SCITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the Ethics Code; establishing reporting and disclosure requirements for political consultants; prohibiting political consultants from concurrently performing consulting work with the city; establishing a cooling-off period for political consultants; adding a new Section 4.16.072 to the Seattle Municipal Code; and amending Section 4.16.030 of the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, the integrity of city government depends on public confidence that decisions are made in the public interest without undue influence from private interests; and
WHEREAS, consultant arrangements that blur the lines between policy advice and political campaign strategy undermine democratic governance and create unfair electoral advantages; and
WHEREAS, taxpayer-funded consultants should not concurrently profit from private political work that may conflict with their government duties; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City finds and declares:
A. The City of Seattle is committed to ethical, open, transparent, and accountable government.
B. In furtherance of that commitment, the City has a wide-ranging Ethics Code in Chapter 4.16 of the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC).
C. Chapter 4.16 SMC does not specifically address political consultants or businesses providing political consulting services, important categories of persons and entities that may influence public policy beyond the public's awareness or oversight.
D. City elected officials, specifically the Mayor, City Councilmembers, and the City Attorney, must uphold the public trust and confidence in government by being ethical and transparent in policy decisions. Candidates for City elected offices, City elected officials, and campaigns for City ballot propositions engage political consultants as advisors.
E. In providing political consulting servi...
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