WASHINGTON STATE
EXECUTIVE ETHICS BOARD
September 13, 2024
Regular Meeting Minutes
A. Preliminary Business
1. Roll Call
The regular meeting of the Washington State Executive Ethics Board
(Board) was called to order by Chair Jutte at 9:00 a.m. In attendance were Vice Chair Kelli Hooke and
Members Megan Abel, Cam Comfort and David Hankins. Board staff in attendance
included: Executive Director Kate
Reynolds, Senior Counsel Matt Kernutt, Assistant Attorney General Julia
Eisentrout, Administrative Officer Ruthann Bryant, and Senior Digital Forensic
Investigator Justin Cotte.
Approval
of Agenda
Motion 24-047 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Chair Jutte:
The Board approved the September
13, 2024, agenda as presented.
The motion passed unanimously.
2. Approval of the July 12, 2024, Meeting Minutes
Motion 24-048 Moved by Chair Jutte,
seconded by Member Hankins:
The Board approved the July 12, 2024,
minutes as presented.
The motion passed
unanimously.
B.
Election of Officers
Motion 24-049 Moved by Chair Jutte,
seconded by Member Abel:
The Board elects Kelli Hooke as Chair effective October 1, 2024.
The motion passed
unanimously.
Motion 24-050 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Member Hankins:
The Board elects Megan Abel as Vice Chair effective October 1,
2024.
The motion passed
unanimously.
C. Enforcement Matters
Stipulation
EEB
Case 2023-062 (Perkinson)
Senior Digital Forensic Investigator
Justin Cotte briefed the Board on a proposed Stipulation and Order in the
matter of Paige Perkinson, Senior Administrator of Engagement and Outreach with
the Department of Corrections. Paige Perkinson agreed that they may have
violated the Ethics in Public Service Act by using state resources for
non-work-related activities. Evidence
indicated that they browsed the internet, visiting sites including Zillow and
YouTube, and saved several personal documents and photos on their computer. The order imposes a civil penalty of $750
with $250 suspended.
Executive Director Dismissal
Kate Reynolds summarized an
Executive Director Dismissal in EEB Case 2023-068 (Hevly).
The Board deferred action on the enforcement matters until after
their closed session.
D. Policy Reviews
Administrative Officer Ruthann Bryant presented
the Office of Financial Management’s Ethics policy. They noted the policy was
approved in January of 2023 and the Office of Financial Management made several
housekeeping updates requiring review by the Board. Staff recommended approval.
Board member Hankins requested some edits to
the policy including adding a hyperlink to the RCW and updating a subsection of
the WAC.
Motion 24-051 Moved by Chair Jutte,
seconded by Member Comfort:
The Board
approved the Office of Financial Management’s Ethics policy, as amended.
The motion passed
unanimously.
E. Discussion on use of state resources for certifications
Executive Director Kate Reynolds reported on a
request from the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) regarding
the University of Washington’s Evans School certificate program. Kate Reynolds
noted that DCYF would allow state resources to be used for this certification
to include state time, car, credit card, and overtime and without adding to the
workload of the participants.
Kate Reynolds noted that DCYF has a social
worker licensure program that allows already licensed social workers to obtain
the next level of licensing. DCYF views the activities as part of their
official duties however this use is not currently included in their Performance
Development Plan and no policy allowing such use under training and development
has been approved by the Board.
Kate Reynolds also provided background on the types
of permitted use of state resources for training and education including
summaries of previous cases on similar issues.
Motion 24-052 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Chair Jutte:
The Board requested
more information and directed staff to draft an Advisory Opinion.
The motion passed
unanimously.
F. Staff Reports
Kate
Reynolds reported that the Legislative Ethics Board is working on changes to a
few sections of the Ethics in Public Service Act and noted that they will be
monitoring the changes and providing input.
G. Public Comment/Board Member Comment
No
public or Board Member comments were given.
H. Closed Session
At 9:45
am the Board moved into Closed Session.
At 10:45 am the Board returned to regular session and reported the
following:
Motion 24-053 Moved by Member Hooke,
seconded by Member Hankins:
The Board approved the Stipulated
Facts, Conclusions of Law and Agreed Order in EEB Case 2023-062 Paige Perkinson,
imposing a civil penalty of $750 with $250 suspended.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-054 Moved by Chair Jutte,
seconded by Member Comfort:
The Board
determined the complaint is unfounded and dismissed EEB Case 2023-056 Joshua Mercado.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-055 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Chair Jutte:
The Board
determined the complaint is unfounded and dismissed EEB Case 2023-059 Jason Lewis
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-056 Moved by Member Abel,
seconded by Member Hankins:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause of $500 or less in EEB Case 2023-061 Oscar Ochoa.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-057 Moved by Member Hankins,
seconded by Member Comfort:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause of $500 or less in EEB Case 2023-064 Zachary Estep.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-058 Moved by Vice Chair Hooke,
seconded by Chair Jutte:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause of $500 or less in EEB Case 2023-066 David Plassman.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-059 Moved by Member Abel,
seconded by Vice Chair Hooke:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause over $500 in EEB Case 2023-067 Leeza Lamb.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-060 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Chair Jutte:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause over $500 in EEB Case 2023-069 Eli Vinje.
The motion passed unanimously.
Motion 24-061 Moved by Member Hankins,
seconded by Vice Chair Hooke:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause over $500 in EEB Case 2023-070 Jacob Rainey.
Voting For: Chair Jutte,
Vice Chair Hooke and Members Comfort and Hankins.
Not Voting: Members Abel.
The motion passed.
Motion 24-062 Moved by Member Comfort,
seconded by Member Abel:
The Board found Reasonable
Cause over $500 in EEB Case 2023-072 Christopher Miller.
The motion passed unanimously.
I. Miscellaneous Matters/Adjournment
There
were no miscellaneous matters and the meeting was
adjourned at 10:50 a.m.
Approved by the Board 11/8/2024