In October 2023, former Councilmember Scott Moore filed a Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) complaint against former Councilmember Dr. Ashley Eckel, alleging inaccuracies in her Personal Financial Affairs Statement. The PDC is an agency overseeing campaign finances of candidates. The PDC closed the case this year, citing “no evidence of violations.”
Moore resigned from the City Council in April 2023 and relocated out-of-state. This prompted questions about his motivation in filing the complaint, as he no longer lived in Clyde Hill. This isn’t the first time Moore targeted a perceived political opponent with a frivolous PDC complaint. Moore previously coordinated with Councilmember Lisa Slivka to file a PDC complaint against former Mayor Klaas, which was later dismissed as well.
Moore’s contention with Dr. Eckel appeared to revolve around policy differences, particularly on safety and line-of-sight measures related to hedges. Dr. Eckel’s stance on safety also clashed with Councilmembers Dean Hachamovitch, Kim Muromoto, and Steve Friedman (now mayor), who advocated for less safe measures regarding line of site and hedges on city streets. They lobbied the previous mayor to make an exception in the city’s laws for a particular city council candidate. Their aim was to ensure that the candidate’s hedge would not be required to be removed.
It is unclear whether Moore acted alone in filing the PDC complaint against Dr. Eckel or if there was a coordinated plan. Residents are asking why Moore continues to meddle in Clyde Hill politics after moving out of state nearly a year ago.
As the PDC finds no evidence of violations regarding Dr. Eckel, the incident raises broader questions about backdoor politics of a group of individuals. Are these genuine concerns or targeted strategic moves in a political chess game?