Former state Sen. Joe Fain hired to be Bellevue Chamber of Commerce CEO

Fain, who lost his bid for re-election in November, had been accused two months before of rape.

The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce has picked former Republican state senator Joe Fain to be its new CEO after a "nationwide search," according to a press release from the Chamber on Thursday afternoon.

Fain was elected in 2010 to represent the 47th legislative district in south King County. He was re-elected in 2014, but lost a re-election bid last year. Two months before, in September, he had been accused of rape by a former Seattle city official, Candace Faber — an allegation Fain denied.

“Joe has a proven track record of collaborative leadership in both government and business, and we believe he is uniquely suited to help lead the Chamber as we foster and advocate for a healthy business environment in Bellevue and the Eastside,” Bellevue Chamber board chair Josh Marti said in the Chamber's press release about the hire.

Faber first made her allegation public on Twitter after Supreme Court Justice Brett's Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, during which Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified about her own sexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh. Faber did not report her allegation to police, but both Faber and Fain encouraged the state Legislature to pursue an investigation.

In November last year, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee voted to authorize such an investigation. Senate Democrats initially said the investigation wouldn't occur if Fain lost, but then announced the investigation would continue anyway. Fain's Republican colleagues opposed that decision, and the investigation was dropped.

Republican state Sen. Ann Rivers (R-La Center) accused the media in November of last year of having "failed a good man" in an editorial for the Tacoma News Tribune.

In response to a question about the allegation against Fain, Bellevue Chamber board chair Josh Marti released the following statement:

"Anyone who alleges a sexual assault deserves to be heard and treated with respect and fairness. Joe has denied the allegations and called for an investigation into these serious allegations. There are official avenues where the rights of both parties are protected, and that’s the appropriate way for the claims to be investigated. We would support such an investigation."

Marti's statement continued:

"The Bellevue Chamber does not have the authority or capability to conduct a detailed investigation into the specific allegations. In the absence of a conclusion from an official investigation, we did our due diligence via a thorough interview and reference process. This included interviewing and seeking feedback from a large number of people who have known or worked with Joe over the years. They consistently spoke to his track record as a very effective bipartisan leader, advocate, and problem solver – and to his character."