In March 2010, the City Council created a citizen task force to help it develop a Code of Ethics. Task force members were volunteers appointed by the City Council to serve for a period of approximately six months. The members were:
- Toby Nixon, Chair. Mr. Nixon is employed at Microsoft, the current president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and a former State Representative.
- Mary-Alyce Burleigh. Ms. Burleigh is a former Kirkland City Council Member and retired educator.
- Carolyn Hayek. Ms. Hayek is currently a self-employed wedding officiant, a former Kirkland Planning Commissioner, and former district court judge.
- Kathy Gilles. Ms. Gilles is employed by Evergreen Hospital and serves on Evergreen’s Ethics Committee.
- Sharon Sherrard. Ms. Sherrard is the Chair of the Kirkland Interfaith Network and a retired educator.
Once developed and approved, the Code of Ethics will apply to Kirkland elected and appointed officials. City employees are governed by the Code of Ethics contained in the Kirkland Municipal Code, Chapter 3.82.
Update 8/9/11: The Kirkland Ethics Task Force presented its draft Code of Ethics to the City Council on June 21, 2011 and July 19, 2011.
Early in the development of the Code of Ethics, a City Council Study Session was held on November 16, 2010. The City Council Subcommittee on Ethics met in March 2011 and directed staff to provide the full City Council with information about enforcement options and to prepare a draft Code of Conduct for the City Council.
Informational Handouts
To obtain copies of the minutes of the Ethics Task Force meetings, please contact the City Attorney's Office at 425-587-3001 or cao@kirklandwa.gov.