Museum of Flight/Family on Boards and Commissions

ISSUE: WHETHER A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS WHERE A NOMINATED MEMBER OF THE MUSEUM OF FLIGHT AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS MARRIED TO A SITTING MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MUSEUM OF FLIGHT FOUNDATION?

OPINION: In response to a request from the Office of the King County Executive and pursuant to section 12 A of King County Ordinance 9704, the following advisory opinion is hereby rendered.

STATEMENT OF CIRCUMSTANCES:The question presented is whether a conflict of interest would exist if a member of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Flight is married to a member of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Flight Foundation.

ANALYSIS: During its deliberations, the Board of Ethics took into account the following sections of the King County Code of Ethics:

• Section 4 B, which addresses employees being beneficially
• Section 4 P of the Code of Ethics prohibits family members from serving on the same board or commission. Since these boards are distinct, the provision has no application here, so long as the family member is not appointed to the MOFA Board.
• Since MOFF is non profit, it does not appear from the facts presented to us that section 4B would prohibit the spouse of a MOFF Board member from serving on the MOFA Board.
• Finally, the Ethics Board believes that the provision of the Authority’s own charter, which establish procedural protection in the event that Board members have remote financial interests, including related membership on nonprofit boards of directors, adequately addresses the issue in the context of this separate municipal corporation.

ISSUED ON THE _______________ day of ___________________, 1992

Signed for the Board: Dr. J. Patrick Dobel, Chair