Snohomish County Council asks Reardon to take leave

The Snohomish County Council has voted to ask Snohomish
County Executive Aaron Reardon to place himself on
administrative leave while the State Patrol investigates
how Reardon spent county money and time during an alleged
affair.

Reardon responded to the council in a video released on
Wednesday:

“As your county executive I’m focused on the issues that
the people of Snohomish County care about and doing the
work that matters, like maintaining a balanced budget
without raising taxes, creating jobs and economic
opportunities, and serving our seniors and those on
limited incomes. That is the commitment that I made to the
people of Snohomish County and I intend to keep it. I
stand ready to work with anyone, including the Snohomish
county Council, to get the job done.”

The resolution was introduced by Councilman Dave
Somers at Wednesday’s council meeting, and comes as new
details emerge into Reardon’s relationship with a county
employee.

The woman behind the alleged six year affair with
the county exec previously told KING 5 their secret was making her
feel unsafe.

“It had gotten to the point I was being followed. I had
people showing up at my kids’ school. I was getting all
kinds of cryptic emails,” said Tamara Dutton.

She says Reardon used county funds on trips for the
couple.

The Washington State Patrol investigation into Reardon’s
travel expenses began last fall, shortly before he won re-
election for a third term.