Leavenworth city council discusses code of ethics and social media presence

LEAVENWORTH – The Leavenworth City Council made updates to its code of ethics and discussed social media presence during its May 13 city council meeting.

The city council voted to make updates to its code of ethics based on recommendations from the ethics officer Danielle Marchant, presented by City Clerk Andrea Fischer over the April 22 study session. The changes included adding specificity to the gifts and favors section, clarifying that meals or coffee are not considered gifts, and removing language about boards and committees related to political campaigns that is not applicable to city business.

The change updated the financial disclosure statement requirements, noting that F-1 forms are

not required with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) until the city reaches 2,000

registered voters. The city was at nearly 1,900 voters in the November 2024 election. Lastly, the council updated the complaint process so that complaints are sent to the city clerk first for review before sending them to the ethics officer.

“I’ll let her know that we have received a complaint, and that we're investigating it…So we'll do our due diligence, and then we'll hand it off to her, and she'll do her due diligence,” said Fischer.

While not included in the change, the update prompted further discussion of social media use. City Administrator Matthew Selby iterated that engaging in online discussions was not prohibited, but could make the personal accounts of city council members subject to public records requests.

“I definitely had an interest in the parking discussion [on Facebook] a couple weeks ago, and I don't want to shy away from some of that,” said City Councilmember Travis McMaster. “I just want to have an open dialogue, and listen to our constituents, but also explain what the realities are that the city is doing.”

However, while including a disclaimer was advised, others cautioned against commenting altogether, recommending in-person discussions and the encouragement of attending public meetings.

“If you are presenting a perspective that's informed by your time or your experience on the council, that enters a gray area, like Carl said, where you're putting yourself at risk,” said City Councilmember Clint Strand.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media