Washington State Sen. Ann Rivers, left, and Clark County Councilor John Blom, right, speak during candidate forums in July.
Complaints to the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) against two candidates for local and state offices up for election this year were dismissed last week, with the commission determining the allegations weren’t covered in state law warranting further investigation.
On July 30, the PDC sent letters to Clark County Councilor John Blom and state Sen. Ann Rivers announcing they had dismissed the complaints against them. Both complaints were filed by Eric Temple, president of the Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), which operates the Clark County-owned Chelatchie Prairie Railroad.
Both complaints featured allegations against the lawmakers — both of whom face challengers in bids to re-election to their respective seats — based on a $20,000 contribution PVJR made to the Clark County Republican Party for use in the August primary election.
Temple’s complaint against Rivers was based on a text message he received from Rivers asking for $5,000 of PVJR’s donation to benefit her campaign. Rivers, a Republican, has challengers on both sides of the political aisle, in fellow Republican John Ley and Democrat Rick Bell.
“This (donation) would solve a number of problems for both of us,” Rivers wrote in the message. In a release, Temple said he felt the message gave him “a feeling of being extorted and being solicited for a bribe.”
Temple’s complaint against Blom alleged that someone a part of his campaign had contacted an advisor for Temple, threatening that “if any of (PVJR’s) money ended up helping his opponent, he would destroy me,” according to a release from PVJR.
Blom, formerly a Republican, is running with no party preference for re-election, and faces a Republican challenger in Karen Bowerman, as well as a Democratic opponent, Jesse James. He had previously denied the allegations, calling them “100-percent false.”
The PDC’s decision not to pursue investigations came down to their jurisdiction under state law, which in both cases did not cover the allegations. The letters to Blom and Rivers pointed to the requirement that Temple had to be an “employee or applicant for employment in classified civil service,” of which they found no evidence he was.
The PDC acknowledged that “(n)o other provisions of (applicable state law) prohibit threats related to contribution activity,” PVJR pointed out in their release.
Both Blom and Rivers responded to the news of the dismissals on social media. Rivers was “very happy” with the PDC’s decision, calling the complaint a “campaign smear tactic.”
“It is a sad and disappointing reality that some feel compelled to tear down others’ buildings to make theirs look taller,” Rivers wrote, adding the allegations could lead to lasting damage “long after their term in public service ends.”
“I’m proud of my record and know this won’t be the last smear,” Rivers wrote. “For now, just happy to have this laid to rest.”
Blom wrote the PDC’s dismissal went “as expected,” adding that “(t)he complaint had so little merit they did so without interviewing me or anyone from my campaign.”
Blom said the PDC complaint was “completely fabricated to influence the election,” referencing another complaint from Temple against him at the county level for the same activity. After addressing the complaint Clark County Council voted to suspend the ethics review process in order to review the review procedure once councilors noted deficiencies.
With the announcement of the dismissals, Temple wrote he was “deeply appalled” with what he characterized was that state lawmakers “tied the hands of the PDC when investigating crimes such as soliciting a bribe or second-degree extortion.”
“The Public Disclosure Commission has the power to reign in campaign limit violations such as this, and the citizens should demand politicians follow the law,” Temple stated in the release.
