WA Legislator Questioned After Her Non-Profit Employer Benefits From Bill She Wrote.
Rep. Tarra Simmons Ethics Board Hearing Summons.
Corruption & Abuse of Power in Olympia
Representative Tarra Simmons slushed campaign cash to her boyfriend through nonprofit group.
Equity in Education Center Squanders Tax Money.
Whistleblower targeted.
Based on the Legislative Ethics Board’s investigation, Washington State Representative Tarra Simmons has been found guilty of multiple severe ethics violations centered on self-dealing, official misconduct and political retaliation. The speaker pro tem used her legislative power to secure a $1 million budget proviso that directly funded her own $120,000-a-year employer, the Equity in Education Center, and later intervened to protect those state funds when the group failed to perform its contracted work. Additionally, Simmons weaponized her political influence by demanding the termination of a whistleblowing non-profit employee who exposed her separate attempt to funnel campaign cash to her boyfriend. Concluding that her actions significantly eroded public trust in state government, the board hit Simmons with $35,000 in fines and financial reimbursements.
This article is based on the recent Legislative Ethics Board (LEB) verdict on State Representative Tarra Simmons.
Kindred Spirits
The American Equity & Justice Group (AEJG) is a Seattle-based nonprofit. Founded in 2017 by Anthony Powers, the project created an Equity Dashboard which is a free, public tool that allows users to examine historical criminal justice records, felony conviction metrics, and policing data.
Microsoft is a major donor. The group also received state funding. In 2023, Representative Tarra Simmons sponsored a budget proviso for the purpose of funding AEJG's Equity Dashboard.
According to the LEB, Simmons had a personal relationship with Powers and considered him a close friend. The two had bonded over their life experience as formerly incarcerated people. Their new lives revolved around criminal justice reform, advocating for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated.
In 2011, Simmons was arrested and sentenced to 30 months in prison for theft, drug offenses and possession of a firearm. Her reformation is spectacular as she went on to earn a law degree, then was elected to the Washington State House in 2020, currently serving in Democratic leadership as speaker pro tem .
In late 2023, Simmons had lunch with Powers, where the two set their sights on a second budget proviso for the coming legislative session to fund the Equity Dashboard.
Another matter came up over lunch. Simmons suggested Powers hire Antoine Coleman. This individual shares the same lived experience as the two diners that day.
Simmons sweetened the deal by offering $10,000 surplus funds from her campaign account towards hiring Coleman.
Powers soon met with, then hired Coleman. Simmons was pleased, texting Powers: "Sending $10K to start him... If not, I will send another donation when you need it to cover him.”
Campaign Slush Money
Kim Gordon is the treasurer for AEJG. In January 2024, she caught a post on Simmons' Facebook account indicating the legislator had a romantic relationship with Coleman.
Simmons was slushing campaign cash through a non-profit to pay her boyfriend.
Gordon informed the AEJG about this romantic / campaign money entanglement. The initial $10k donation and another uncashed $40k from Simmons, were promptly returned. AEJG also laid off Coleman.
From here, the story reveals yet another conflict of interest.
Second Proviso
Simmons had successfully sponsored the 2024 budget proviso discussed at the fateful lunch meeting.
The 2024 proviso provided that $1M, "funding shall be split evenly between two equity and justice nonprofit organizations for the purpose of continuing the work of the existing public equity dashboard" and expanding AEJG's work to partner with "a nonprofit organization that advocates for equity in technology and education" and "advocates for an educational system that promotes racial equity”.
The language perfectly describes Simmons' employer at the time, the Equity in Education Center (EEC).
Simmons worked for the EEC from December of 2023 until January of 2025, and was paid a salary of $120K per year. She then worked for the non-profit group as an independent contractor from January 15, 2025 until March 31, 2025, as the organization’s part-time Director of Strategy.
The proviso allocated money to the Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) for the purpose of continuing work on the public equity dashboard.
Christopher Stanley with AOC, prior to the adoption of the 2024 proviso by the legislature, emailed Simmons, ”given your desire for AEJG to work with Equity in Education Coalition, I would recommend tightening the language to ensure that they are the only one doing the work of the proviso.”
AEJG determined that, under the language of the 2024 proviso, EEC was the only organization qualified to perform the required work.
The Rot Sets In
In the following months, AEJG became concerned that the EEC was not performing the required work.
Despite multiple attempts, AEJG was unable to successfully meet with EEC regarding their concerns.
Considering the ghosting, on February 23, 2025, AEJG reported to Stanley at AOC that EEC had failed to provide several deliverables required by the subcontract. "Even though we are more than seven months into the contract terms, EEC has yet to participate in our work, attend substantive meetings, collaborate with us, or otherwise provide us with any actual assistance or work product.”
The next day, Stanley responded to AEJG’s report via email. He was, "gravely concerned about the conduct of the subcontractor in not performing any of the duties required under the contract. . . EEC is treading dangerously close, if not already there, to ‘breach of contract' territory.”
Minutes after sending the email, Stanley called Simmons to talk about the contract, specifically asking about the "intent" of the proviso.
The LEB verdict says, “Pursuant to that telephone call with [Simmons], Mr. Stanley gained a new understanding of the proviso.” [My emphasis]
Indeed, Christopher Stanley now understood how to fix things.
Cleaning Up the Mess
After the call with Simmons, Stanley called Anthony Powers and invited AEJG to a meeting with EEC in Olympia.
Prior to the meeting, Sharonne Navas, who is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Equity in Education Center, believed her group was going to be asked to pay back the money it had received under the subcontract. However, EEC would be unable to repay the funds because EEC no longer had the money.
Stanley then instructed AEJG to amend the subcontract with EEC. Immediately after the meeting, Stanley emailed Simmons, then called her with an update as to what had occurred during the meeting, telling her, "Everything was fine.”
AEJG and EEC ultimately agreed to an amended subcontract that included vastly different deliverables for EEC than were incorporated into the initial subcontract.
The LEB verdict states "Mr. Stanley subsequently reviewed the amended subcontract and found it consistent with his new understanding of the arrangement between AEJG and EEC. Under the amended subcontract, EEC was tasked with building its own dashboard." [My emphasis]
The LEB infered, "Christopher Stanley was improperly influenced by his conversation with [Simmons] regarding the funding to ensure that EEC continued to receive funding under the proviso."
At the time of the LEB hearing with this investigation, EEC's purported dashboard was "in storage" and not publicly available.
Pressure on Powers
After the LEB received the complaint from Gordon, Simmons texted Powers — setting her sights on the whistleblower.
Simmons texted Powers that he should not attend a group meeting, "unless you are willing to hold Kim accountable for the harm she's causing me", "she is your employee. You have power over her.”
Simmons also told Powers, "You haven't stopped your employee from causing harm. I have no choice but to let people know", "I was wrong to be loyal to you.”
The LEB verdict says Powers understood that Simmons was asking him to fire Kim Gordon, and that if he did not do so, he would not be able to seek her help as a legislator in the future.
Guilty Verdict
Simmons’ funneling campaign cash through a nonprofit to employ her boyfriend was not ruled on by the LEB. They said this is a matter for the Public Disclosure Commission.
The Legislative Ethics Board found Simmons guilty on three distinct counts:
- Sponsoring a proviso directly benefiting an organization that employed her at that time.
- Simmons used her official position as a legislator to intervene in a dispute between two organizations, one of whom employed her, so that her employer continued receiving funding from the proviso Simmons sponsored.
- Simmons requested the employer of the whistleblower fire the whistleblower, or Simmons would no longer assist the employer with his legislative work. Simmons' conduct was an attempt to force the employer to act against the whistleblower, using her influence as a legislator to do so.
The last word from the LEB’s verdict is how Simmons’ actions had "significantly reduced public respect for or confidence in state government.”
Simmons also must pay $35k in fines and reimbursements.
(Illustration, Tim Gabor.)
