Tone deaf on political ethics

After 38 years in public office, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen has identified the cruelest sort of injustice: The kind that affects you personally.

Owen has expressed disappointment over state Senate inaction on a bill to assist elected officials who incur legal costs from ethics investigations. Sympathizers who wish to donate to a “defense fund” now are limited to $50 each; the lieutenant governor wanted the amount raised to $500.

The tenfold increase, Owen argued, would make it the same as campaign donations. (As if answering an ethics complaint is somehow equivalent to waging an election campaign.)

Last July, the state’s Ethics Board determined there was “reasonable cause” to pursue a complaint about Owen’s use of taxpayer resources to operate a youth charity. The nonprofit Strategies for Youth collected donations from Olympia lobbyists, paid Owen’s wife a modest salary and furnished his family with a $33,000 truck.

Owen, who estimates he’ll spend $20,000 to $30,000 on lawyers, was counting on Senate colleagues to make it easier for him to solicit financial support. But, he insists, the Ethics Defense Fund bill really wasn’t about his specific case, it was about fair treatment for anyone in a similar predicament.

This sort of tone-deaf rationalization helps us comprehend how the lieutenant governor managed to get himself into an ethics jam. With the legislative session now over, perhaps he can find some quiet time to contemplate a few critical points.

First, all ethics — personal, professional, political — come down to individual responsibility. We don’t need a system that enables or encourages an officeholder to run to deep-pocketed friends, partisan allies or lobbyists for a convenient bailout.

Second, ethics violations should bring enough of a hardship that political leaders don’t dance too cleverly or too close to the line. When in doubt, steer clear of even unethical appearances. And Owen’s case does not appear to be trivial or trumped up; like most ethics complaints, it went through administrative review. If the ethics board had not found “reasonable cause,” Owen would not be hiring lawyers.

Finally, the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate. There is something unsavory about Owen approaching his legislative pals for a bill clearly intended to benefit Owen himself. If any of us are wondering about his ethical compass, this tells us plenty.

Public Radio’s Austin Jenkins reports that the Senate majority leader asked his wife’s opinion about the bill. “My wife says it looks bad,” Sen. Mark Schoesler said. “She’s a pretty good test of things.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, Feb. 10

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Comment: Trump can go only as far as the courts will allow

Most of Trump’s executive orders are likely to face court challenges, setting the limits of presidential power.

Comment: Civil service needs reform; Trump means only to gut it

It’s too difficult to hire and fire federal workers. A grand bargain is possible, but that’s not what Trump seeks.

Saunders: U.S. Iron Dome isn’t feasible now, but it could be

Trump is correct to order a plan for a system that would protect the nation from missile strikes.

Harrop: Trump has no sense of damage from tariff threats

Even if ultimately averted, a trade war with Canada and Mexico could drive both from U.S. exports.

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

A young man carries water past the destroyed buildings of a neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, Feb. 2, 2025. President Donald Trump’s proposal to “own” the Gaza Strip and transfer its population elsewhere has stirred condemnation and sarcasm, but it addresses a real and serious challenge: the future of Gaza as a secure, peaceful, even prosperous place. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)
Comment: ‘Homeland’ means exactly that to Gazans

Palestinians have long resisted resettlement. Trump’s plan to ‘clean out’ Gaza changes nothing.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, Feb. 9

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Rent stabilization can keep more from losing homes

Thank you to The Herald Editorial Board for its editorial, regarding rent… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.