 and should know this is not allowed.”
Crawford in her response wrote she felt her comments were relevant in the context of Dunn’s presentation and the council’s discussion.
“We have energy issues in our city and region, and the initiative placed on the ballot will have an affect on that,” Crawford said.
“The outcome of having limited and intermittent energy alternatives will have lasting affects, as was discussed throughout that presentation. If this additional energy source is taken away is a topic that needs more discussion,” she continued.
She also argues she never mentioned the exact initiative — and didn’t had prior intent to lobby for it — and denied Britain’s claims she explicitly called for a “yes” vote.
“I may have gotten close to that, but this RCW and its notes are not entirely clear on what that means and provides ambiguity in my mind,” Crawford wrote.
The PDC weighs in
Staff with the Washington PDC declined to conduct a deeper investigation into her comments, but instead issued Crawford her first written warning on Dec. 16 for potentially violating the law.
They determined Crawford’s comments appeared to promote I-2066, but that the severity of her comments were “partially mitigated” by the broader discussion and her “good-faith misunderstanding” about the application of the statute.
“However, the public was not properly noticed that the ballot proposition would be discussed at the meeting, nor were members of the public or the council given an equal opportunity to express an opposing view at a properly noticed meeting as required to (law),” the letter read.
]The PDC chose not to issue a fine since this was the first complaint ever lodged against Crawford.
This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 11:22 AM.
