Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Give taxpayers a choice

The proposal to finance Seattle City Council campaigns with a property-tax levy is a bad measure and seems like yet another grab for money — $1.5 million — by politicians to benefit what group? Ah yes, the politicians. No surprise there [“Seattle considers tax levy to fund council campaigns,” NWMonday, June 10].

What a self-serving idea, when there are so many projects the city needs to fund. Seattle property taxpayers are always generous when asked to fund schools, transportation, humanitarian and public-safety initiatives. We should use that $1.5 million to benefit programs for the city’s residents, not to publicly fund the election coffers of candidates for nine council seats (whose salaries are also paid by tax dollars).

As federal taxpayers, we get to make a choice about whether our tax dollars finance election campaigns on the 1040 income tax returns. We should also have that choice in city elections. This measure takes away your choice; you have to pay for candidates even if you don’t agree with them.

Terry Timm Moos, Seattle