Opinion ID: 2615134
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: conclusion

Text: The Seattle City Council intelligently and creatively passed an ordinance providing for a voluntary limitation of spending and partial public financing of candidates so the average person would have some chance of equal representation in the city of Seattle on issues involving his tax dollar. The money is not given to the individual for his/her personal use. A candidate cannot spend it for his/her personal needs or services, but only to promote his/her candidacy, and such activities are closely screened through the Fair Campaign Practices Commission. There is no gift to the individual, but a tremendous benefit to the general public in more representative government by the city council and mayor of their city. The Seattle ordinance does not violate Const. art. 8, § 7 because (1) the campaign contributions defined by the ordinance are not gifts; (2) the candidate must render substantial consideration to the public to become eligible to receive them; and (3) such contributions are entitlements and constitutionally permissible. UTTER and DIMMICK, JJ., concur. STAFFORD and PEARSON, JJ., concur in the result. WILLIAMS, C.J. (dissenting) I agree with the first portion of Justice Rosellini's dissent that the issue of the validity of Seattle's campaign financing ordinances is moot. I also agree with Justice Rosellini that this is not the type of situation, such as that presented by Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 35 L.Ed.2d 147, 93 S.Ct. 705 (1973) or Federated Publications, Inc. v. Kurtz, 94 Wn.2d 51, 615 P.2d 440 (1980), that involves matters of continuing and substantial public interest which may escape effective appellate review. Although the purposes underlying the campaign financing ordinances are laudable, I believe we should refrain from rendering a wholly advisory opinion in this matter until we have a valid enactment before us that has been briefed and argued by the proper parties in interest, including representative citizens of the City of Seattle. I therefore agree with Justice Rosellini that it is both inappropriate and unwise to reach the merits of this case despite its mootness. I wish to make it clear, however, that I do not join in Justice Rosellini's discussion on the invalidity of the Seattle campaign financing ordinances on the basis of Const. art. 8, § 7, pertaining to the prohibition on gifts of public funds to private individuals. I would reserve any ruling on the validity of future campaign financing measures until the issue is squarely before this court. I dissent. BRACHTENBACH, J., concurs with WILLIAMS, C.J. ROSELLINI, J. (dissenting) The majority gratuitously comments on a moot statute. Because I disagree both as to the propriety of reaching the question of this financing statute's validity and with the majority's discussion of its validity, I dissent.