Bellevue Patch Asks You: How Wide A Scope Should the Bellevue Council Ethics Probe Be?

Bellevue City Council members over how far an independent reviewer should probe when looking into possible council conflicts of interest relating to the Sound Transit light rail line through Bellevue, known as East Link.

The probe was after the Seattle Times questioned Councilman Kevin Wallace's business relationship with a railroad company that had an interest in using the BNSF right-of-way line; that line would be improved if Sound Transit adopts the "B7" alternative alignment that is preferred by the majority of the council, including Wallace.

But Bellevue Mayor Don Davidson said that he wanted to see an independent investigator also look at the possible future conflicts of interest that Councilwoman Claudia Balducci, a Sound Transit board member, would face if Bellevue and Sound Transit were to be involved in litigation; and of votes that Councilman Grant Degginger took in 2003 when he directly represented Sound Transit as an attorney. Both Balducci and Degginger have voted against pursuing the B7 alternative alignment, which will cost the city at least $670,000 -- and perhaps more -- to study as it challenges Sound Transit's preferred line.

Davidson said that including all three council members in an ethics probe is the only way to make all sides of the issue happy. Degginger challenged that bringing up old issues and issues that have already been vetted by the city attorney  is playing politics over this issue.