In January 2002, Don Wasson was selected mayor of Des Moines by the three new city council members whose campaigns he supported prior to the 2001 general election.

Fifteen months later, Wasson was gone from the council, having resigned as part of a settlement agreement with the state Public Disclosure Commission for his role in illegally funneling unreported contributions into their campaigns.

Now the businesses and their owners and investors who allegedly concealed some $60,000 they spent to influence the 2001 Des Moines’ election are being sued by the state Attorney General’s Office.

The Public Disclosure Commission recommended that appropriate action be taken against these defendants in April 2003 and June 2005.

According to the complaint filed in King County Superior Court last week, individual investors and the TME Capital Group (TME) allegedly funneled campaign contributions through co-defendants Environmental Materials Transport (EMT) and its owner, Henry “Hank” Hopkins.

Hopkins then allegedly paid a political consultant to help pro-third-runway candidates for the Des Moines City Council.

All three -- Maggie Steenrod, who became Mayor after Wasson resigned, Gary Petersen and Richard Benjamin -- won their races, ousting incumbent council members in the process.

Wasson, who already was a council member, was not up for election in 2001.

The Attorney General’s Office is charging the investors, businesses and owners with concealing their activities, failing to register and report as political action committees, and other violations of the campaign finance laws.

In addition to civil penalties, treble damages could be assessed if the violations are proven to be intentional.

In 2003, TME and EMT agreed to pay a $40,000 penalty and $3,000 in investigative costs for concealing approximately $5,000 in contributions made to support Des Moines City Council candidates in the 1999 elections.

Since the mid-1990s, the defendants had sought city permits for a conveyor between Des Moines Beach Park and Sea-Tac International Airport.

EMT wanted to build the 4.8-mile conveyor to carry fill material from barges that would be moored near the Des Moines Marina for construction of the then-proposed third runway.

Previous councils consistently had rejected those requests, but Wasson, Steenrod, Petersen and Benjamin, supported the third runway.

In 2002, EMT renewed its attempt to get city approval by applying for shoreline and unconditional use permits to build and operate the conveyor.

Once again, the council declined to endorse permit applications that would have cleared the way for building the conveyor through a public park.

The company then filed suit against the city. That action was rejected unanimously by the state Court of Appeals in 2004.

Ralph Nichols can be reached at newsdesk@robinsonnews.com, or at 206-444-4873.