Political career and controversies
Lee was first elected to the Bellevue city council in 1994. He served as deputy mayor in 2010 and 2011 before being elected mayor in 2012. During his tenure on the city council,he was part of a majority that opposed an increase in the property tax and the Sound Transit's planned light-rail route through South Bellevue until a compromise was reached. He was the first Asian American mayor of Bellevue. [4]
Lee won re-election in 2013 with a record 78% of the vote. [5]
Lee won re-election in 2017 with 69% of the vote and $158,311 raised. [6]
Lee won re-election in 2021 with a record low of less than 55% of the vote. [7]
During his tenure on the Bellevue City Council,Lee has faced multiple campaign-finance and ethics disputes:
- Solicitation of city employees (2009): In October 2009,Lee sent nearly two dozen emails from his personal and campaign accounts to Bellevue city employees at their official addresses,asking them to contribute to,attend fundraisers for,and endorse his re-election campaign—actions that contravened Washington state law prohibiting elected officials from soliciting contributions from their own agency’s staff. [8]
- Public Disclosure Commission fines (2010):In May 2010,the State Public Disclosure Commission found Lee’s 2009 campaign guilty of failing to timely report $23,427 in general expenditures and $3,981 on election mailings. This imposed a $500 fine. [9]
- Late PAC‐report filings (2013):In January 2013,Lee was fined $300 by the Washington PDC for failing to timely file a series of reports for New Americans for Accountable Government,a super‐PAC he formed in 2010. This marked a repeat of his earlier reporting lapse,prompting criticism that he had “not learned his lesson” [10]
- Donation to Trump inaugural committee (2025):In April 2025,Lee gave $50,000 to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee. He was listed among Washington donors whose contributions entitled them to face-to-face encounters with senior administration officials,raising questions about the influence purchased by mid-level inaugural gifts. [11]
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