What are your thoughts on ad kiosks downtown?

This is from a thread by mayoral candidate Katie Wilson on Bluesky. I thought she raised some discussion points and I wonder what people on Seattle Reddit think.

On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council passed a resolution signaling support for a plan to allow 80 8-foot tall advertising kiosks to be placed on sidewalks downtown and throughout the city. I’m conflicted — and I’m curious what other people think.

On the plus side, the kiosks will provide “free Wi-Fi, digital wayfinding, and the ability to call for assistance.” But… how useful is any of that, really, when nearly all of us carry around in our pockets mighty little computers that connect us to the whole world?

The revenue (projected at $1.1M in the first year) would go to the Downtown Seattle Association to fund their Ambassadors & other programs to improve downtown. When kiosks spread in a 2nd phase, other business-led groups like the Ballard Alliance & the U District Partnership would get funds, too.

I’m not knee-jerk opposed to public-private partnerships; I think the DSA has done a good job activating Westlake & Occidental Parks. BUT. The notion that this is a good deal seems to assume that this is basically free money. A private vendor does installation & maintenance, the cash just rolls in.

But it’s not free money. The City is selling our attention, our eyeballs. We are bombarded by advertising all day, every day. Frankly, it’s bad for us, and it’s a shame that the production of so many public goods (see: journalism) depends so heavily on ad revenue.

You can choose whether to watch TV or scroll social media. But it’s much harder to avoid flashing ads planted on the sidewalk. Personally I’m on team “the fewer ads in our public space the better” — as I wrote last year.

But… maybe I’m wrong? The council will vote on actual legislation later this year. Mayor Harrell is strongly in favor of the kiosks. He sees them as a benefit for downtown & part of the city’s preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As shadow mayor, should I support this proposal or try to kill it?

[I’m not paid by Katie’s campaign, but have been closely following, have volunteered, and think she raises some good discussion re: what we should allow in public spaces]