Rivers won’t be doing work for Strategies 360 after all
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center
With the Washington Legislature having finally finished its work, lawmakers have returned home to resume day jobs they’ve somehow managed to keep while being in Olympia for such long stretches of time.
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, won’t be starting the gig she had planned on starting after the Legislature adjourned. Rivers was slated to begin work, on a contract basis, at the Vancouver office of Strategies 360 helping the lobbying and communications firm identify new projects and opportunities in the area.
However, she said she won’t be taking the job, in part, out of concerns that serving as a legislator while also doing work for a lobbying firm would create perceived conflicts of interest. Jeff Reading, Strategies 360’s vice president of communications, confirmed in an email that Rivers won’t be working with the firm.
“S360 and Sen. Rivers mutually agreed not to cement our business relationship after hearing some concerns from the community. While I am confident that we could have structured our arrangement to avoid any conflicts of interest, we are sensitive even to the appearance of a conflict, and opted not to move forward when that possibility was expressed to us. We have tremendous respect for Sen. Rivers and will seek to maintain a strong professional relationship even though we will not be partners in business.”
Instead, Rivers said she got a job doing food service at Tri-Mountain Golf Course outside of Ridgefield. She said likes how the job is flexible and gives her opportunities to interact with constituents.
She recalled talking to a customer who noticed her name tag. Rivers recalled how he told her, “I know Ann Rivers, and you’re no Ann Rivers” before realizing who she was. “My gosh, you are Ann Rivers,” he said, according to Rivers.
