MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Candidates continue calling out ethics of current Seattle council

Mar 11, 2019, 1:26 PM | Updated: Mar 12, 2019, 8:44 am

Seattle city council upzoning MHA...

(Seattle Channel)

(Seattle Channel)

As the 2019 Seattle City Council race heats up, the ethics of the current council has been brought up frequently. The latest comes from District 4 candidate Alex Pedersen, who issued a statement Monday calling the council’s ethics into question over accepting outside jobs.

RELATED: Bowers looking to ‘root out corruption’ with ethics complaint

A week after fellow council candidate Logan Bowers filed an official complaint with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, Pedersen called on the SEEC to reform the city’s laws allowing councilmembers to accept jobs while still in office.

“To strengthen the people’s trust in their city government, city leaders should work quickly to strengthen the ethics rules by closing the new job loophole,” said Pedersen.

This comes as a response to current District 4 incumbent Rob Johnson, who, after announcing he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, accepted a job with Seattle’s new NHL team as a transportation adviser.

Johnson continues to serve on the council until his current term is up, though, presenting a significant issue in Pedersen’s opinion.

“Ethics reform legislation is needed now to prevent future distractions or potential conflicts of interest so there is greater trust that all city council members are focused on the basics of city government,” he said.

The ethics of the current council has quickly become a hot topic for candidates in 2019. Bowers’ ethics complaint to the SEEC alleged that District 3 incumbent Kshama Sawant “appropriated city funds and resources for use by a political party.”

“I think honesty and transparency in government are critical, and I don’t think it should be tolerated at any level regardless of whether or not the individual happens to hold views that we like,” Bowers said last week in an interview with KTTH’s Jason Rantz.

RELATED: Submit a democracy voucher? Your name is now public

Pedersen, who served as an aide for former councilmember Tim Burgess, has taken in the most Democracy Vouchers of any candidate, giving him over $26,000 in campaign contributions. Add that in with the $18,000 he contributed of his own money, and he already has some of the biggest money behind him of any council challenger.

MyNorthwest News

lead cookware washington...

Frank Sumrall

Washington becomes first state to ban lead in cookware

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Lead in Cookware Act Thursday, banning lead from any products used to cook food.

55 minutes ago

delta sexual assault...

Frank Sumrall

Woman sues Delta Air Lines after sexually assaulted on flight by employee

Last year, a woman was sexually assaulted on a Delta Air Lines flight from Phoenix to Seattle by an airline employee.

2 hours ago

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

4 hours ago

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

16 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

17 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

18 hours ago

Candidates continue calling out ethics of current Seattle council