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Report on WTO debacle blames commissioner

Thursday, June 29, 2000

By KERY MURAKAMI Mail Author
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

The first report to come out of the Seattle City Council's investigation of last year's World Trade Organization conference focuses blame -- sometimes bluntly -- on the person who led the effort to bring the WTO here: Port of Seattle commissioner Pat Davis.

The report, by a citizens panel looking into the decision to invite the WTO to Seattle, claims that Davis made a number of misrepresentations that seemed to commit the city to paying for the conference.

The Post-Intelligencer obtained a copy of the panel's findings yesterday. It will be released publicly today.

The panel's report said Davis told the federal government that the Seattle Host Organization, which included Mayor Paul Schell, Gov. Gary Locke, and King County Executive Ron Sims, "will cover whatever the final costs are."

But the report concluded that Davis never informed any of those three officials before making the promise in Seattle's formal bid to host the WTO.

Moreover, the citizens panel found that Davis told Schell's office "the city should not be concerned about having to pay for any security costs."

Davis, president of the Washington Council on International Trade, did not return phone calls yesterday.

"The Panel finds that Ms. Davis and the WCIT made commitments to the United States Government on behalf of the City of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington that they were not authorized to make," the report said. "Indeed, not only had they not even discussed commitments of this magnitude with any of these officials, their discussions with the City were to the contrary."

Although the report focused on Davis, it also criticized city leaders for not taking stronger steps to protect taxpayers.

The panel found that Schell and the City Council should have negotiated legal agreements with the federal government and the corporate organizers of the conference to share the costs of holding the conference.

Without an upfront commitment from the federal government, the city has been forced to lobby Congress for the money.

And federal legislators have not agreed to reimburse the city for some of its losses.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Host Organization has not followed through on its pledge to repay the city $1.5 million for security costs.

The December meeting of the WTO was marred by violent protests and rioting that racked up millions of dollars in overtime costs for police and in damages to downtown Seattle businesses.

In response to criticism of the city's handling of the conference, the City Council created the WTO Accountability Committee to review what went wrong. The committee then created three citizens panels to examine different aspects of the controversy.

The report to be released today was prepared by the panel looking into how the WTO came to be invited to Seattle.

Two other panels -- one looking into the city's preparations for the conference and the second examining the city's handling of the events during the week -- are expected to release their findings next month.

A police consultant hired by Schell and the American Civil Liberties Union also may release separate reports next week.

Today's report was written by local attorney and gay rights activist Bob Rohan. The panel also included Rachel Ben-Shmuel, a land-use consultant; Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle Director James Kelly; attorney Roger Kelly, and David Okimoto, director of the Atlantic Street Center social service agency. Rohan declined to comment on the report until today.

Council members said yesterday the sometimes blunt report showed the council is taking its review seriously. "The independent panel did excellent work and they did not shy away from their responsibility," said Councilwoman Jan Drago, who chaired the panel.

"The committee's review will not pull any punches or shy away from any controversy," added Councilman Jim Compton, chairman of the WTO Accountability Committee.

Cliff Traisman, director of the city's Office of Intergovernmental Relations, said the city has learned its lesson from the WTO. He pointed out that the Schell administration earlier this year refused to promise the U.S. Treasury Department that the city would pick up all costs from the Asian Development Bank Conference.

In response, the Treasury Department yanked the conference, which had been scheduled for next year, out of Seattle.

The citizens panel will release a number of recommendations for dealing with future conferences this afternoon.

Though Drago declined to talk specifically, she and Schell have said the city should create a process in which the council and the mayor's office would approve future major conferences. The city now gives organizations carte blanche to invite large events here.

P-I reporter Kery Murakami can be reached at 206-448-8029 or kerymurakami@seattle-pi.com

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