The never-ending saga of Aaron Reardon’s tawdry time as Snohomish County Executive has surfaced again, this time in a lengthy Everett Herald piece that outlines why one of Reardon’s top aides could face criminal charges for tampering with evidence.
There were multiple investigations into Reardon’s Reign of Error, which mercifully ended with his resignation earlier this year – from possible misuse of county funds while carrying on an affair with a county employee (who is now suing the county), to home-made pornography on government computers, to illegal use of county resources for political campaigning. Investigations still continue into the questionable actions of both Reardon and his aide, Kevin Hulten.
Of course, the stench of Reardon’s time in office was never quite bad enough for his fellow Democrats to turn on him. Leaders who had endorsed him, from Jay Inslee on down, were reluctant to have him leave too early, lest it force an election this year which might have resulted in a Republican victory – because after all, what’s a little illegality among Democrats?
Unfortunately for Snohomish County, Reardon is not an isolated embarrassment. Three years ago it was the “work” of consultants with the help of secret funding from several labor unions which helped defeat the late Senator Jean Berkey in the primary. Though it netted them the desired election of Senator Nick Harper, the illegal actions also resulted in one of the largest fines in Public Disclosure Commission history against a favorite consulting firm of the Democrats, Moxie Media.
And just last month, Sen. Harper made a surprise exit from the legislature, amid rumors of extracurricular activities with an Olympia lobbyist.
The Herald has done an excellent job in uncovering the excesses of Reardon’s administration, and we’ll continue to follow this story on SHIFT as it unfolds.
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