THURSDAY. JANUARY 18.1990

THURSDAY. JANUARY 18.1990

Disturbing conduct

The allegation of improper conduct and attempted coercion against Washington Town Councilman William Wickens by fellow council member Ray Gooch is, if true, grounds for Mr. Wickens’ resignation.

Mr. Wickens denied the charge. He said that he approached Mr. Gooch as “a friend,” with information that Mr. Gooch had potential problems stemming from not having paid Virginia state income tax for the past several years.

He explained to the council and the public that Mr. Gooch had misinterpreted his suggestion, which was offered, he said, as one of several options — and never intended as a threat.

Mr. Gooch, it turns out, several years ago received an opinion from Commissioner of Revenue Beverly Atkins that because his income is taxed in the District of Columbia, he has no tax liability in Virginia.

What bothers us is Mr. Wickens’ action in going to Mr. Gooch, and why he apparently failed to understand the questions it could bring.

Two weeks ago, we criticized the Town Council for granting waivers to a subdivision application brought by several town officials. The criticism was not of any impropriety by the officials, but of the perception of favored treatment that could be drawn from the council’s action.

This week, in our view, Mr. Wickens and former mayor Newbill Miller, who admitted he was the intermediary for Mr. Wickens’ tip, find themselves in the same boat. We can only take them at their word as to their explanation of Mr. Wickens’ visit.

Mr. Miller explicitly acknowledged he realized the action could be misinterpreted, but that he felt he was doing the right thing. We think his judgment was mistaken.

Mr. Wickens has made the ethics of our town officials somewhat of a one-man crusade during the past few months.

Shortly after the confrontation over his visit with Mr. Gooch, Mr. Wickens went to great lengths to disqualify himself from voting on approval of a routine bill to the town from Shell Oil Co., in the/amount of just over $50. Shell Oil is a client, he explained, an® though the $50 might mean little to Shell Oil, the company’s legal business means a lot to him and he wants no perception of a conflict of interest, voting on a matter in which he has a financial stake, albeit an indirect one.

Where were Mr. Wickens’ vaunted ethics last summer following the council’s approval of the county’s application to build an addition to the county jail? Mr. Wickens was one of the plan’s opponents, and voted against its approval.

After the council voted to approve the proposal, Mr. Wickens telephoned this newspaper’s reporter at home one Sunday, alleging that County Administrator John McCarthy had lied during his presentation to the council. He said that, contrary to Mr. McCarthy’s assertions, Dave Godwin of Washington’s Village Cafe was willing to provide the county jail with a long-term food service contract.

The reporter checked out the story and found no substance to back up Mr. Wickens’ allegation. Both Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Godwin disputed the story.