No Halo News · Sourced development
Watchdog-filed ethics complaints put Fourth Plain Forward ties under scrutiny; nonprofit disputed key claims
Clark County Today reported that ethics complaints filed by Reform Clark County founder Rob Anderson questioned the relationships between Fourth Plain Forward, Clark County Councilor Wil Fuentes and Vancouver City Council member Diana Perez. The report said Fuentes left his nonprofit position as questions continued over his employment while Fourth Plain Forward held publicly funded agreements. Fourth Plain Forward later said Fuentes’ departure was planned because the grant supporting his position ended and disputed the characterization of the organization as a county contractor.
Status matters. This page records a sourced development, not a completed No Halo investigation. An allegation is not a finding. Dismissals, settlements, judgments, corrections and final outcomes remain distinct.
Donor relevance
Why this matters
The complaints raise unresolved conflict-of-interest and public-funding questions involving a regional community-development charity that reported substantial government grant revenue and operated small-business assistance programs.
Attribution
Who reported or established this
The allegations were made by Reform Clark County founder Rob Anderson in ethics complaints and reported by Clark County Today. Fourth Plain Forward executive director Paul Burgess supplied the organization’s rebuttal in a response published October 17.
Evidence limits
What remains unverified
No Halo has not established that any ethics rule, county charter provision or grant requirement was violated. It has not determined the complaints’ official disposition or independently established whether either public official received preferential treatment.
Right of reply
Organization response
Executive director Paul Burgess said Fourth Plain Forward is a federal grant subrecipient rather than a county contractor; Fuentes was not paid from or responsible for the cited Community Development Block Grant programs; his departure was planned when separate grant funding ended; and a loan involving Perez’s business came from a Washington State Department of Commerce program rather than city CDBG funds.
Classification
How No Halo records this event
Event type: Complaint. Current state: Open. No Halo preserves the current procedural state rather than treating every mention as a finding.
Published October 15, 2026 · Last verified October 19, 2026. See an error or a later outcome? Submit a correction or right of reply.