Eyman turns over bank records, court hearing reset

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman of Mukilteo won’t be in a Snohomish County courtroom next week after producing bank records sought in a state probe of two ballot measures he backed in 2012.

Eyman provided the financial records to the state Public Disclosure Commission which is investigating allegations that some of the money Eyman raised for one measure, Initiative 1185, was improperly used to support another, Initiative 517.

Under state election law, money can be moved from one political committee to another but it must be disclosed in reports to the commission. And the sources of the money that is getting shifted must be revealed as well.

The PDC is investigating whether those disclosure requirements were violated.

State attorneys filed a motion in Snohomish County Superior Court Sept 4 to compel Eyman to hand over records of transactions involving himself, his company, Watchdog for Taxpayers, and Citizen Solutions, the signature-gathering firm used for the two initiatives.

The hearing originally set for Tuesday has been rescheduled to Oct. 14 so PDC can review the material to determine if it satisfies their request.

The state Attorney General’s Office filed a similar motion in Thurston County Superior Court against Citizen Solutions. A hearing slated for Friday has now been moved to Oct. 9.

Voters Want More Choices, the Eyman-led political committee behind I-1185, paid Citizen Solutions nearly $623,000 between April and July 2012, according to court records. Overall, the firm earned $1.2 million for its efforts to get I-1185 on the ballot.

In July 2012, Citizen Solution paid $308,000 to Eyman’s Watchdog for Taxpayers. Eyman told the PDC that he was paid to find new clients for the firm.

That same month Eyman loaned $190,000 to Citizens in Charge which used it to pay for gathering signatures for I-517, according to court records.

Neither the payment nor the loan was reported to the Public Disclosure Commission, according to court documents.