The majority of Seattle’s city council will be quitting this year after fending off a backlash in recent years over rising crime and homelessness.
Seven of the nine council members will not seek reelection, citing physical threats by residents and a perception that the community no longer backs their politics. The exodus includes the most senior member, socialist Kshama Sawant.
CHAZ OR CHOP, ANARCHY IS ANARCHY BY ANY NAME
“I’m not seen as a person by some people, and it’s not safe for me or my family,” Council President Debora Juarez told the Seattle Times. “No job is worth that.”
Sawant said bags of human feces have been thrown on her front lawn six times.
“If the ruling class and their spokespeople were not angry with me, I would worry about what I was doing wrong,” she said.
Seattle grabbed the nation’s attention in the summer of 2020 when rioters took over part of the downtown area in the wake of George Floyd’s death and refused to relinquish control. Former Council President Jenny Durkan compared the occupiers to “a summer of love.”
As residents and businesses fled, some rioters took over a police precinct and set up an armed occupied zone. One teenager was shot to death in the zone, and his family filed a lawsuit against the city last year.
“CHOP was a colossal screw-up for the city,” attorney Mark Lindquist told K5 News. “This lawsuit is one of many.”
Other issues created by the city council include a defunding of police sparking a crime wave, a massive homelessness crisis, and the departure of 160 businesses, including Amazon, citing the hostile Seattle environment.
Mike O’Brien, who served on the council from 2009 to 2019, told the Seattle Times that a radical shift to the left began when he arrived. At first, it seemed like a job he could hold forever, but eventually, residents started to become angry over issues the council was not fixing.
Former Councilman Nick Licata said the job is now “less fun and more strenuous” and that Seattle is a national target because it’s an “uber-liberal city.”
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The days of a radical left agenda may be over as last year voters elected two centrist Democrats: Bruce Harrell as mayor and Sara Nelson as a councilwoman. Republican Ann Davison was elected city attorney.
So far, 14 people have filed paperwork to run for the open seats this year. Candidates include climate activists and an affordable housing proponent.