The city’s Ethics and Elections Commission has charged Councilmember Richard McIver with a ethics violation, for allegedly giving a no-bid auditing contract to a friend, which was apparently a conflict of interest.

From their release:

Council member McIver…participated in the award of a contract to Griffin, Hill & Associates (“GHA”), a consulting firm with which his friend, Joann Francis, was affiliated.

For approximately ten years, council member McIver has traveled to the Virgin Islands annually for approximately two weeks, leaving toward the end of December and returning early in January. In the Virgin Islands, Councilmember McIver has been a guest of Joann and Roy Francis at a condominium the Francises own.

Shortly after returning to Seattle from the Virgin Islands [in 2007], council member McIver executed a $37,000 contract with GHA. The contract was not competitively bid. Subsequently, in May 2007, council member McIver executed an amendment to the contract, increasing its value to $42,000. council member McIver also approved GHA’s invoices.

UPDATE:

Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission Director Wayne Barnett McIver could be fined up to $15,000 for the violations. “Councilmember McIver…shouldn’t have been the one awarding the contract,” Barnett says.

UPDATE 2:

McIver has released a statement:

These charges are frivolous and totally without merit. The Council’s standard and existing contracting procedures were followed to the letter in this case and the contract was authorized by the Council President.

The sole allegation against me is that in my capacity as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the City Council and with the approval of three other members, the City entered into a contract with a company where a social acquaintance of mine is a minority partner. If that were prohibited conduct, few, if any, local companies could do business with the City.

I declined to pay a settlement penalty presented by the Ethics & Elections Commission Executive Director, and intend to vigorously challenge these baseless charges.