The Gortons and Slades - Washington Secretary of State

372 sLAde goRton: A hALf centuRy in poLitics
The poisoned well wasn’t “as nefarious as the title seemed,” Art Thiel
noted in the Post-Intelligencer, since it “referred to how much Bennett had
fouled things, not that Ballmer was dumping Drano in Oklahoma City’s
water supply.” 8
There was plenty of hemlock to go around. Among the documents reviewed
in court was a Gorton e-mail summing up an underwhelming
meeting he’d had with Gregoire, Sims and House Speaker Frank Chopp:
“Not one of them has a stake in the Sonics’ loss or retention at the present
time. None of them can be effectively blamed for a loss which, to the extent
that if blame can be laid at anyone’s feet, belongs to (former owner)
Howard Schultz. Nor does any one of them see much personal glory in a
win on our terms except for the mayor, who will deserve credit for any
success. He owns KeyArena and the (Seattle) Center and sees the viability
largely dependent on the presence of the Sonics.” 9
“Say what you will about Gorton,” Thiel wrote, “he nailed that assessment.
In the run-up to the litigation, many in the community were furious
with political leadership for not stepping up with a comparatively
small contribution.” 10
Keller’s closing arguments focused on portraying Bennett as the victim
of a full court press that had morphed into conspiracy. “[T]he end
does not and never will justify the means,” Keller said. A new piece of evidence
was an e-mail from Gorton to Ballmer, McGavick and Walker describing
a meeting he and Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis had in New York with
an NBA official and two of Bennett’s attorneys. Gorton, who was representing
the city, had signed a confidentiality agreement. “What is he doing
turning around the next day and violating the city’s promise?” asked
Judge Marsha Pechman. Lawrence called the e-mail a “major misstep”
but denied Gorton had sent it on behalf of the city. 11
Under cross-examination, Mayor Nickels proved to be a contradictory
witness, conceding afterward that if Keller’s job “was to make me look
feeble . . . I would say he did a pretty good job.”
Thiel, Jerry Brewer, a sports columnist for The Seattle Times, and practically
every other pundit in town agreed that no one had clean hands,
including the vainglorious NBA. Both, however, singled out Gorton. His
e-mail had allowed the Oklahomans to drag Seattle into “that dark, nearly
irresistible place of prevarication, dissembling and obfuscation where
powerful men see their reputations implode,” Thiel wrote. 12
Brewer concluded that Gorton had “entangled the city in a vile conflict
of interest.” All things considered, however, “there are no victims in this