A Word About Ethics

We firmly believe in the importance of acting ethically in every aspect of our work and public lives. We also believe in the importance of transparency. Our founder, Kara Odegard, was the subject of an Ethics Complaint in September 2022 while she was employed by the Spokane City Council. The following serves as our statement about the complaint.

If you have questions, please contact Mark Odegard (mark@measurepnw.com).

From Kara:

I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have led the Spokane City Council climate and sustainability work from early 2019 through 2022. I am proud of the Sustainability Action Plan that our team drafted and that Council adopted in October of 2021. It was an honor to have worked alongside my colleagues, both those in City Council Office and the volunteer members of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee, for nearly four years. Dozens of local experts contributed to this climate plan because they care deeply for the future of our environment and our city. With their help, Spokane has one of the most comprehensive and thoughtful Sustainability Action Plans in the country.

In September of last year, a frustrated volunteer member of the City’s sustainability subcommittee filed an ethics complaint against me. The accusations included a mix of true and innocent facts combined with falsely implied villainy and flat-out factual errors. Before the City’s Ethics Commission made a final determination, our local paper published an article in December 2022 that served to amplify the biased position of the complainant without due diligence to the facts. As a result, my reputation, and the efforts of over 40 members of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee, was publicly brought to question.

I firmly believe that there is no basis for the complaint. I am supported by members of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee (most of whom were involved in the project from the beginning) who have submitted letters to the editor, including 20 who signed a letter submitted to the City of Spokane and published in the Spokesman Review in January 2023.

My position about the complaint and the City of Spokane’s ethics review process is covered in a follow-up article in the local paper in January 2023 and is outlined in a more detailed letter that I submitted to the City of Spokane’s HR Director. You can read that letter in its entirety here.

Our entire team at Measure Meant is committed to transparency and honesty in all aspects of our lives. We look forward to putting these false allegations behind us and embracing all the joy and opportunity that 2023 has to offer.