Councilmember Moore withdraws Ethics Code update bill from consideration

Proposal will not appear on Council’s June 3 agenda

Councilmember Cathy Moore (District 5) today announced that she is withdrawing a proposal to update the City’s Code of Ethics. The legislation was based on the recommendation of Seattle Ethics and Elections Executive Director Wayne Barnett who’d voiced concerns about the impact on the local democratic process of an outlier recusal rule. The provision has increasingly been used to remove duly elected councilmembers from participating in the legislative process. The bill sought to address flaws in the recusal and disclosure process while mitigating concerns over voter underrepresentation.

“I have decided to withdraw the Code of Ethics update bill from consideration, a decision I do not take lightly. My conversations with colleagues