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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tacoma mayor visited Israel. Here's what city's ethics board decided about that
The Tacoma Board of Ethics found that Mayor Victoria Woodards' choice to accept a week-long, all-expenses-paid trip to Israel in March did not violate the city's code of ethics, according to a ruling shared with The News Tribune on Tuesday. As previously reported by The News Tribune, Woodards attended a trip to Israel organized by the American Jewish Committee as part of its annual AJC Project Interchange with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Woodards was the only mayor from Washington to attend the trip, which included round-trip airfare to and from Tel Aviv, luxury hotel accommodations, meals, historic tours, lectures on Israeli politics and society and a meeting with the families and survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. The timing of her trip drew scrutiny from some residents, including Rob Harrison, who filed an ethics complaint last month questioning if Woodards' acceptance of the trip and its perks was prohibited or an improper use of her position as mayor. While Woodards was in Israel on March 18, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza that killed more than 400 Palestinians, breaking a ceasefire that had remained in place since January, as reported by the Associated Press. Since the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas launched an attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, at least 53,939 people, including 16,500 children have been killed in Gaza, as reported by the BBC on Monday. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas in 2023, according to the BBC. Fifty-seven people are still being held, about 20 of whom are assumed to be alive. According to a ruling dated May 23 that was sent to Harrison and shared with The News Tribune, the Tacoma Board of Ethics dismissed Harrison's complaint after discussing the case via email, said city spokesperson Maria Lee. Board of Ethics members said Woodards is on the advisory board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and 'Elected officials and city employees routinely travel for work, for events such as conferences, educational workshops and meetings.' Board of Ethics members said Woodards did not violate the Tacoma Municipal Code 1.46.030 related to prohibited conduct of city employees, including the improper use of their position and acceptance of gifts. According to the conclusion, there was no evidence presented that supported the allegation that Woodards 'secured a special privilege, exemption, gain or benefit for herself' as other mayors were invited. Additionally, 'Attending conferences and related events, even on an international trip, is not an improper use of one's position at the City. This is true, even if there is some incidental personal gain (e.g. visiting a new state or country), as long as the travel, conference or similar is reasonably related to their work for the City.' City employees can attend hosted meals 'when it is provided in conjunction with a meeting directly related to the conduct of City business or where official attendance by the City officer or employee as a City representative is appropriate,' and 'any such travel does not meet the above definition of 'gift' as the trip to Israel was related to her duties as Mayor of Tacoma,' according to the ruling. 'A majority of the Board concurred with the initial opinion of the Deputy City Attorney that Complaint No. 2025-001 alleged facts which, even if true, would not constitute a violation of the Code of Ethics and that dismissal of Complaint 2025-001 was appropriate without further Board action,' the complaint said. The city's Board of Ethics consists of five regular members who are city residents recommended by the Government Performance and Finance Committee and formally appointed by a resolution of the City Council. Membership is three years. Those currently on the board are MarcusAntonio Gunn, Chelsea McElroy, Kashmiri Gavronski, Nelson Rascon and Diane Tilstra, according to the board's website. In an email to The News Tribune on Wednesday morning, Woodards said she acknowledged and appreciated 'the thorough review' conducted by the Board of Ethics. 'This process is a cornerstone of our commitment to transparency, providing a dedicated avenue for the community to raise questions and hold public officials accountable to our shared ethics code. The process has worked as intended, and the resulting report of findings brings greater clarity,' she said. 'Travel for conferences and education, undertaken on behalf of the City, is a standard and important part of my responsibilities as Mayor. This particular trip was instrumental in deepening my understanding of a complex and challenging issue from multiple perspectives. I emerged more confident that Tacoma's approach—working hand-in-hand with our Jewish and Muslim communities, as we demonstrated with our own ceasefire resolution—is the correct path forward. Our focus remains, as it should, on our Tacoma community members and their well-being.' In an email to The News Tribune on Tuesday, Harrison said he thanked the city for looking into the matter and updating him. 'I do have some questions, but I need some time to organize my thoughts,' he said. According to the Board of Ethics' website, the five-member board had planned to meet April 9 but that meeting was canceled. The next meeting is scheduled for July 9. The board met three times last year, according to the website. Upon receiving an ethics complaint, the legal advisor to the board (in this case deputy city attorney Debra Casparian, Lee said) 'shall make an initial review for legal sufficiency' and if, in their opinion, the complaint's allegations (even if true) would not constitute a violation of the code of ethics, or concerned matters in which the board has no jurisdiction, the legal advisor will issue an opinion via email to all board members saying dismissal appears appropriate, according to the administrative procedures. If a majority of a quorum of the board agrees within five business days after the email opinion was sent, that satisfies the requirement that the board meets to consider a complaint prior to dismissal, according to the procedures. In this case the board corresponded via email and there was no public hearing, Lee said.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tacoma mayor accepted paid trip to Israel from advocacy group American Jewish Committee
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards joined a delegation of U.S. mayors in Israel for seven days last week, with expenses for the trip paid for by the American Jewish Committee, city officials say. She was the only mayor from Washington state to attend, AJC said. The advocacy group 'stands up for Israel's right to exist in peace and security; confronts antisemitism, no matter the source; and upholds the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies,' according to the organization's website. Woodards visited Israel from March 16 through March 23 for the annual AJC Project Interchange in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said city spokesperson Maria Lee. The mayor told The News Tribune Wednesday she went to better understand the conflict and for spiritual reasons as a Christian. A member of the local Jewish Voice for Peace chapter called Woodards' trip 'a disgusting and shameful act of support for the Israeli apartheid regime' that 'flies in the face of not just the ceasefire resolution that Mayor Woodards signed onto, but just every standard of human morality.' Expenses for the trip paid for by the AJC Project Interchange included round-trip airfare to and from Tel Aviv, private hotel accommodations and most meals, according to the invitation Woodards received from AJC and the United States Conference of Mayors on Dec. 12, which was obtained by the News Tribune. The city of Tacoma said The News Tribune would have to ask AJC for the cost of the trip. AJC said in an email Tuesday, 'AJC does not disclose expenses for these delegations' and did not explain why. An itinerary shared with The News Tribune noted that Woodards stayed in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem for two days (where standard rooms have a going rate of $600/night, according to the hotel's website) and the Dan Tel Aviv Hotel for three days (where standard rates are $300-$600/night, according to the hotel) before departing March 22. Woodards confirmed she was paid her salary by the city while she was there and 'was never shown a bill' from AJC. According to Woodards' itinerary, she attended 14 lectures over the course of her trip on topics including Israeli politics, Jerusalem, Israel-U.S. relations and Israeli society. She met with families and survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and toured historic sites like Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, South Tel Aviv, Carmel Market, Hostages Square and Tel Aviv-Jaffa. She also visited the ANU Museum of Jewish People, according to the itinerary and met with Palestinian activist Samer Sinijlawi, who led a discussion on Israeli-Palestinian relations. Woodards told The News Tribune on Wednesday she had been invited to go on the trip last year but declined because she wanted to be sensitive to how people in Tacoma would feel about her visiting Israel because the city council was drafting a ceasefire resolution at that time. 'Then got the invitation to go this year, and I absolutely said yes,' Woodards said. 'One, because I wanted to be more educated about what was happening. And secondly, I am a Christian, and I was excited about the opportunity to visit a place that I've only read about in my Bible, you know, kind of all of the religious and spiritual reasons that people go to Jerusalem and travel to Israel.' Woodards was one of nine U.S. mayors who attended the trip, she said. Woodards said she wanted to better understand the conflict 'from the perspective of those who are living it every day.' 'I will tell you that this issue is way more complex than I think we think about,' she said. 'It's so much more complex than I understood before I went.' Woodards was among other members of the Tacoma City Council last year who approved a resolution supporting 'an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the protection of humanitarian aid workers and the provision of humanitarian aid in Gaza' after mounting public pressure. While Woodards was in Israel on March 18, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza that killed more than 400 Palestinians, breaking a ceasefire that had remained in place since January, as reported by the Associated Press. Israel has prevented humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and on March 2 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again halted 'the entry of all goods and supplies' in an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting a new ceasefire proposal, as reported by news outlet Al Jazeera. Since the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas launched an attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, some 62,614 Palestinians and 1,139 people in Israel have been killed with more than 127,000 people injured, according to a live tracker by Al Jazeera. AJC said in an article published about the annual Mayor Delegation to Israel on Monday that the intensive program 'enabled the mayors to gain first-hand knowledge of the situation in Israel at a time when the nation continues to confront ongoing terror attacks and threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies on multiple fronts and grapples with the fate of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas.' 'These are powerful experiences that expose mayors to the deep complexity of Israel and the region while also providing insight into how their counterparts navigate challenges often under difficult conditions,' said AJC chief field operations officer Melanie Maron Pell in the article. 'They also get to see how diverse Israeli society really is and draw their own conclusions about life in Israel. Invariably, they come away impressed. This year was no exception.' Woodards said she supports a ceasefire and is in favor of protecting humanitarian aid in Gaza and didn't think her visit to Israel was at odds with the resolution she signed. 'I went on the trip with the idea that we were in a ceasefire, right? So let's be super clear about that. I would imagine that if we had not been in ceasefire, that maybe they would have canceled. I don't know what they would have done,' she said, noting her daily itinerary changed March 18 when Israel broke the ceasefire. Zev Cook is co-founder of Tacoma for All and member of Jewish Voice for Peace. Cook called Woodard's trip a 'disgusting and horrible thing to do.' 'The AJC, American Jewish Committee, is a Zionist organization that explicitly exists to maintain support for the Zionist and genocidal project in Palestine,' she said Tuesday. 'This isn't some normal educational nonprofit … this is against every Jewish value that I was brought up with. 'I think that through going on lobbyist-funded trip like this Woodards is, you know, showing pretty clearly and demonstrating her support for the occupation and genocide in Palestine. I think that actions speak louder than words, and when you take acts of support like this, it renders any resolution meaningless.' Woodards said it was not her intention to offend people by going on this trip and said her heart goes out to innocent people 'on both sides [who] are being affected by this war.' 'I'm sorry if some people found it offensive, but I think it helps me better understand,' she said. 'One of the things [AJC] said, and I'll just be honest with you, 'You're going to leave more confused than you were when you got here,' because by hearing so many different perspectives, there's no monolith of opinions and thoughts and feelings, much like there is right here in my very own city.'
