Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson got a haircut. She was very transparent about her trim. She even posted a picture on Facebook showing the before and after.
Mayor Wilson unveiled her spring haircut at a time when much local news was focused on the mayor’s decision to keep Seattle’s CCTV cameras in place but pause on adding additional ones. Her decision has sparked mixed reactions. One vocal group wants video surveillance to be shut down completely. That faction fears ICE will use camera images to target citizens. They cite the fact that Wilson, when running for office, promised to turn off the cameras.
But the mayor is also getting heat from another group, those who want cameras placed around the sports stadiums, as well as on Capitol Hill, in the International District and near some local schools. She has heard from a number of individuals including Seattle Councilmember Bob Kettle, chair of the council Public Safety Committee. This group is pushing the mayor to install and activate cameras by June at the latest, preparing for World Cup events.
Wilson’s final decision on camera expansion now awaits a police audit. The audit’s goal is to assess how effective surveillance cameras have been in law enforcement. Wilson arranged for a hearing at City Hall to weigh reaction to her earlier mixed ruling. Prior to public comments, Wilson discussed the issue with South Seattle Emerald executive director Florangela Davilia.
Wilson was frank in acknowledging that she has managed to make both sides of the controversy mad at her. She’s being accused of satisfying no one while instead “splitting the baby,” reference to the biblical story of King Solomon who faced two women, each claiming to be a baby’s mother. Solomon proposed a drastic solution: cutting the baby in half. It was only when one woman withdrew her claim in order “to let the baby live” that the true maternal instincts emerged.
All this leads into the perhaps distracting story about Mayor Wilson’s haircut. What will the response be to the mayor’s candor about her new coiffure? In a Facebook posting, she is pictured seated in a salon chair tended by a black-aproned stylist. The mayor thanks the hairstylist whom she identifies only as Tomasz. It’s an apparent tribute to Tomasz Chmielewsksi, a graduate of Highline High and the Gene Juarez Academy, who now works at Sola Salon Studios on Terry Avenue in downtown Seattle.
Meanwhile, the story of Wilson’s haircut immediately went viral. On comment pages, some entries admired her willingness to share something so personal. Other comments were sharply critical. Then there were posts that offered suggestions for further styling – perhaps the addition of bangs.
Nonetheless it has been appealing to find the new mayor comfortable sharing views of her haircut. Nor is it surprising to discover that Mayor Wilson has a close relationship with her stylist. There is a dynamic that leads to sharing thoughts while having a haircut or other stylistic alteration. I too have felt that compulsion. For many years, I relied on a Lake City hairdresser named Nita (short for Juanita). While Nita accused me of being a communist (an absurd idea), she also spent many a session predicting the outcome of local elections. Her way of picking up information from clients led to her excellent track record, as good or often better than the latest poll.
When Juanita retired to Sequim, I transferred to Roberto, a stylist to many of the city’s important politicos. He tended to Governor Gary Locke, shuttering his salon on occasional Sunday afternoons when he styled the governor’s hair. Among Roberto’s other famed clients were Seattle Times’ publisher Frank Blethen and 8thDistrict Congressman Dave Reichert, a former King County sheriff. Although Reichert lost the 2024 governor’s race to Attorney General Bob Ferguson, no one disputes that Reichert had winning hair.
After Roberto, I next went to Amanda Saephan at her Northeast Seattle salon and then to Loretta Vong, who still does my hair while sharing miscellaneous thoughts.
But getting back to Mayor Wilson’s spring hairdo: What’s certain is that it has been refreshing to find the new mayor so open to sharing details about her haircut. It leaves one wondering: When has a male mayor ever posted pictures of a haircut?
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