Click here to skip to main content.
scenic picture from Washington state
MRSC FOCUS › Inquiry of the Week (12/27/99)
 
Inquiry of the Week (9/27/99)

Inquiry of the Week (9/27/99)

Question

May city councilmember, who is running for another elective office, wear his campaign button to city council meeting?

Answer:

Yes, according to the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), this would not violate RCW 42.17.130. I faxed the caller a copy of PDC Interpretation No. 92-01 (March 24, 1992), which states as follows:

Wearing Political Pins, Buttons, Etc.

    An elected official or public employee is not acting in violation of RCW 42.17.130 when he or she wears a typical campaign pin or button during normal working hours. Simply wearing a button which encourages support for or opposition to any candidate or ballot proposition, either directly or indirectly, is a form of personal expression and is not to be regarded as a "use of facilities" within the meaning and intent of the above-referenced statute.

    Officials or employees who choose to wear such pins or buttons are urged to exercise caution and prudence. Such personal expression can quite easily lead to other activities which are prohibited.

    NOTE: This statement should not be construed as an authorization to wear political pins, buttons, etc., which would override or supersede an agency's statute, ordinance, rule, policy, etc., restricting such expressions.

(Emphasis in original.)