Clark County Councilor David Madore pressed the county manager on Wednesday for more details about a contract with an investigator looking into a series of allegations that revolve around the Republican councilor.
Late last month, the county entered into a contract with Seattle attorney Rebecca Dean — at a cost of $240 an hour — to investigate Madore’s allegations that Community Planning staff and deputy prosecuting attorneys have lied about the impact of Alternative 4, Madore’s controversial zoning proposal.
Dean will also investigate Community Planning Director Oliver Orjiako’s whistleblower and harassment complaints against Madore, as well as a union’s allegations that Madore retaliated against collective bargaining employees.
At the council’s weekly board time meeting, Madore shared his concerns that the contract was not considered in an open public meeting.
Madore said he first became aware of the contract when he saw it on a “newspaper site,” presumably The Columbian’s, the only local newspaper that has reported on the contract.
“The community knew about it before I did,” Madore said.
There was also some debate about whether Acting County Manager Mark McCauley had the authority to execute the contract without first putting it to the board.
The Home Rule Charter grants McCauley full authority to execute contracts, though a county ordinance approved last May requires him to post contracts to the county website before they are approved.
McCauley and Deputy Prosecutor Chris Horne, however, said the charter takes precedence over the county ordinance.
McCauley said at board time, as well as at Tuesday’s council meeting, that these were special circumstances since they dealt with confidential personnel matters. Furthermore, McCauley added, Madore himself is at the center of the investigations.
“It would have been inappropriate for the board to have an opportunity to review this and make changes to it and propose that changes be made to it,” McCauley said. “I signed it without posting it.”
McCauley added in a conversation with The Columbian that while no official vote was taken on the matter, he had majority support from the board to move forward with the investigation.
The council, meanwhile, found itself wrestling with legal questions regarding the investigation. When councilors turned to Horne, he declined to respond on the specific contract because Madore’s accusations against him are the “subject of one of those investigations.”
“In light of what else has happened, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to give you a response,” Horne said.
Stewart expressed frustration that she couldn’t consult with the county’s attorney.
“This is exactly the kind of thing we need legal counsel to work with us on and we don’t have a legal counsel,” she said.
McCauley said Dean officially began her investigation April 13.
