Proposition 14
(Oaths of Office)
Ballot Title
Shall the Seattle City Charter be amended to modify the requirements for oaths of office by specifying that the head of every City department shall take and subscribe such an oath before entering upon the duties of his or her office, eliminating the requirement that assistants to City officers take and subscribe such an oath, and clarifying the nature of the oath, and shall Article XIX, Section 4 be amended accordingly?
Voter-Pamphlet Explanation
The Charter as it Exists Now
Article 19 of the Charter concerns City officers.
Section 4 of Article 19 deals with oaths of office and official bonds. That section requires, among other things, that "[e]very Councilman and every other officer of the City and each of his assistants" take an oath or affirmation before entering into the duties of office. Section 4 also specifies the general contents of the required oath; among other things, an officer is required to promise "that he will faithfully demean himself in office."
The Effect of the Proposition if Adopted
Section 4 of Article 19 would be amended as follows:
(1) Language specifying the City officers who are required to take the oath or affirmation set out in Section 4 would be modified to include department heads but to exclude assistants to City officers. Thus, the oath or affirmation would be required of "[e]very Councilmember and every other officer of the City and the head of every department…"
(2) The nature of the oath would be clarified by changing the word "demean" in Section 4 to "conduct." Thus, an officer required to take the oath or affirmation would promise that "he or she will faithfully conduct himself or herself in office."