(The Center Square) – An ethics investigation has cleared Mayor Lisa Brown and much of the Spokane City Council of all allegations related to June 16, according to records obtained by The Center Square.
Andrea Asan, an attorney with a Spokane-based law firm, submitted the investigation on Monday after interviewing a dozen people and reviewing hours of footage and communications between the officials.
Asan ultimately found no evidence to substantiate claims that Brown promised former Councilmember Lili Navarrete a job with the city for flipping her vote over the mayor’s proposed camping ban. They all adhered to the rules of procedure that night, but the council did communicate extensively with Brown.
“Findings are subject to change based on the discovery of additional evidence,” according to the report.
The Spokane Ethics Commission launched a probe into the council and mayor after Linda Biel, a local resident and business owner, filed a complaint with several allegations surrounding June 16. Biel had specifically identified Brown and every member of the council majority at the time, Navarrete included.
According to the investigation, the council majority entered the night of June 16 expecting to approve the mayor’s proposed camping ban. They even had a news release ready to publish afterward, though all of that changed when Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Navarrete voted against the mayor’s policy.
The June 16 Flip-Flop Vote
Both joined the council minority to reject the proposal 4-3. The hang-up was over a provision requiring up to a week’s notice before breaking up encampments, but after a brief recess close to midnight, they changed their minds. The council majority ultimately amended that notice period down to three days.
While the council deferred a final vote on Brown’s proposal to June 30 and opted later to cut the notice period altogether, residents accused the majority of conducting closed-door deals in the dead of night.
According to text messages obtained by The Center Square, the mayor contacted every person on the council majority during their June 16 meeting, except Navarrete. Asan’s report confirmed this as well.
Brown texted Wilkerson and Councilmembers Zack Zappone and Paul Dillon, all within 10 minutes of the officials rejecting her proposal, asking each of them to call her. Zappone stepped away from the dais to call Brown, who asked why Navarrete voted no. He wasn’t sure, but expressed a desire for another vote.
“Mayor Brown texted CP Wilkerson to call her, which she did during the break,” according to Asan’s report. “They discussed whether a compromise would be possible. The discussion was limited to CP Wilkerson’s vote and there is no evidence that the votes of other council members were discussed.”
Dillon told the mayor that he planned to chat with Navarrete during the recess, but never did because she was already in the council lounge with Zappone and Wilkerson. The four of them meeting like that would have violated state law, so Dillon told The Center Square he stayed at the dais during the recess.
Footage shows Dillon pacing around the area while holding his phone before stepping out of frame.
During the backroom meeting, Wilkerson explained that the community input she received before that day allegedly supported a three-day notice period. Navarrete concurred and expressed a desire to pass the mayor’s camping ban before her upcoming resignation on June 30, according to the investigation.
“There were no promises made to trade votes in exchange for the compromise on the ordinance, nor was there any reference made about CM Navarrete procuring a new job with the city,” according to the report.
Navarrete asked Council Policy Advisor Chris Wright how to make an amendment, and he suggested she make a motion for reconsideration. She had never done that, so Wright emailed her instructions, along with Zappone and Dillon, who texted the mayor a single number, “3,” at 10:59 p.m. that night.
“When the Council resumed proceedings after the break, CM Zappone can be seen motioning to CM Navarrete,” according to the report. “This was done as an indication to CM Navarette to interrupt the proceedings to make a motion … Navarrete confirms that she brought the motion on her own accord.”
The council ultimately voted 5-2 to amend the notice period down to three days before voting again to defer final consideration to June 30, Navarrete’s last day on the council. Around 18 people testified on the amendment, though many community members had already left after the first vote hours earlier.
Navarrete’s New Job
While council staff announced earlier that day that Navarrete would begin working with the city in July, they only sent the details to a few reporters. The city didn’t announce her new position on its website until June 17, raising questions about the vote among those who attended the meeting the night prior.
“I was unable to uncover any conspiracy, undue influence, or quid pro quo … promise in exchange for moving to amend and reconsider [the ordinance],” according to the report. “I have not been presented with any evidence that Mayor Brown or council … acted outside of their authority during the Meeting.”
“However, I do recognize that there was a lack of communication from council members resulting in public confusion,” according to the investigation report, “which created a sense of untrustworthiness.”
According to the report, Navarrete applied for a job within Spokane’s Community, Housing and Human Services Department back in February. She initially planned to run for reelection, but later decided not to due to health issues, announcing her resignation, effective June 30, “on or around May 20, 2025.”
“This is not a position in Mayor Brown’s administration, nor does she have any control over the terms or conditions of the position, including hiring or firing,” according to the report; however, the mayor does oversee Navarrete’s bosses in CHHS and the Neighborhoods, Housing, and Human Services Division.
The report says Navarrete told Wilkerson about her illness in early 2025, and at some point, about her plan to apply for the CHHS position as well. The Civil Service Commission informed Navarrete in March that she met the minimum qualifications and ultimately ranked 11th on the list of eligible applicants.
The commission interviewed Navarrete and offered her the position “on or around May 21,” according to the report; the mayor and council had no say in the decision. Navarrete accepted the job that same day and started working in July, but she allegedly never discussed the job or application process with Brown.
“Let me know when you have time to talk,” Navarrete messaged Brown at 9:55 a.m. on June 17, only eight hours after the June 16 meeting adjourned, according to records obtained by The Center Square.
Upcoming Election
The release of this investigation has loomed over the council majority for months. Zappone is up for reelection next week, as is Councilmember Jonthan Bingle, who represents the conservative minority.
Zappone is facing a conservative challenger, as Bingle goes up against a progressive, and two other candidates duke it out for Navarrete’s seat. One of those individuals aligns more with the majority and has the endorsement of all five members, while the conservative minority supports the other.
Homelessness, and the mayor’s camping ban in particular, have played a significant role in the race as business associations press the candidates over their stance. Police Chief Kevin Hall recently described the policy as unenforceable, which led the council to unanimously adopt a new ban just this Monday.
The council majority ultimately signed on to many of the reforms previously recommended by Bingle and Councilmember Michael Cathcart, who also represents the conservative minority. While they both hailed the vote as a success, the timing lined up just more than a week before the November 4 election.
“I don’t know why downtown couldn’t have been cleaned up before an election year,” Spokanite Justin Haller testified Monday. “It’s just a shell game, don’t let this temporary thing fool you. When there are seats in jeopardy on the city council to break up the supermajority, then this is what happens.”
City officials told The Center Square in September that the investigation report would be available on October 27. The Center Square asked Spokane Communications Director Erin Hut for that report on Oct. 28, but the mayor’s spokesperson declined to do so: “You will need to file a records request.”
The Center Square filed a request in September in anticipation of Asan’s report, but city staff closed it days later since they didn’t have the report yet. The Center Square reopened that request on Tuesday and asked Hut again to provide it directly, but she said the Ethics Commission hadn’t discussed it yet.
“The report being done does not mean the process is done,” Hut told The Center Square on Tuesday. “Out of respect for the commission and process, I’m unable to provide the report at this time.”
The Center Square immediately called the City Attorney’s Office and emailed multiple officials, asking for the legal rationale for withholding this public record; the report ended up being sent an hour later.
