Janice Zahn's dual roles as a Bellevue City Council member and a 41st District State Representative raise concerns about divided allegiances and potential conflicts of interest. These concerns go beyond this case alone.

Dual Office Holding: Janice Zahn is serving as both a Bellevue City Council member and a 41st District State Representative, creating a situation where she may have divided allegiances between the two constituencies. Bellevue Council members are At Large, representing the whole city. The 41st Legislative District covers Mercer Island, Newcastle, and parts of Issaquah, Sammamish, and southern Bellevue.

Conflict of Interest/Concentration of Power: There are legal and ethical questions regarding the compatibility of holding both offices, as it could lead to conflicts of interest and concentration of power, especially given her roles on various committees and as House Assistant Majority Whip.

Uncertainty and Public Policy: Despite the legal allowance to hold both offices indefinitely, the situation raises public policy concerns about the proper representation of constituents and the potential for one office to have power over the other, especially in her role on the Local Government committee.

Please ask the Bellevue City Council to prohibit “Dual Office Holding” and ask Zahn to resign from one of her offices. The Council use their authority to prohibit a person from being eligible for the position of councilmember while holding any other elective public office. See MRSC.org’s “Incompatible Offices “

Please SIGN and, if you have time, click here to Council@bellevuewa.gov, jzahn@bellevuewa.gov, janice.zahn@leg.wa.gov

FOR YOUR REFERENCE

Bellevue State Legislative Agenda:
https://bellevuewa.gov/sites/default/files/media/pdf_document/2021/State%20Legislative%20Agenda.pdf

Issaquah State Legislative Policy Manual:
https://www.issaquahwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11049/Legislative-Policy-Manual?bidId=\

The National Conference of State Legislatures
https://www.ncsl.org/ethics/dual-office-holding-restrictions

Incompatible Offices in Washington State
https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/elections/seeking-office/incompatible-offices
  
The-Doctrine-Of-Incompatible-Offices
https://mrsc.org/stay-informed/mrsc-insight/june-2021/the-doctrine-of-incompatible-offices

Washington State Constitution:
https://leg.wa.gov/state-laws-and-rules/washington-state-constitution/?section=ARTICLE%20II#SECTION-13

Bellevue City Code
https://bellevue.municipal.codes/BCC/3.92.010