High-court seat shouldn't go to high bidder

The big story so far in Election 2006 is this: Money runs politics.

Stop the presses. Yes, you may recall hearing money was an issue in the last election, too. And the one before that. And all the ones before that ... There is a newish twist this year. It used to be it was only our legislative and executive branches that were up for sale to the highest bidders.

Now there's a run on the judicial branch, too.

A single special interest, the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW), has directed more than $1 million trying to buy its handpicked candidate, Redmond lawyer John Groen, a seat on the state Supreme Court.

The special-interest spending for a judgeship is unprecedented. If you add in $357,000 spent mostly on Groen's behalf by a national business group, Americans Tired of Lawsuit Abuse, these two fat cats have spent more trying to get their guy on the court than all nine candidates themselves combined.

There's nothing illegal about it. It's the system we purposefully designed for ourselves.

The problem isn't that these groups are "right-wing," as some are saying. Nor is it that some of their TV ads are gutter politics (they certainly are, but again — stop the presses).

The real problem is: Our highest court, supposedly the last bastion of impartiality and fair-mindedness in government, is for sale.

This year it's the builders trying to buy a seat. Next time it'll be the unions. Or the pro-lifers, or the gays, or the asphalt lobby.

Isn't it time we just bought the court ourselves?

That's what Terry Sullivan thinks. He's a 60-year-old furniture repairman on Vashon Island. He calls himself "real folk" — by which he means he's never been much involved in politics before.

He's so weary of big money infecting government that he's heading a local movement to get it out.

There's no legal way to force it out. So the plan is to fight back with money. Our money.

It's public financing of elections. It's not a new idea. Maine and Arizona adopted it years ago, and it works there beautifully.

Candidates who reach a threshold of support can opt to have a set amount of campaign expenses paid by taxpayers. No private fundraising allowed. If an outside group like BIAW starts bombarding a race with cash, the public fund matches it on the other side.

The effect in Maine and Arizona has been that the special interests no longer bother. If they know they're not going to have the power to themselves, they stand down. And concentrate on lobbying instead.

"The point is the BIAW is a big trade association and should have some influence with the government," Sullivan says. "But it shouldn't be the singular influence."

Right. We should.

It will cost us. Sullivan's group, Washington Public Campaigns (www.washclean.org), estimates $40 million each two-year election cycle would cover all state legislative, executive and judicial campaigns. At the very least, the nonpartisan Supreme Court races should be publicly financed (North Carolina does this). That would cost about $4 million.

It's not cheap. But neither is hawking our institutions. Especially the Supreme Court.

Yes, money runs politics. Always will. So how about we make it our money, not theirs?

Danny Westneat's column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at 206-464-2086 or dwestneat@seattletimes.com.