The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) determined May 16 that Mayor Ed Murray could not accept donations, anonymous or otherwise, to defray the costs of his legal defense in a civil suit over alleged rape of a minor while he remains in office.
Attorneys representing the “Ed Murray Legal Defense Fund” appeared before the commission in response to a letter they sent May 1 asking commissioners to review a proposed fund that would allow private individuals to help him with the cost of his legal defense. The price tag is expected to hit the million-dollar mark and, according to disclosures related to the campaign, Murray’s net worth is $1.8 million.
The fund, as proposed, would accept anonymous donations from people who accepted nondisclosure agreements. Because it would not include campaign funds, it would not be subject to limits on the amount that could be donated.
Unlike other states, Washington does not have a specific provision of the ethics code to allow a sitting, elected official to raise money in such a manner, something that Eileen Norton, the chair of the SEEC, was quick to point out at the meeting.
“I don’t see a path ... given the current ethics code,” Norton said.
A state-level work group analyzed legal defense funds in 2011. It came up with two recommendations. First, there should be public disclosure of people who donate to the fund. Second, under existing law, such donations would be treated as gifts.
Murray was not the only elected official to be curtailed in his efforts to raise money for a legal defense. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City also tried to set one up to pay for his own personal legal costs.
The Conflicts of Interest Board in New York said that de Blasio could set up a fund, but donations would be capped at $50 in most cases, just like any other gift to a public official. As reported by The New York Times, de Blasio’s law firm costs $850 an hour.
Ashley Archibald is a Staff Reporter covering local government, policy and equity. Have a story idea? She can be can reached at ashleya (at) realchangenews (dot) org. Twitter @AshleyA_RC
Read the full May 24 issue.
RELATED ARTICLE:
Mayor Ed Murray will not seek re-election