WA campaign commission rules on controversial Tri-Cities political yard signs

A Washington state agency has dismissed a complaint filed against a Tri-City political action committee over some controversial campaign signs.

The complaint centered on allegations that false and intentionally misleading signs were placed next to a Kennewick School Board candidate’s signs.

The We Want Accountability PAC posted signs pointed at school board President Michael Connors’ signs, with messages like: “Voted With Liberals 100%,” “Kept Our Kids In Masks,” and “Supports CRT (critical race theory) in Schools.”

State campaign finance laws prohibit sponsorship of statements with malice that constitute libel or defamation.

But staff with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) say the allegations didn’t meet the state’s standard for damaging speech.

“Based on these findings, staff has determined that this standard has not been met and, in this instance, sponsoring yard signs that included a brief statement with arrows pointing to Michael Connors’ yard signs does not amount to a finding of a violation warranting further investigation,” read a letter filed Wednesday, Dec. 27, by the PDC.

The case over adjacent campaign signs — messages placed nearby to comment about other candidate’s politics — was a unique one for the state agency. A full investigation would have tested the veracity of claims on both sides, who disagree over Connors’ record while in office.

“Your allegations that We Want Accountability PAC sponsored false political advertising directed at Michael Connors, a candidate for re-election to the Kennewick School Board, is understandable,” wrote PDC staff. “However, We Want Accountability PAC responded to your allegations with justification for the validity of the statements on the yard signs they sponsored.”

It also underscores heightened political tensions that have risen among candidates running for office at the local level in Tri-Cities.

In recent years, despite being nonpartisan positions, school boards have become a lightning rod for “culture war” issues and ideological battles.

Connors, a Republican and third-generation Tri-Cities farmer, was running for reelection to a seat on the Kennewick School Board. But the conservative PAC was in support of his opponent, Dustin Petersen, also a Republican.

As more conservative voices won seats on the school board following the COVID-19 pandemic, Connors increasingly found himself a target for conservatives in the Benton County Republican Party and the We Want Accountability PAC.

He’s called a ban on certain books in schools “morally and ethically wrong.” He also voted against a policy amendment that would have restricted how non-U.S. flags — including gay pride flags or sports team flags — could be displayed in classrooms.

Connors won reelection in November to a second four-year term on the board, receiving 60% of the vote. He could not be reached Friday about the PDC’s decision.