It’s Kshama Sawant — 2, Seattle City Council — nil.
A reasonable ethics reform was the latest council proposal to be withdrawn after facing noisy opposition, some of it led by the lightning-rod former council member.
Sawant shut down a council meeting and led angry chants against the ethics proposal last month. On May 30, Councilmember Cathy Moore announced that she was withdrawing her legislation that would have ensured more council members could participate in critical policy decisions.
The initial idea was conceived by the well-regarded director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, Wayne Barnett. It made sense. It would have broadened democracy by allowing a greater swath of people to run for elected office and lend their expertise to public policy.
No matter — the proposal was put into the progressive wood chipper after its sudden and unexpected unveiling at City Hall.
Sound familiar?
Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth fell into the same trap with her proposed changes to the city’s minimum wage law for tipped employees. After misjudging public reaction, she beat a hasty retreat and withdrew her proposal — though she was right to raise concerns that Seattle restaurants would face a sharp increase in costs that would likely result in layoffs and business closures.
Sawant was all over that one, too.
There’s a pattern here.
Council members offer reasonable ideas with seemingly little preparation or political polish. As the editorial board noted last year: “Too often, this eager-to-act council doesn’t lay the groundwork necessary to build consensus and get things done.”
To wit: Councilmember Maritza Rivera’s backtracking on legislation that zeroed in on unspent community development funds. All that public money sloshing around raised appropriate red flags for Rivera, particularly at a time when the city is in fiscal dire straits.
Sound financial stewardship is a core council responsibility. But there was no stage-setting, no background work to explain what Rivera intended and why it mattered. After an organized public outcry, Rivera withdrew her amendment, insisting that advocates had misunderstood her intent.
When there is a clear community understanding of issues, the council performs well. It established a strong track record of passing public safety bills including hiring more cops.
A Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce poll shows residents feel dramatically better about Seattle now than a few years ago — 49% say things in the city are on the right track, up from 33% in 2023.
The council deserves credit for this turnaround. Nonetheless, it must do a better job of framing problems before announcing solutions. The art of politics lies in the preparation.
Meanwhile, Moore resigned her position this week due to health concerns and Sawant announced she is challenging Rep. Adam Smith for the 9th Congressional District seat.
That’s a gut check for local politics. Time for Seattle City Council centrists to bring their A-game and put more points on the board. In politics, good ideas are never enough.
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