You'll Never Guess Who's Backing the Recall Sawant Campaign
When the campaign to recall District 3 City Council Member Kshama Sawant launched in early August, organizers claimed they had already raised $15,000. They also specifically asked interested parties only to contribute $25 or less to the ongoing effort.
As I reported last month, a campaign would only ask for donations that low for a couple reasons, both of which involve the fact that the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) does not require campaigns to report names, addresses, or employer information for donations that small.
According to the latest campaign filings, the Recall Sawant now reports over $40,890 in contributions from over 1,700 people. A whopping 19 of those donors listed their names and addresses. The rest are lumped in anonymously as "Unitemized Contributors of $25 or Less." Recall Sawant received 94% of its funds from these anonymous donors. But emails between the campaign's chair and others paint a clearer picture of who else is contributing time and resources to the campaign.
The head of the Recall Sawant campaign is District 3 resident named Ernie Lou, who cites "Sawant's actions and policy proposals" and a list of Mayor Jenny Durkan's grievances among his reasons for initiating the recall effort. But, according to emails, the body of the campaign is a little swarm of familiar Sawant rivals: ICE landlord and Seattle real-estate magnate Martin Selig tossed in a little cash, his daughter and presumed successor Jordan Selig is eager to help, and former District 3 council candidate Egan Orion contributed to the cause a list of around 2,500 campaign donors' names, addresses, and employers on the condition that the campaign kept his involvement "a secret."
Read more: https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2020/09/10/44443444/youll-never-guess-whos-backing-the-recall-sawant-campaign