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Councilor Ward discloses Aberdeen Development Corporation client relationship; council plans resolution to address past votes
Summary
Councilman Ward disclosed that a company called Climate Control is a current client of the Aberdeen Development Corporation (ADC) and said he will abstain from city matters involving that client; council directed staff to draft a resolution to validate or invalidate past votes as appropriate, mirroring a 2019 precedent.
Councilman Ward told the Aberdeen City Council on March 17 that Climate Control is a current client of the Aberdeen Development Corporation (ADC) and that he has been an ADC employee since Nov. 12 of the previous year. Ward said he is working with staff to identify any votes he participated in that involved Climate Control and will abstain from city matters involving that client going forward.
Ward said he would recuse himself from related city matters and from the city bills list as a transparency measure. City legal staff and other council members discussed the city’s conflict-of-interest policy and a prior 2019 case in which the council addressed a similar oversight by passing a resolution validating votes.
Staff said the city ethics board had issued an advisory opinion to Ward in the past and referenced paragraph 4(g) of the city’s conflict-of-interest policy, which states council members shall not participate or vote in matters directly involving a present business client or a person or entity that had been a business client within the prior 12 months. City counsel and staff said they would prepare a resolution similar to the 2019 action to address any votes that require validation or correction; staff indicated the number of votes affected is not large.
Council members debated the scope of the policy and whether employment (versus an ownership interest) should be treated the same, noting the policy language focuses on “present business client” and does not require the council member to personally profit. A few council members described the situation as a technical conflict and supported following the same remedy used previously.
Outcome and next steps Councilors agreed to place a resolution on a future agenda to address any votes that may need validation. Ward said he will continue abstaining from matters involving ADC clients while staff and legal counsel prepare the resolution.
Speakers Speakers on this item included Councilman Ward (who made the disclosure), city legal counsel and staff who referenced the ethics advisory opinion and the conflict-of-interest policy, and several council members who commented on remedy options. No formal vote on a resolution occurred on March 17.
