SEATTLE — Mayor Katie Wilson’s office is responding to the recall petition filed against her.
“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,” wrote a representative for Wilson’s office. “Since taking office, we’re delivering meaningful progress: expanding community crisis responder hours, accelerating shelter expansion, launching universal school meals this September, banning rental junk fees, expanding transit, investing in our libraries, and taking on unfair pricing at grocery stores. That work continues.”
The petition was filed by Seattle resident Melinda Jacobson and her husband. The filing alleges that the mayor has ignored public safety concerns and made mistakes while in office.
Public safety and municipal management form the core of the petition.
Jacobson cited the mayor’s decision to request the resignation of the city’s police chief during a murder investigation stemming from a shooting at the Bite of Seattle event as a primary factor in filing the recall.
She also said the mayor has largely ignored calls from residents in several Seattle neighborhoods, including North Aurora Avenue, the Chinatown-International District, downtown and Belltown.
The recall effort also addresses city technology policies.
Mayor Wilson has expressed concerns about using security cameras to combat crime due to privacy issues and the potential that outside agencies might access the footage.
To move forward, the recall petition must clear significant legal and logistical hurdles.
Once filed, the prosecuting attorney’s office conducts a technical review before submitting the petition to the Superior Court, where a judge determines if the recall charges are legally sufficient.
Dean Nielsen, a partner at CN4 Partners, a federal political consulting group, noted that many recall attempts do not clear this stage.
“The sufficiency hearing really knocks a lot off of the ballot,” Nielsen “You just can’t come up with your own reason and recall somebody, as in other states.”
If the recall passes judicial review, sponsors have 180 days to collect just under 70,000 valid signatures from eligible voters.
Halei Watkins, the King County Elections communications manager, noted that signature verification eliminates some submitted petitions too.
“The biggest one is that we see voters who live outside of the jurisdiction and they are not eligible,” Watkins said. “The other one that we can often see is folks who are either not registered voters who sign the petition, or if their name and address that they write on the petition is just completely illegible.”
If sponsors gather sufficient verified signatures, King County Elections must hold the recall vote between 45 and 90 days after validation.
However, if the elected official being recalled is on the November general ballot, you cannot have a recall election for them within six months of that race.
County officials try to align the vote with an already scheduled election if possible, as holding a stand-alone special election could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.