Committee recommends Kai Smith for Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission

The Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on Thursday recommended the mayoral appointment of Kai Smith to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission for a term through Dec. 31, 2027.

The panel's recommendation moves the nomination to the full City Council for final confirmation; committee members voted 4-0 to advance the appointment. Chair Sarah Nelson told Smith the full council vote would be held the following Tuesday, not the coming Tuesday.

The Ethics and Elections Commission enforces the city's ethics code, elections code, lobbying code and whistleblower protection rules. Wayne Barnett, executive director of the commission, introduced Smith and said the commission's "main role is, like, educating folks on those and also enforcing those." Smith, a partner at Pacifica Law Group, said he was "honored to be nominated and looking forward to serving the city of Seattle in this capacity if I'm approved."

Committee members asked about the commission's workload during election years; Barnett said the office sees a sharp rise in complaints during the months leading up to elections, noting he expects to "receive many more complaints in the next 4 months than I've received probably the other 2 years combined." Committee members said Smith's litigation and election-work experience fit the commission's needs.

The committee recorded the roll call as: Council member Andrew Solomon (Aye); Council member Sara Hollingsworth (Yes); Council member Kettle (Aye); Chair Sarah Nelson (Aye). The motion "to proceed with a vote" was moved by Chair Sarah Nelson and seconded by Council member Kettle.

If confirmed by the full council, Smith will join commission staff and members who administer and enforce Seattle's local codes on campaign, lobbying and whistleblower matters.

Next steps: the committee forwarded the nomination to the full City Council for a final confirmation vote.