SEATTLE — Joshua Freed, the former Bothell mayor and developer who placed third in the Aug. 4 gubernatorial primary, has agreed to pay $25,000 for violating campaign-finance law.
In a settlement approved by the state Public Disclosure Commission, Freed, a Republican, was assessed a $50,000 penalty, with $25,000 suspended if he has no new violations for four years.
The violations stem from a $500,000 campaign loan Freed made to his gubernatorial campaign — in an apparent effort to scare off potential GOP primary rivals.
Freed later repaid $450,000 to himself in violation of a law that limits candidate loan repayments to $6,000 per election, according to the PDC.