The Washington Public Disclosure Commission did not find enough evidence of violation of state law to open an investigation of Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt and former Vancouver City Manager Pat McDonnell for their roles in drafting a city resolution against two liquor privatization initiatives on November’s ballot.
The complaint, filed Oct. 11 by Initiative 1100 proponent Stefan Sharkansky of Seattle, had alleged that city officials, specifically Leavitt and McDonnell, “created or furnished one-sided, oppositional materials regarding Initiatives 1100 and 1105 to elected city officials for use in those officials’ consideration of a resolution in opposition to the initiatives,” wrote Phil Stutzman, the PDC’s director of compliance.
In a 14-page letter, Stutzman outlined how Leavitt and McDonnell acted within the law when they put forward a city council resolution to oppose those initiatives, both of which would have cost the city more than $1 million in lost tax revenue.
The city council passed the resolution opposing the initiatives; both failed to pass in the Nov. 2 election.
