Whatcom County Council member Tyler Byrd potentially faces escalating fines for failing to file personal financial affairs statements.
These filings, known as an F-1 report, are essentially conflict of interest statements that elected officials and candidates must file annually, explained Natalie Johnson, a spokesperson for the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC).
Byrd was fined $250, for failing to file for 2022 — a fine he has yet to pay. In addition to never filing for that year, the council member has also missed the deadline for filing for 2023, Johnson confirmed. These fines tend to escalate at the discretion of the commission, going up to $10,000 per violation.
The council member is serving his second term, representing County Council District 3. He joined the council in January 2018 and his current term is set to end in January 2026. In addition to being a member of the Finance and Administrative Service Committee, he is also on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Byrd is the only current Whatcom County council member who failed to file disclosure forms, though he did file them for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, according to an analysis by Cascadia Daily News.
Byrd has not replied to email requests for comment. Calls to his county council number result in a message saying he is in a meeting. The mailbox is full so no messages could be left.
The example Johnson said she often gives when explaining the importance of the form is about a school board official who also has a stake in a construction company. In this hypothetical, the district is looking to build a new school and the official’s construction company submits a bid for the lucrative contract. Because of the F-1 report, it is possible for the public to ensure the official recuses herself from the process or holds her accountable for failing to do so.
Basically, it is an essential document to help prevent public officials from using their position to unjustly enrich themselves.
These filings provide a general statement of the financial affairs of the candidate. In the case of Byrd’s 2021 filing, this includes a range for the council member’s salary ($30,000 to $59,999) and his salary range as CEO of the Bellingham-based company Red Rokk ($60,000 to $99,999), as well as the income range for his spouse at Bellingham Public Schools.
Every year, the PDC does what it calls a general enforcement process for everyone in office, as well as registered candidates, to determine whether or not they are following state laws by filing their F-1 report.
The PDC is “just rolling into enforcement now,” Johnson said.
Byrd is on that general enforcement list for the 2023 filings, which means he’s received another warning letter — telling him to file or prepare yet another PDC hearing.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
