Washington Gov. Ferguson agrees to $4,000 settlement in ethics probe

Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times on Apr 30, 2026

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SEATTLE — Gov. Bob Ferguson has agreed to a $4,000 settlement to resolve an ethics probe into his decision to invite a former top aide to fly with him on a state plane last year.

Under the proposed stipulated settlement with the Washington State Executive Ethics Board, Ferguson admits violating state ethics law and agrees to pay the civil penalty, with $2,000 suspended as long as he commits no additional ethics violations for two years.

The board in January found “reasonable cause” to believe Ferguson had violated the law by bringing Mike Webb, his longtime former aide, on a State Patrol aircraft last June during an official visit to the Tri-Cities.

Webb, the governor’s former chief strategy officer and trusted political adviser, was not a state employee at the time. He had resigned last March after allegations that he’d created a hostile workplace for some women in the governor’s office.

Ferguson later apologized to his staff during a tense Zoom meeting for what he called a“pretty stupid” decision to invite Webb on the plane. Audio of that was leaked to The Seattle Times, underscoring early turbulence in the new administration.

Ferguson had asked the ethics board to reject the complaint, arguing bringing Webb on the plane didn’t displace any state employees and didn’t cost taxpayers extra money.

The board’s investigation rejected that excuse, finding Ferguson had illegally provided “a special benefit” to Webb, who was then not a state employee, but was working for a private law firm, Singleton Schreiber, that has been lobbying state officials to create a massive new wildfire liability fund.

Webb had a meeting with union leaders in the Tri-Cities as part of that new job, and said Ferguson stopped by with him to “say hi” to the union officials, but didn’t stay for the meeting.

During the trip, Webb sat in on a meeting Ferguson had with Adam Glickman, the secretary-treasurer of SEIU 775, the politically influential home healthcare worker union. He also attended a political fundraiser for the governor’s reelection campaign.

Brionna Aho, a spokesperson for Ferguson, had no comment when reached by phone Thursday. Ferguson did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.

In a statement earlier this year, Ferguson acknowledged Webb’s presence on the state plane “may have given the wrong impression” that he still had a role in his administration. “In short, I made a mistake, and it will not happen again,” he said.

In the proposed settlement, Ferguson agreed that evidence “is such that the Board may conclude (he) violated the Ethics in Public Service Act.”

The governor and the board agreed in the proposed settlement that the deal is “in the interest of seeking an informal and expeditious resolution of the matter.”

Ferguson and the board’s executive director, Kate Reynolds, signed the stipulated settlement agreement this week.

The proposal is scheduled to be considered at the ethics board’s May 8 meeting. The five-member panel can accept the stipulated settlement, reject it or modify it.