The Seattle City Council is preparing to vote on legislation that would rollback a law that mandates delivery drivers for DoorDash and other app companies make the equivalent of the city’s minimum wage. Since unveiling the proposed changes, some community members have raised concerns about whether certain councilmembers should take part in that vote.
The city's Ethics and Elections Commission looked into whether City Council President Sara Nelson has a conflict of interest. Nelson recently sold Fremont Brewing, which she co-founded with her husband, to Seattle Hospitality Group, one of the state’s largest hospitality companies.
At a city council meeting on April 25, some members of the public suggested Nelson should recuse herself from voting on the legislation because of her ties to the restaurant industry.
"It is lunacy that she is continuing on business as usual. Nelson not doing this herself is expected. But that every other member of the council is fine with this, that the mayor is fine with this, is abhorrent," said one speaker, Colin O'Keefe.
The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission is an independent committee made up of seven members that decide whether councilmembers have a conflict of interest on certain matters. Wayne Barnett, the commission’s executive director, said he initiates a hearing if there’s reason to believe there’s been a violation.
Mike O’Brien is a former Seattle city councilmember who worked with Barnett and the commission when he was in office.
"It's probably one of the strongest ethics oversight models that I've seen in city government anywhere. So I have a lot of faith in what they will decide," O'Brien said, referring to the commission.
O'Brien said any votes on legislation that a councilmember had a financial stake in would be scrutinized by the commission. He added that Barnett would sometimes advise councilmembers to opt out of voting on matters even if there was just an appearance of a conflict of interest.
"Even if it's technically not a conflict of interest, but the people of Seattle think you were conflicted out, you should also consider that," O'Brien said.
In an email on Friday, Barnett explained he didn't see a conflict of interest when it comes to Nelson.
Barnett said that while "Nelson would have a financial interest in legislation that seemed likely to increase the sales of craft beer, including Fremont Brewery’s, none of the three breweries in which Nelson has an interest contracts with any network delivery service."
"There is anecdotal evidence that restaurant sales have been depressed in the wake of the effective date of the minimum pay standards, but I have heard nothing about grocery store sales generally, or of beer, being impacted by the law," he continued.
Other people have also raised questions about councilmember Maritza Rivera, whose husband once owned part of Sound View Strategies, a business consulting firm that’s worked with DoorDash. Records show Sound View partner Sandeep Kaushik recently met with Rivera and other councilmembers about rolling back the minimum wage ordinance.
Wendy Sykes, Rivera's legislation aide, said Rivera's husband severed financial ties with Sound View Strategies in the spring of 2023. She added that Rivera consulted with Barnett about her ability to take part in the vote on the delivery driver minimum wage legislation. He determined it would not be a conflict of interest for her to participate.
Councilmember Tanya Woo’s family also recently bought a restaurant in the Chinatown-International District, according to Northwest Asian Weekly.
On Monday, Barnett said he had advised Woo to recuse herself from voting on the minimum wage delivery driver legislation.
Woo's office wouldn't confirm whether she planned to recuse herself, but said in an e-mail, “We are exploring the matter with all due diligence.”
Earlier this month, a Seattle City Council committee voted in favor of overhauling the delivery driver minimum wage legislation with some amendments, such as not allowing app companies to deduct pay from workers who earn more than the city's minimum wage.
Under the current law, drivers are paid $5 per order, or 44 cents per minute, plus 74 cents per mile. The city councilmembers are now considering paying drivers 33 cents per minute and 35 cents a mile.
The final full council vote was scheduled for May 28 but the council postponed the vote last minute. It remains unclear when exactly the Seattle City Council plans to take a final vote on the proposal.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
