Lynnwood City Council member being investigated by ethics board

LYNNWOOD, Wash. – Two years ago, at the age of 21, Josh Binda became the youngest African-American elected to political office in Washington state history.

While serving on Lynnwood City Council, Binda launched a public speaking campaign to inspire youth to be more loving and compassionate. But he doesn’t feel the love at the town hall right now.

The charismatic Binda is giving inspirational speeches to groups of students at 13 schools in western Washington. He calls it “The Love Conquering Tour,” where he preaches positivity and strategies for success.

He was paid up to $12,000 for a series of appearances – which is perfectly legal.

The trouble started when he brought his personal passion to City Hall.

“This is not just a no-nos situation,” said Jim Smith, a city council member. “This is really serious.”

Binda shot an Instagram video of his lecture tour inside the council chambers – leading some to question whether he used public resources for personal gain – an act Violation of city rules. He also allegedly failed to reset the security alarms, leaving City Hall unsecured for the entire night.

The matter has now been referred to the city’s ethics board.

Smith, a 27-year veteran of the city council, said: “There are certainly bigger fish to fry in Lynnwood City, however, if you have small problems they become big problems. than.

Binda has denied any wrongdoing.

In an email to KING 5, he said: “The purpose of the video is to engage young people and get them excited with the tour message at their conferences. After careful consideration, I have decided to take down the video in question to avoid further confusion.”

Binda went on to say, “I will trust the Lynnwood Ethics Board to reach an appropriate conclusion on this matter. If the Ethics Committee finds any misconduct from the video in question, I will. accept the consequences and take full responsibility for my actions In the meantime, I will continue to do my speaking activities, as I believe it is important to inspire generations The youth system follows their dreams and leads with love.”

Binda’s background both politically and personally is a foundation of positivity and inclusion.

Smith said council members supported their younger counterpart.

“We’re all trying to help Josh,” Smith said. “He’s new, he’s young. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand that we have rules, regulations and courtesy that we have to follow.”

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