Former senator Dave Schmidt may face big fine

OLYMPIA — It took former state Sen. Dave Schmidt of Edmonds four years to explain how he spent tens of thousands of dollars during and after his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2006.

It took another year for the state’s campaign watchdog to sort through the explanations.

And now it turns out many of the ways Schmidt spent a total of $41,518 may have violated state law and could prompt a hefty fine from the state Public Disclosure Commission.

In the largest questionable expenditure by Schmidt, PDC investigators, in a report issued last week, allege he improperly reimbursed himself $32,260 in unspent donations for wages he claims to have lost serving in the Senate from 2003-06.

Investigators further allege Schmidt improperly used the remaining $9,258 in campaign funds on personal use, including mortgage payments and association fees for the condominium where he lived and ran the re-election operation.

He also is alleged to have improperly paid for travel to legislative conferences not directly related to his campaign as well as $755.20 on airfare for himself and a campaign worker to go to Arizona after the November general election.

Schmidt denied misusing any campaign dollars.

“Everything I did I felt I was in the right,” he said. “They’ve been very nitpicky. I told them the rules are very broad. They are very open to interpretation.”

He said he itemized the dates for the lost wages and considered the conferences part of his legislative duties. He said using campaign funds to pay the condo-related costs seemed cleaner than paying himself the money as rent for the room used as an office.

And as for the trip to Arizona, he said he bought those tickets before the election.

“I was going down there to raise money from my brother who is a multimillionaire,” he said. “When I got down there, he said no because I had lost the election.”

The five-member Public Disclosure Commission is scheduled to consider the allegations Thursday, though Schmidt is seeking a postponement until January.

If commissioners uphold the findings of PDC staff, Schmidt could be fined up to $4,200 for misuse of the campaign funds and filing details of expenditures up to four years late.

Schmidt, a moderate Republican, won a seat in the state House of Representatives in 1994. He served four terms before capturing a Senate seat in 2002. He lost re-election to Democrat Steve Hobbs in 2006 and lost again when the two met in a rematch in 2010.

During last year’s campaign, a national veterans group challenged Schmidt’s claim that he lost wages because he could not do trainings and other duties as a member of the National Guard due to work as a senator and the campaign.

Richard Hegdahl of Bellevue, a leader of the Washington chapter of VoteVets.org, said National Guard members know they can make up missed training dates in most instances. He filed a complaint in October 2010, igniting the investigation that resulted in the report issued last week.

“It turns out it wasn’t a bogus claim,” Hegdahl said Tuesday. “We looked at it and said that’s not right.”

In the 2006 campaign, Schmidt raised $193,999 and ended up with a surplus of $32,260.98. On Dec. 30, 2006, he reimbursed himself all that money for earnings he claimed to have lost during the term.

“The law allows me to return the funds, transfer them to a caucus or party fund, give them to charity or use them in legal means for campaign expenses,” Schmidt wrote to PDC staff in December 2010. “Lost wages is one of the legal uses. Facing unemployment in two months and having no other job prospects at that time I decided to use the funds for lost wages.”

He identified dates from 2003 through 2006 on which he said he could have trained with his National Guard unit but didn’t because of his legislative duties and 2006 re-election campaign activities.

But Schmidt never provided the PDC with explanations for why he did not make up those training dates, according to the report.

The full report can be found at www.pdc.wa.gov.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.