As Snohomish County ombudsman, John Koster should have known that he was way out of line when he signed a fundraising letter on behalf of a group like the Freedom Foundation. This so-called charity is the subject of numerous state and federal complaints for illegal political activity and it is well known for its contentious, aggressive tactics against hard-working men and women. The group’s CEO, Tom McCabe, is infamous for embroiling his last employer, the BIAW, in numerous legal and ethical controversies.
So Koster shouldn’t be surprised he did not receive a majority vote of support from the County Council after blatantly violating the Code of Ethics for the International Ombudsman Association, which states the “Ombudsman … remains unaligned and impartial … does not engage in any situation which could create a conflict of interest.”
There’s nothing impartial about signing onto a letter that calls for putting “union bosses … out of business.” It’s nothing but a conflict of interest to call for the destruction of groups that often sit on the other side of the table of Snohomish County managers. Koster should save money and drop his lawsuit. He’ll have better luck applying to the Freedom Foundation for his next job.
Jason Redrup
President of the Snohomish County Labor Council
IAM District 751
Edmonds
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