Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | An unusual campaign funding move
The August 5th primary election wasn’t certified until August 19th. But before the ballots were officially counted, Jesse Young made a move that raised a few eyebrows in local political circles. Early returns showed Young securing a spot in the top two in the Charter Review Commission position #3 and advancing to the general election. Yet, before certification, he quietly transferred $11,500 into his Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) surplus account, a maneuver more commonly seen at the end of a political career, not in the middle of an active campaign.
After elections, many candidates sweep unspent dollars into surplus accounts, where funds can sit for future runs. But doing so before the general election is almost unheard of, especially when the campaign had just weeks earlier been raising money aggressively.
The contrast with other candidates is stark. County charter review commissioner races are typically low-profile, dollar-light contests. In 2015, across the state, 147 candidates raised an average of just $157 each. The vast majority, 136 of them, didn’t raise a dime.
Even in 2025, where the numbers have ticked upward, most candidates remain bare-bones operations. Out of 162 candidates, 126 raised zero dollars; the average was just $862. Against that backdrop, Jesse Young’s campaign towers above the field. He entered the primary having raised over $22,000 by far the largest war chest in the race.
The question is: why would a candidate with such a strong fundraising lead move money into surplus before the primary election was even certified? So far nothing has been made public by the Jesse Young campaign about his plans for the surplus funds.
According to the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), surplus campaign funds — contributions collected for an election but left over once that election is complete — are tightly regulated. By law, those funds may only be disposed of in one of six ways:
- Return to contributors
- Transfer to a political party or caucus
- Held for use in a future election campaign
- Donate to an approved charitable organization
- Send to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund
- Transfer to the candidate’s personal account
That last option, a personal transfer, is the most controversial. The rules around it are extremely narrow, and the optics are dangerous. Any move to funnel surplus campaign dollars into a candidate’s own pocket immediately raises red flags, both for regulators and for voters because it blurs the line between public trust and personal gain.
The PDC has previously fined several politicians for misuse of surplus funds. Young’s closest legislative ally, biblical war “manifesto” author and former state legislator Matt Shea, was among those sanctioned for similar violations following his own high-profile controversies.
It’s unclear exactly what Jesse Young is planning for the $11,500 that he quietly moved into his surplus account. A perfectly legal but politically telling move. In this case, the move suggests might Young was already thinking beyond November, making financial preparations before voters had even spoken.
Since 1980 Pierce County has operated under a home rule charter, meaning its government structure is defined by its own county constitution rather than solely by state law. Every ten years, voters can revisit and refine that constitution by electing a Charter Review Commission, which studies the charter and proposes amendments for voters to decide on the following year.
When you receive your ballot this November, don’t skip the Charter Review Commission races. Review your choices carefully, because the people elected to rewrite your county’s charter will shape how power and accountability are defined for years to come.
George Young
Gig Harbor