Wilkerson receives stealth Seattle multi-millionaire “Moneybomb”

POSTED 5 July 2023

How do retired multi-millionaires, corporate investment lawyers and other Seattle socialites living in exclusive western Washington communities with homes valued at $10.6, $8.2, $7.8 million know Betsy Wilkerson?  They likely don’t and never will.

Even so, they dropped a stealth $18,000 “Moneybomb” campaign care package to her Spokane Council President effort last Friday (6/30/23) afternoon just before the long Independence Day weekend.  Were they hoping that nobody would be paying attention?

After all, her campaign donation site claims, “She's relying on grassroots supporters like you to fund her campaign — not outside special interests.”

Betsy’s total weekend western WA take from the “206” comprises over 20% of all her fundraising.  Ten out of 25 donors gave the maximum amount of $1,200.  Eleven, if you count the donor who only gave $1,000.  Most of these, are reported as “not employed” or “retired.” 

Compliments to Emry Dinman of The Spokesman-Review, whose article posted on July 4th and in print today identified one of Wilkerson’s weekend Seattle slew of support.  However, he didn’t cover the “Moneybomb” or its coordinating effort by Seattle-based “First Mile Circle.”

What is a “Moneybomb”? and Who is the “First Mile Circle”?

First Mile Circle defines their problem as,

“Our elections and institutions were long ago designed to elevate and keep white men in power, and few changes have been made to these systems in modern times to allow for diverse leadership.”

Their solution includes,

“Moneybombs.  Each Circle member donates directly to candidates on a coordinated day – once before the primary and once before the general election – for maximum impact.”

According to their website,

“In the First Mile Circle, donors don’t choose which candidates to donate to — and that is key to First Mile’s design. We look to the expertise of our partners at OneAmerica Votes, Sage Leaders, and Washington Community Alliance Action Fund in developing a slate each year that holds community accountability at the center.”

All the donor decision-makers at First Mile Circle are organizations based in Seattle.  In 2020, Puget Sound Sage led an effort to defund the Seattle Police including the following script for calls to the Seattle Council,

Dear Council Member [NAME],

I believe defunding the Seattle Police Department and reinvesting in community is necessary because [SHARE YOUR PERSONAL THOUGHTS/STORY].

Please meet the demand to defund SPD by 50% – $94 million – by voting to reinvest in community-based solutions to health and safety, eliminate and transfer SPD functions, and reduce SPD’s budget across the board.

Thank you, 

[YOUR NAME, NEIGHBORHOOD, AFFILIATION/BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION]

Despite Betsy Wilkerson’s insistence that she isn’t anti-police, she must answer: Why birds of a feather are flocking to give her Moneybombs?  Could it have something to do with Betsy’s promise of her proposed Spokane “progressive political full-force trifecta?”

In the end, Seattle “Moneybombs” have been roundly rejected by Spokane voters.  Sue Lani Madson covered the 2021 Moneybombs.  Recipients that year included Naghmana Sherazi and Lacrecia Hill.  Hill didn’t make it through the primary and Sherazi lost in the general election. 

Spokane voters are On the Ball and won’t let Seattle’s socialites define local elections in the “509.”