Monroe City Council could be a click away

Published 11:32 pm Sunday, July 29, 2007

MONROE – Most of the city’s public documents would be posted on the Internet, its council meetings would be aired on television, and the city would start a blog.

Those are proposals by two Monroe City Council members who say they hope to make city government more transparent.

“Technology is wonderful, but we haven’t kept pace with technology,” council member Mitch Ruth said.

He and council member Chad Minnick are also proposing to set limits on campaign contributions for city elections.

“It gives us accountability,” Minnick said.

Those ideas are expected to be part of a proposed new ordinance, which the City Council plans to discuss at an Aug. 14 meeting, Minnick said.

Minnick said that he would like City Council meetings to be broadcast on cable television. And the city’s Web site could add a blog for council members to communicate about city businesses.

The proposed ordinance would also include changes in campaign finance rules in city elections, Minnick and Ruth said.

The state now has stricter rules on campaign contributions than Monroe does. For instance, a state legislative candidate can only accept $700 or less from a donor per election.

But Monroe has no limits over how much money a candidate can spend in a campaign or how much a person can contribute to a candidate, Ruth said.

That needs to change, Ruth said. Campaigns should be about candidates’ qualifications, not about how much money they have, he said.

“It’s about people. It’s about issues. It’s about community service,” Ruth said.

Monroe should apply state rules to city elections, Minnick said. The city also should require people to make contributions by check or money order, he said. He wants the city to ban cash contributions.

“That got me into trouble before,” Minnick said.

Minnick has been involved in an investigation on an alleged campaign finance violation.

In 2006, former City Councilman Mike Donow told state regulators that he contributed $1,500 to the campaign of Bob Holman in 2001 and $150 each to the campaigns of Tom Layson and Minnick in 2003.

Donow told state officials that he received the money from Ken Berger, a longtime council member, in each instance. Under state law, the true source of a campaign donation must be disclosed.

The allegations prompted a recall effort against Berger. He stepped down in April, just days before recall supporters had planned to start collecting signatures.

State investigators are still looking into the allegation involving Layson and Minnick, Doug Ellis, a spokesman for the state Public Disclosure Commission, said Friday.

Banning cash contributions in city elections in Monroe would make it easier for candidates to keep track of sources of campaign contributions, Minnick said.

Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

Campaign rules

Monroe officials are considering applying state rules on campaign contributions to city elections.

Under the state rule, a state legislative candidate can accept up to $700 from a donor per election. Monroe has no cap on its contributions.

For more information about state campaign finance rules, go to www.pdc.wa.gov.