Seattle Mayor Faces Scrutiny as Recent Shootings Raise Public Safety Concerns

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a democratic socialist, is under mounting pressure from a senior public safety official to lay out a clear strategy after a deadly mass shooting at a popular food festival sent crowds fleeing in panic last month.

Seattle City Council Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle is urging Wilson to present a comprehensive public safety plan following the July 26 shooting at Seattle Center during the Bite of Seattle festival, where three people were killed and at least four others were wounded.

Concerns intensified after another burst of gun violence early Friday in West Seattle’s Alki neighborhood. No injuries were reported, but police said more than 70 rounds were fired — and later disclosed that nearby public surveillance cameras were not working when the shootout occurred.

‘We are at an inflection point, at this point, and partly because it’s not January anymore. We’re well into the start of the mayor’s administration,’ Kettle said in an interview with FOX 13.

‘We have to have a plan. Right now, we don’t have one on the executive side. We do on the legislative side; by the way, we’ve had it for two and a half years, and we just need to have this comprehensive approach,’ he added.

Kettle’s criticism arrives as Seattle public safety remains a central political issue for City Hall. Recent polling showed residents giving Wilson a 37 percent favorability rating, along with a D+ grade for her handling of public safety.

The scrutiny has been building for days. About a week earlier, Washington Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson criticized Wilson’s response to the Seattle Center mass shooting, while a local couple filed a recall charge accusing the mayor of being ‘derelict in her duties for public safety of the city of Seattle.’

Responding to the latest pushback from another elected official, Wilson told FOX 13: ‘Public safety is a very, very high priority for my office, and we are working in all areas to make sure that everyone gets home safe at the end of the day.’

‘Ultimately, I’m going to be judged by my results, and I’m looking forward to that. You know, we are working hard on many fronts,’ she added. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Seattle Mayor’s Office for further comment.  

Seattle’s Office of the Inspector General is conducting an independent review of Wilson’s administration and the city’s response to the recent mass shooting, according to Kettle. 

He emphasized that the investigation is not just focused on the Seattle Police Department, but also the Mayor’s Office and other city agencies including the Office of Emergency Management. 

Wilson was criticized by Washington’s governor for her response to July’s mass shooting when he shared a post from journalist Ari Hoffman, which reported that when a Zoom call was hastily convened for state leaders in the aftermath of the tragedy, Wilson refused to turn on her camera or speak.

Hoffman said when he made a Freedom of Information Act request for records of the call, Ferguson’s office claimed that it does not have a recording. Ferguson’s own account then re-shared the post that criticized Wilson’s antics. 

Ferguson’s account appeared to go on to delete the post re-sharing Hoffman’s report.

Beyond concerns over public safety in Seattle, Wilson has also been criticized for her inexperience, difficulty handling the city’s homelessness crisis and anti-business stances.

Business leaders have blasted the mayor over her calls to introduce a wealth tax and introduce new business taxes in her city.

Early in her tenure, Wilson came under fire for her flippant response when asked at a town hall if she feared these stances could drive wealth and entrepreneurship away from Seattle.

Wilson said such concerns would be ‘overblown’, and added, ‘And to the ones that leave, “bye!”‘ as she waved her right hand.

Her approach has led to fears that Seattle’s long history as a business hub, including Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon, may come to an end.