The power feud in Snohomish County government now has the County Council threatening to permanently rein in Democratic County Executive Aaron Reardon.
They also might seek to seize authority Reardon’s administration has over some county employees.
“The issue really is (Reardon’s) lack of communication and the unwillingness to share information,” County Council chairman Dave Gossett said.
“If you’re going to have an open and transparent government, information has to be provided by the other branches,” Gossett said.
Gossett had scheduled a meeting with Reardon for Tuesday afternoon, but said he later canceled it because he believed the meeting wasn’t meant to deal with issues but was rather to manipulate him.
“I’m hoping for a meeting later this week and it will be a very productive meeting, but for a meeting to be productive we need to stop playing games,” Gossett said.
Reardon said he was disappointed their meeting was canceled.
“I’ll continue to contact other members of the council to see if they have any other questions,” Reardon said.
The council said it’s been the lack of conversation that’s brought everything to a head between the two branches of county government.
While the council makes legislative decisions, Reardon’s administration takes care of the county’s day-to-day business.
Things started to sour about a month ago, when Gossett and the council heard that Reardon was planning to spend money on a community celebration for the new Boeing jetliner, the 787.
They say they’ve tried unsuccessfully for a month to get details and have heard Reardon’s office was considering spending about $250,000 in taxpayer money for the event.
In a series of confrontational meetings with the council, deputy county executive Mark Soine, Reardon’s second in command, refused to shed any light on the rollout event.
Soine said the county has been neither planning a party nor paying for one. On Tuesday, Reardon reiterated the point.
Even so, county employees still plan to meet in private with other local governments and agencies on possible spending related to the events.
On Monday, Gossett said the council may permanently limit Reardon’s authority to sign contracts. And he might push to make certain county employees, such as analysts and experts, answer directly to the five-member council.
Limiting Reardon’s authority might be necessary to improve communication and restore some balance between the branches of government, Gossett said.
“I think they’re obliged to provide information about significant spending,” Gossett said.
Even though Democrats took control of the council majority in 2006, Gossett, a Democrat, said he has watched the council’s ease of communication with Reardon’s departments erode.
“There’s a concern the lack of communication will continue and get worse,” Gossett said. “Frankly, we would have to look at transferring staff from the executive side if we’re not going to be able to get information and work cooperatively.
“That’s not a place I want to go,” he said. “The preferred solution is to have improved flow of information from the executive side.”
Reardon, wrapping up his first term as county executive, is unopposed in his race for a second term in the Nov. 6 election. Republican candidate Sheriff Rick Bart withdrew from the race last month, and no Republican replacement has come forward.
Fellow Democrat, County Councilman Dave Somers, said Reardon’s office has drawn a line between the branches of government in a different place than the council would.
Soine also refused a request to let a council staff person attend the Boeing rollout meetings. Somers said.
Somers said he met with Soine on Monday and talks are under way.
“The council has always worked as a team,” Somers said. The council and executive haven’t always agreed, but that never hampered the teamwork, he said.
Somers said he hopes communication improves as all parties meet.
The council shouldn’t have had to limit Reardon’s powers to get his attention, Republican John Koster said.
“The citizens of the county expect and deserve better,” he said.
Council members are now watching carefully, to see if they can glean any information about the rollout plans through Reardon’s spending.
“We’ll be seeing the contracts now,” Gossett said. “When we see contracts that relate to the celebration, we’ll be scheduling them for discussion with the council.”
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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