If you follow Snohomish County politics, you already know Executive Aaron Reardon is doing battle with the County Council, including his fellow Democrats. It's a fight over spending, or really a fight over rumors of spending.

Council members were unhappy at reports that Reardon was going to use as much as $300,000 of county money to help fund a party and rollout celebration for a new Boeing jet. That's already led the council to pass an emergency ordinance to control the exec's spending authority.

The Herald yesterday had details of the growing level of frustration council members felt. That's most clear in exchanges between deputy county executive Mark Soine and Council Chairman Dave Gossett, a Democrat.

"Are you planning on county funding for these events?" Gossett asked Soine during that first meeting.

"Like I said: We're not in a position to disclose any events that may be taking place," Soine said.

On April 9, Gossett again asked about costs.

Soine said: "Until we finalize some discussions with Boeing, there is, you know, I'm not in a position to discuss any events publicly."

Gossett: "So perhaps $50,000 would cover it?" And later, "Could it be up to $100,000?"

He added: "You don't have to talk about the particular event, you just have to tell me a round number of what the expenditure might be. I can't imagine how that creates any breach of confidences with anyone."

Soine again said there were no numbers he could share, but he offered to meet privately with Gossett.

That happened, Gossett said, but Soine still didn't answer his questions.

On April 16, the conversation turned even more testy.

Soine told Gossett that talking about costs, without firm plans, would be speculation.

"Well, speculate," Gossett told Soine.

"I will not speculate," Soine said.

Gossett: "$300,000."

Soine: "I will not speculate, Council Chairman."

Gossett: "So, essentially we are talking about $300,000 of taxpayers' money for this event."

Soine: "You can characterize my comments however you care, Mr. Chairman, but I will not speculate on dollar amounts."

The paper posted some of the documents here. At Sound Politics, Eric Earling says they are "a slap-your-hand-against-your-forehead detailing of the seemingly poor communication from the Executive's office coupled with some robust pique from the Council." Earling says it's making them all look bad. (He actually says it's making all election officials look bad, but I'm pretty sure he means elected officials. He must have forgotten to override the Official Automated Sound Politics Election Official Blame Sentence Generator.)