A north Seattle couple has filed paperwork to seek a recall election against Mayor Katie Wilson.
A north Seattle couple has filed paperwork to seek a recall election against Mayor Katie Wilson, alleging the mayor is failing in her duty to protect the people of the city.
Melinda Jacobson filed a document known as a "recall charge" with King County Elections on Tuesday. The charges will have to be reviewed by prosecutors and then approved by a judge before any potential recall election.
"She is making us a laughingstock around the country," Jacobson told KOMO News, referring to Mayor Wilson. "It's time to admit that you are not right for the job, resign quietly and let somebody else who knows how a city is run do the work."
The charges accuse Wilson of failing to adequately address public safety concerns in several Seattle neighborhoods and criticize her handling of police leadership and the city's surveillance camera system.
"It's not just me who is fed up," Jacobson said. "It's a number of citizens, it's the city council ... it's nothing personal against her, she's just not right for the position."
The filing is not a recall petition, according to King County Elections Communications Manager Halei Watkins. Filing recall charges is an initial step in a process that requires multiple levels of review before proponents can collect signatures.
The charges are now undergoing a technical review by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Watkins said. If the filing meets technical requirements, prosecutors will prepare a ballot synopsis and submit the matter to King County Superior Court.
A judge would then determine whether the charges meet the legal standard for misfeasance, malfeasance or a violation of the oath of office.
Only if the charges clear those steps would proponents be allowed to circulate petitions.
If approved for signature gathering, proponents would have 180 days to collect the required signatures. Those signatures would then be submitted to King County Elections for verification. If enough eligible signatures are verified, elections officials would schedule a recall election, preferably in conjunction with an already scheduled election if one falls within the legally required timeline.
The filing lists five areas of criticism against Wilson.
One charge concerns Wilson's handling of Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes amid the Bite of Seattle mass shooting and the subsequent controversy surrounding the government's and Seattle Police Department's handling of the incident. The filing alleges Wilson made a "hasty, rash decision" to seek Barnes' resignation and argues the decision created instability within the Police Department.
Another charge focuses on conditions in the North Aurora neighborhood. Proponents allege residents repeatedly contacted the mayor's office from January through June about gun violence, prostitution, sex trafficking, and other public safety concerns but did not receive a response. The filing also criticizes decisions involving barriers residents had installed on neighborhood streets and the city's subsequent installation of temporary barriers.
The filing also alleges Wilson failed to adequately address open-air drug use, crime, and public safety concerns in the Chinatown International District, particularly near 12th Avenue and Jackson Street. Proponents point to recent shootings and stabbings as evidence that conditions have not improved.
A fourth charge concerns the Belltown and Third Avenue area. The filers contend the neighborhood has deteriorated since January and cite open drug use, drug dealing and other criminal activity.
The fifth charge involves the city's use of surveillance cameras. Proponents allege Wilson has not activated cameras installed in areas including North Aurora, the Chinatown International District and Third Avenue downtown, despite what they describe as continuing crime problems. The filing says some of the cameras were financed in part through a federal grant and contends residents and businesses have repeatedly requested that they be activated.
The filing itself does not establish that any of the allegations are true. The Superior Court review, if the charges first pass the technical review, will determine whether they are legally sufficient to proceed in the recall process.
Watkins said most recall efforts do not make it through the legal review to the petition stage.
Wilson's staff responded to the charges in a statement on Wednesday.
We're aware of the petition that has been filed. While it does not appear to have merit, our focus remains where it belongs: on making life safer and more affordable for the people of Seattle.
Since taking office, we're delivering meaningful progress: expanding community crisis responder hours, launching universal school meals this September, banning rental junk fees, accelerating shelter expansion, expanding transit, investing in our libraries, and taking on unfair pricing at grocery stores. That work continues.
The courts will address any questions. We will address the needs of Seattle.
The most recent Seattle recall effort to reach voters was the 2021 recall election involving then-City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Voters chose to retain Sawant.
The last successful recall in King County occurred in 2018, when Black Diamond City Councilmember Patricia Pepper was recalled in a Feb. 13 special election.
