Seattle Mayor Pays Consultant $280K to Lobby for Rail Project
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently used taxpayers’ money to pay a consultant $280,000 “to provide advice and political support” for his light rail projects, according to The Seattle Times.
In February 2022, The Times reported that a no bid contract was awarded to Tim Ceis, a former deputy mayor of Seattle, to lobby for Mayor Harrell’s preferred light rail projects, including shifting a future underground stop away from Union Station in the Chinatown International District.
The initial contract stipulated that Ceis was hired to provide “positive board-level relationships that support Seattle’s goals for WSBLE and enable effective decision-making at the [Sound Transit] board,” and that contract was later extended through April 2023.
When interviewed by The Seattle Times, Harrell boasted about Ceis’ effectiveness, saying, “It’s been a great investment for the city” and touting Ceis’ connections that helped move the project forward. His opponents, however, accused him on Twitter of hiring Ceis to broker “a backroom deal” and “push a false media narrative.”
This is not the first time a Seattle mayor has used tax dollars to hire a consultant to lobby for their project. In 2018, then Mayor Jenny Durkan paid Anne Fennessy, a friend and business associate, $720,000 to lobby for her light rail projects.
While it’s appropriate for mayors to fight vigorously to implement the policy they believe is in their constituents’ best interest, using taxpayers money to hire a consultant to lobby for them is insulting to community groups and constituents that are trying to weigh in, but can’t afford a lobbyist of their own.
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