Rantz: Secret poll suggests Seattle City Council is as hated as Trump

It takes a lot to be as unpopular as President Donald Trump in Seattle, yet here we are. The Seattle City Council is deeply disliked.

RELATED: Referendum is huge rebuke of out-of-control council

As the city council and head tax supporters dealt with the referendum campaign to repeal the job-killing head tax, Progressive activists spent $20,000 on a poll to gauge voter support. According to the Stranger, the poll was damning, but not shocking. Every pro-repeal argument was seen as more convincing than every pro-head tax position presented. The poll results were kept secret from the public.

This shouldn’t come as a shock. The poll by Strategies 360 found staggering opposition to the head tax and an internal survey for the council showed virtually no business support either. The council would end up ignoring this survey. It was actually so poorly written, city officials originally thought it was a “fake” survey.

What should be shocking is how deeply unpopular the Seattle City Council actually is. The poll backed by Progressives found a majority of respondents believe Seattle is on the wrong track. According to one source to the Stranger, favorability ratings for the council are around 40 percent, while job performance is between 20-30 percent. Trump approval ratings in Washington state? Nearly the same, according to Morning Consult.

How did we get to this point in Seattle of all places? Residents don’t trust the council to address homelessness, nor do voters think the council is spending tax dollars appropriately. This sentiment makes sense. Tents are pitched all over Seattle and not being cleaned up. The site near the so-called “tent mansion” (recently equipped with a keg) had a delusional resident who attacked and tried to strangle a tourist. That camp has been outside of the Seattle Center for months and deemed a “low priority” for sweeps.

What does this mean? Councilmembers like Lisa Herbold, Lorena Gonzalez, and Mike O’Brien — three faces of the head tax — are deeply susceptible to challengers. Remember: these council members are still pretending you fell for Amazon-backed propaganda that got you to turn on the head tax. They think low of you. Apparently, that sentiment is reciprocal.

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