As the primary election nears, we examine how Sammamish City Council candidates fund their race
The primary election for Sammaish City Council Position No. 5 takes place this Tuesday, Aug 5. Three candidates have been reaching out to potential voters to gain support through signs, pamphlets, and door-to-door canvassing. This outreach requires funding.
The Sammamish Independent has reviewed the Position No. 5 candidates’ top donors and expenses as reported to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission as of the time of this reporting.
Donations under $100 are not reported here, as candidates are not required to disclose small donors per RCW 29B.25.100.
Michael Boyer opts for mini reporting
While registering for the City Council Position No. 5 race, Michael Boyer opted to mini report with the PDC. This means that he can raise and spend no more than $7,000 and receive no more than $500 from a single donor, and that he is not required to file donor or expense reports.
While candidates who opt for mini reporting are not required to file contribution and expense reports with the PDC, they must keep current records and make them available for inspection starting 10 days before the election.
Karthik Seetharaman is largely funded by himself and his family
At the time of this reporting, Karthik Seetharaman has received $18,811.15 in contributions, of which $5,630.57 is reported as in-kind, or donated goods and services, and $6,500 is reported as a loan from himself.
Of the in-kind donations, Seetharaman received yard signs valued at $538.15 from his wife, as well as from each of his daughters, for a total value of $1,614.45. Seetharaman is listed as his own in-kind donor, having provided $530 in additional printing and $2,992.05 in digital marketing ads. He is also listed as having provided himself in-kind $494.07 in data from voter data company L2 Data and former Sammamish Mayor Christie Malchow’s consulting firm, Rock Chalk Strategies.
In total to date, Seetharaman’s campaign has spent $14,975.83, most of which has been on print and digital advertisements. In addition, Seetharaman owes $10,637.80 to Argo Strategies, a political consulting firm located in Seattle, and $1,363 to Rock Chalk Strategies, for a total of $12,000.80 in debt.
Lin Yang receives democratic and PAC support
As of the time of this reporting, Lin Yang leads the race in funding with $20,952.81, of which $1,208.91 is in-kind contributions.
Yang received an in-kind contribution valued at $500 from the Washington State Democratic Party in the form of a campaign outreach management tool, VoteBuilder. The total expenditure reported for VoteBuilder as of the time of this reporting is $257.78.
In addition, Yang received a $1,200 donation from the Affordable Housing Council, a political action committee aimed at creating a positive political environment for the homebuilding idustry.
Current City Council Member Pam Stuart donated $500 to Yang’s Campaign.
Yang has received $942.29 in independent expenditures, which are made by third parties without the candidate’s approval or collaboration. Of that, $151.99 was from Fuse Washington, a progressive political organization, and $790.30 from Eastside Business Alliance, a political organization affiliated with the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and described as nonpartisan and pro-jobs.
In total to date, Yang’s campaign has spent $13,034.88, most of which has been on printing and postage.
Ballots for the primary election must be postmarked by Tuesday, Aug. 5, or placed in a ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. that same day.
