Under Fire: A Petition to Recall Mayor Katie Wilson

Things are getting rocky at Seattle City Hall. There are questions and concerns over Mayor Katie Wilson’s actions, compounded by a troubling lack of information from the mayor’s office. Mounting distress over Wilson has even prompted two Seattle residents to file a recall petition.

A major part of the problem is lack of communications from the mayor’s office. This mayor’s record on communications is dismal. After seven months in office, she has been through two press secretaries and is now looking for a third. She has had to apologize for her office’s botched and belated public response following the Bite of Seattle shootings. She has failed to provide reasons behind her decision to ask for Police Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation.

A majority of Seattle councilmembers deplored her firing of the chief, complaining about the timing and lack of transparency. Removing a Black chief of police – especially with crime numbers down during his tenure – drew an immediate negative response from the Black community. At a City Hall rally, Black faith leaders requested that the mayor reverse her decision, but their request was left unanswered.

Councilmember Bob Kettle, who chairs the public safety committee, reported on plans to launch a formal review of the circumstances surrounding the chief’s firing in September. The controversy led political analyst Reuven Carlyle, a former state senator, to comment on Mayor Wilson’s performance. He defined it as “a tipping point moment” and said, “It’s really defining her as a person and as a leader. It’s incredibly unusual this early to have a majority of the city council so exacerbated by her actions and use such strong language.”

Given strong community disapproval, it wasn’t surprising to learn of the filing of a recall petition. Launched by North Seattle residents Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud (a married couple) on Aug. 11. The recall might or might not amount to a serious threat. Recall petitions must first undergo an involved process to determine if charges meet state requirements. Washington law prohibits recalls against public officials for purely political purposes or choices. Recalls can proceed only if alleging the official engaged in wrongful conduct or acts. If approved by a Superior Court judge, the recall effort would then have 180 days to gather around 70,000 signatures of registered voters for appearance on a ballot.

Historically, only two Seattle mayors have been recalled – Hiram Gill in 1911 for allowing open gambling and prostitution and Frank Edwards in 1931 for firing J. D. Ross, popular head of Seattle City Light. Mayor Wes Uhlman faced three recall efforts in the 1970s with only one getting as far as the ballot where it lost overwhelmingly. Not until 2020 was there another attempt at recalling a mayor. A recall petition accused Mayor Jenny Durkan of misusing police during protests. That effort was dismissed by the state Supreme Court.

When filing the recall against Mayor Wilson, Jacobson said, “I don’t have anything against her personally. She’s just way above her head. If we have 3 ½ more years of this, the city’s going downhill like you won’t believe.” Jacobson admitted she’d voted to reelect mayor Bruce Harrell.

The recall petition against Mayor Wilson alleges that she’s been “derelict in her duties for public safety of the city of Seattle.” Among other charges, the petition cites the mayor’s “hasty rash decision to force a resignation from Shon Barnes, the Chief of Police,” showing a lack of fiscal responsibility and creating chaos and distrust in the mayor’s actions.

The petition further charges that Wilson failed to meet with citizens regarding crime in the North Aurora neighborhood and in failing to stop open-air drug markets in the Chinatown International District and the Belltown and Third Avenue neighborhood. The petition also charges the mayor’s administration with failure to activate CCTV cameras placed in known hot spots.

A release from Mayor Wilson’s office acknowledged filing of the recall, noting that “while it doesn’t appear to have merit, our focus remains on making life safer and more affordable.” The statement was issued by Dawn Schellenberg, the mayor’s interim communications director, and concluded that “the courts will address any questions. We will endorse needs of Seattle.”

Much of Mayor Wilson’s earlier problems can be traced to inept and absent communications. Other mayors have profited from employing skilled communications directors and taking their advice. For example, there’s Greg Nickels, the city’s last two-term major. He had the help of Robert Mak, a successful former TV reporter. Or Mayor Durkan who worked with Mark Prentice and Stephanie Formus. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s communications team was capably managed by Jamie Housen.

Seattleites value transparency and a good communication director works to ensure that information is not only readily available but timely and accurate. The communications job, as described on the Seattle government jobs’ website, includes developing communications strategy, managing a team, building partnership with city departments, experience in crisis communications and responding rapidly during emergencies.

These duties were defined by a previous mayor, but communication assistance needed by Wilson won’t be much different. Where can Mayor Wilson find such a miracle worker? Possibly poaching from existing communication sources – newspaper or electronic media. Or maybe locating an experienced political professional. It’s no job for a neophyte, not when an administration’s public image rests on rapid and transparent communication.