Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant admits violating ethics code, fueling recall effort

[brooklynite]

Seattle Times

As Henry Bridger arrived on Capitol Hill on Saturday to gather signatures for a ballot initiative to recall Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, he trumpeted an admission by the politician that he predicts will help persuade voters to oust her.

In a Friday settlement agreement with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, Sawant admitted to improperly using city money, employees and other resources to support a proposed ballot measure. She also agreed to pay the city $3,516, about twice the amount of city funds she spent to advance the measure to create a payroll tax on big businesses like Amazon.

Sawant’s admission that she violated city ethics and elections codes confirms one of three charges now being made by the recall effort.

“She has denied it, denied it, and now she comes forward to admit that she actually did break the law. And that’s huge,” said Bridger, a Capitol Hill resident serving as chair and campaign manager of Recall Sawant. He said he planned to tell people about it as he asked for their signatures.

[ripcord]

1. She also let protesters into a closed city hall