TagDon Wasson(19)
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2005-06-25State PDC seeks suit on election violations – 2001 Des Moines races: Business group accused of hiding donations to pro-runway candidates
In 2005, Washington State's Public Disclosure Commission asked Attorney General Rob McKenna to sue a group of investors connected to TME Capital Group for allegedly hiding $60,000 in illegal campaign contributions used to influence 2001 Des Moines City Council elections. The investors were backing a business venture tied to the controversial third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and sought to elect council candidates favorable to the project. The scheme involved funneling money through shell entities and converting it to anonymous cashier's checks to conceal the donors' identities, part of a broader pattern of campaign finance violations in Des Moines linked to the Sea-Tac runway fight. -
IN RE: the RECALL Charges Against City of Des Moines Mayor Donald WASSON
Supreme Court of Washington,En Banc. IN RE: the RECALL Charges Against City of Des Moines Mayor Donald WASSON, Councilmember Richard Benjamin, Councilmember Gary Peterson and Councilmember Maggie Steenrod. No. 73036-9. Decided: July 10, 2003 David H. Middleton & Associates PS, David Middleton, Federal Way, for appellant. Des Moines City Attorney’s Office, Linda Marousek, Asst., Des -
Ex-Des Moines mayor fined $2,500
PDC bars Wasson from seeking office over plot to pack council By STEVEN FRIEDERICH, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER OLYMPIA — Former Des Moines Mayor Don Wasson has been ordered to pay $2,500 in fines by the state Public Disclosure Commission and instructed never to run for public office again or face even more damages. “He developed -
2003-03-16Des Moines council faces deadlock – Wasson resigns, citing state’s investigation
Des Moines City Councilman Don Wasson resigned in March 2003 amid a campaign finance scandal, after allegations that he concealed $49,000 in undisclosed contributions funded by businessman Hank Hopkins, who sought to build a conveyor system for SeaTac Airport's proposed third runway. The contributions were intended to elect council members more favorable to the runway project, and the state Public Disclosure Commission was investigating whether Wasson and Hopkins broke state law. Wasson's resignation left the six remaining council members deadlocked, raising uncertainty about city governance during a critical period for airport expansion policy. -
Wasson quits Des Moines council, admits wrongdoing
DES MOINES — Embattled City Councilman Don Wasson resigned last night, acknowledging wrongdoing in a Public Disclosure Commission case involving charges that he and a local businessman concealed $49,000 in campaign contributions. Wasson, the subject of a recall campaign, had previously stepped down as mayor but said he intended to remain a member of the -
Des Moines Mayor Don Wasson resigns
Jan 24, 2003 By Dave Birkland Seattle Times staff reporter Des Moines Mayor Don Wasson, accused of hiding campaign contributions that reportedly swayed the council’s stance on the third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, resigned at last night’s City Council meeting. The resignation surprised everyone on the council, said Council member Bob Sheckler. “He (Wasson) -
Embattled Des Moines mayor abruptly quits
Campaign inquiry was a ‘distraction,’ Wasson says By JEFFREY M. BARKER AND CANDACE HECKMAN, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS DES MOINES — Mayor Don Wasson, under siege in this suburban city over an investigation into campaign-finance irregularities, resigned last night. Wasson’s surprise resignation as mayor took effect after last night’s City Council meeting. He intends to remain -
2003-01-18Trio in alleged political plot put blame on one another: Mayor, businessman, consultant involved in state investigation
A 2003 Seattle Times investigation revealed a campaign-finance scandal in Des Moines, WA, where Mayor Don Wasson, businessman Hank Hopkins, and political consultant Tom Hujar allegedly concealed $49,000 in unreported spending to influence the November 2001 City Council elections. The goal was to elect council members who would reduce the city's opposition to a proposed third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. State Public Disclosure Commission investigators charged Wasson and Hopkins with violating campaign-finance disclosure laws, with all three men blaming each other for the scheme. -
2003-01-17Plot alleged to elect 3rd-runway supporters – Election watchdog links businessman’s $49,000 with mayor
Des Moines Mayor Don Wasson was charged by Washington State's Public Disclosure Commission with concealing $49,000 in illegal campaign contributions from local businessman Hank Hopkins, who stood to profit from a third-runway construction contract at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The funds allegedly helped elect three pro-runway City Council members in 2001, after which Wasson was named mayor and the council voted to cut the city's $150,000 funding to the anti-runway Airport Communities Coalition. Wasson denied the charges, but investigators confronted him with an endorsed check he had initially claimed not to have received.