Snohomish County Council chairman Dave Gossett has finally got some answers from County Executive Aaron Reardon on what the county’s plans are for a Boeing 787 rollout gala.
Even so, Reardon’s delay in sharing details still might permanently cost him some of his authority in spending taxpayer money.
Reardon met with Gossett on Friday and shared a draft plan to promote the county as an aerospace job hub.
No county money is planned for a Boeing 787 celebration, Reardon told him.
A party is planned, however. Documents obtained by The Herald show that Reardon’s office has been involved in detailed discussions about the event. According to some of the documents, the party would include a catered meal for up to 500 special guests.
Gossett said he’s satisfied with Reardon’s assurances that no public money will be spent on the party.
Nonetheless, Reardon’s handling of the controversy has damaged his relationship with the council to the point that councilmen are giving serious thought to clipping Reardon’s wings.
Reardon is unapologetic. On Tuesday, he also questioned Gossett’s motives in the dispute.
“I do believe these antics are a horrible waste of time and they’re very unfortunate,” Reardon said.
The council spent a month asking Reardon and his staff for the information, only to be stonewalled.
In frustration, the Democrats and Republicans on the council voted unanimously April 18 to curb some of Reardon’s power to sign contracts for 60 days. Reardon used to have the authority to spend up to $50,000 without council approval.
The vote vented “some long-term frustrations I believe the entire council had with the executive’s office,” Gossett said.
The council was sending a message to Reardon to play ball and share information when it’s requested, Gossett said.
Reardon said his staff often briefs council members and he was not aware Gossett felt there was a communication problem.
In the past week, direct talks opened up between Reardon and councilmen. Gossett said he was hopeful of a new beginning, and regular meetings with Reardon.
However, it doesn’t appear the power feud will be settled quickly.
Reardon said curtailing his contract authority has “zero impact on how we do business at the county. It’s less than 3 percent of all the contracts.”
He also said Gossett may just be posturing because he is the new chairman of the County Council.
“Maybe he’s trying to assert himself, show off a bit. I don’t know,” Reardon said.
Gossett on Tuesday seemed intent on reconciliation, although he said he still can’t figure out why it took a month to pry the information out of Reardon’s office.
“I think there’s a real effort to communicate,” Gossett said. “I think we’re going to hopefully have a better flow of information and cooperation in a number of different areas.”
Still, a permanent curbing of Reardon’s power might be coming. The council may vote as early as today on when to schedule a hearing, Gossett said.
It gets back to trust, he said.
“I think that we’ve seen some steps towards improved communication and cooperation, but I think we want to see more of a history than a couple of days before we reverse course,” Gossett said.
County and economic development leaders have spent months considering ideas to boost Snohomish County’s image when the 787 is rolled out.
In March, county and Future of Flight officials met to discuss possible events for the July 8 rollout, according to notes and other records obtained by The Herald from Reardon’s office under public records laws.
According to the plans, space is needed for as many as 1,200 people to see the Boeing rollout at the Future of Flight Aviation Center.
Corporate-sponsored catering was suggested for about 500 people, and rental agreements were discussed.
On Friday, Reardon released a two-page memo to the “citizens of Snohomish County” reiterating his pledge that no county money would be spent on the celebration.
He also chided the newspaper for referring to the rollout soiree as a party.
Port of Everett executive director John Mohr on Tuesday made similar points in an address to port commissioners.
Plans for the event still have not been finalized, officials said.
Celebrating Boeing’s achievement makes sense, and provides an opportunity to market the county when the world’s attention is focused here because of the new passenger jet, Gossett said.
“We just needed to know what was being planned,” he said.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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