Mayor Returns Vulcan's
Illegal Office Fund Contributions in Wake of Coalition's Complaint
(May 24th, 2004)
While denying wrongdoing, the Mayor returns illegal office fund
contributions from Vulcan:
In response to the Coalition's complaint filed earlier today with the
Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) charging illegal contributions to
the Mayor's Office Fund by Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. - We have just learned that
the Mayor will be returning the contributions he received from Vulcan in 2002
and 2003. According to an article now posted on the Seattle Times website, while
denying any wrongdoing, the Mayor's office says they are returning the Vulcan
contributions because "they might appear improper." The Mayor's office goes on
to accuse us of "attempting to derail the good things happening in South Lake
Union". Vulcan piles on accusing us of "misguided antics" and "the reason why
Seattle has struggled to become a world class city."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001886969_webethics24.html
In response we would only say that our complaint with accompanying documentation
speaks for itself. It provides ample detail outlining on-going contracts and
agreements that Vulcan has with the City and other possible deals now being
affirmatively pursued by Vulcan with the City. Rule 12.1.A. of the SEEC Rules is
specific on this point - no contributions to elected officials' office fund from
people under contract or affirmatively pursuing contracts with the City. Vulcan
should not have made these contributions nor should the Mayor have accepted
them....both parties are in violation of the rules. It's as simple as that.
Regardless of whether or not the Mayor has returned these illegal contributions,
we will ask the Ethics Commission to vigorously pursue this matter and impose
prescribed penalties if only to send a strong message to other parties not to
play fast and loose with these rules. At the state level the rules and penalties
are actually even more strict that Seattl'e rules.
As we state in our complaint:
"Contribution to public office funds, as in the case of Vulcan’s contributions
to Nickels office fund, can become a way of skirting city campaign contribution
limits and paving the way for contractors to obtain special and improper
consideration for lucrative city contracts. At the very least, it creates real
appearance issues that severely erode trust in government. Executive branch
departments commonly waive competitive bidding practices, as they have done for
contracts involving planning in South Lake Union... "
Our response to the Mayor and Vulcan's charges:
And speaking of misguided - if anything stands in the way of turning this
city into a truly world class city it is the failure on the part of our elected
leaders to adequately address growing inequality, homelessness, and poverty in
our community. The City Council soon will be making key decisions fundamentally
affecting the value Mr. Allen’s land holdings and development plans in S. Lake
Union. Literally several millions dollars worth of city staff time over the last
two and half years have been poured into an unprecedented planning effort for
South Lake Union. The Mayor's agenda, developed with the active, on-going
involvement and even direction by Vulcan calls for over one-half billion dollars
in subsidies in the form of massive public infrastructure improvements for South
Lake Union - all to serve Paul Allen's properties. While we foot the bill, Paul
Allen reaps enormous returns.
To date, the Mayor's attempts to justify this extraordinary allocation of
limited city resources have been little more than an elaborate public relations
campaign with no genuine attempt to weigh alleged benefits against the very real
costs that all of us are bearing to support his South Lake Union Agenda. In the
meantime, the City Council and the Mayor move relentlessly forward slashing
funding for basic improvements in all our neighborhoods, denying resources
especially to low income and minority communities, and cutting dollars for
desperately needed human service programs. The gap between rich and poor grows
in our City as direct result of neglect of these issues and our city's misplaced
priorities. Just who is misguided?
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