Forum On Ballot Issues Falls Apart Initiative Sponsors Pull Out, Democrats Head For The Door As Rhetoric Prevails

It was billed as the Legislature’s first public forum on November ballot measures, but it turned into a one-sided affair Friday when initiative sponsors pulled out of the event and Democratic senators walked out.

While opponents were trashing gun-control and gay-rights ballot measures, initiative backers held what amounted to a counter-hearing in the hallway outside the committee room, pleading their case to reporters and accusing the chairwoman of rigging the hearing.

But Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, head of the Senate Law and Justice Committee and originator of the forum, said the backers were ducking debate and squelching a free exchange of ideas.

“That was so third grade,” she said of the boycott and walkout.

Roach defended her decision to host a forum on initiatives dealing with gun control and gay rights. She said she opposes both, but wasn’t trying to use the hearing to help defeat them. In her earlier news release announcing the hearing, she said it was important for lawmakers to know of potential flaws in initiatives.

Only opponents of the measures spoke at the televised hearing, with sponsors deciding at the last minute not to take part.

Democratic members of the committee said the whole event was unwise and possibly unethical, particularly when only one side was participating.

A House member, Ed Murray, D-Seattle, has filed a complaint with the Legislative Ethics Board, calling the hearing a misuse of public facilities that could influence the outcome of the elections.

At Roach’s request, the Democratic legal adviser to the ethics panel, Tony Cook, told the gathering he believes it is permissible for the Legislature to provide “a neutral forum in public facilities for debate of ballot measures,” to get up to speed on what the measures contain, and to consider possible options to take if the initiatives pass.

He said it is improper to use such a hearing to take sides. The Legislature has never before held hearings on a citizen initiative like these two measures.

Citizen initiatives take effect if a majority of the voters approve. They do not require legislative ratification.

An initiative to the Legislature is a different kind of measure, and goes to lawmakers first. The House and Senate can approve it as written, let it go to the ballot, or send both the initiative and a legislative alternative to the people.

The players starkly disagreed on whether the hearing was a “neutral forum.” Democratic senators listened to Cook’s comments, but concluded that the hearing was inappropriate, if not unethical.

The initiatives are the public’s opportunity to pass state laws and the Legislature has no business holding hearings on them, especially when only one side participates, said Sens. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, and Adam Kline, D-Seattle.

“I’m glad I’m not arguing against free speech,” Roach replied.

The harshest comments came from former first lady Jean Gardner, co-chairwoman of the group pushing the handgun initiative.

“This is a waste of the public’s time, the public’s facilities and, most important, the public’s money,” she said in a statement circulated just before the hearing. “If Sen. Roach wants to lead the opposition to I-676, we say fine, but not at taxpayers’ expense.

“Sen. Roach doesn’t get it. The initiative process is there to circumvent politicians, like Sen. Roach, who are bought and sold and controlled by special interest groups.”

Backers of the measure to ban job discrimination against homosexuals said the hearing was a slap in the face of the 220,000 people who signed petitions and was “nothing more than a charade.” Spokeswoman Suzanne Thomas, an employment lawyer from Seattle, called the hearing a bad idea, badly executed.

“It’s improper to have a slanted hearing,” she said.

Kathleen Russell of the Washington Association of Churches said proponents were told that the event was not a regular public hearing and that only pre-approved panelists would be allowed to speak.

“My motivation was to bring information to the public, to get beyond sound bites,” Roach said.

Inside the hearing room, a parade of opposition speakers praised her for holding the hearing and ridiculed the initiative sponsors for “ducking” the debate.

“People will be shocked and offended by the boycott,” said Bob Larimer of Vancouver, spokesman for the opposition to the gay-rights measure.