Spokane councilwoman faces ethics charge over letter to Pasco’s City Council

A formal ethics charge has been filed against a Spokane City councilwoman for a letter she wrote to the Pasco City Council.

Karen Stratton, who operates a marijuana production business, used city letterhead to urge the Pasco leaders to drop their ban on pot businesses.

When the Pasco council voted to ban retail pot shops in 2015, The Lucky Leaf moved to Spokane's downtown and was met with protests from nearby churches, something Stratton tried to smoothe over in her capacity as a councilwoman.

The Pasco City Council has not lifted its ban on marijuana retail stores.

As of Monday, the Spokane city’s Ethics Commission had not scheduled a meeting to discuss the complaint.