Text shows Councilmember Gonzalez insulting ‘privileged’ Seattle voters behind their backs

Seattle Councilmember Lorena González really doesn’t like it when voters disagree with her on policy issues. Indeed, in a text message exchange between her and her staff, Gonzalez insults Seattle voters — tough words when she thinks no one will find out.

Thanks to a public disclosure request by The Seattle Times, we now can see text messages between key players debating Seattle’s failed, job-killing head tax. González was key proponent of the tax, which was deeply unpopular.

“It breaks my heart that more homeless people will die before the privileged voter is ready to act,” González texted her legislative aide Cody Reiter. “It’s nauseating actually.”

Privileged voter? She’s a sitting council member making a six-figure, tax-payer funded salary complaining about us privileged simpletons who just can’t see things the way she does. If only we weren’t so heartless we’d be willing to throw even more money away on projects she proposes, even when they don’t deliver results. We’re so sorry that we, the people you work for, are getting in the way of your fiefdom. How many homeless people died under your watch, by the way?

Her constituents aren’t the only ones Gonzalez went after. She also tried to use the mayor to mitigate some of the heat she was receiving. According to the texts detailed in the Times:

“I’m gonna be on the mayors staff like crazy because they might scoop council on the repeal,” Reiter texted. “Her (Durkan’s) favorables are much better than council and I imagine she’s feeling emboldened.”

“As she should,” González texted. “Because she is.”

“She’s still in honeymoon period,” Reiter responded. “Not long before the [expletive] will be all over her face too.”

“And we should allow for that to happen rather than attempting to own it,” González texted. “It’s time for us to swallow our medicine. ‘We’ [expletive] this up. Royally.”

Gonzalez admits to screwing this up royally, but it’s good to know this typical politician will use the mayor to deflect some of the “expletive” from her own epic failures. The mayor’s not to blame for the head tax. It lies on the shoulders of the council.

While some council members have publicly pretended it was unpopular due to some mass right-wing propaganda conspiracy, most seem to agree demonizing the area’s most positive influence on the city is a bad move. A shrewd politician may have figured it out a little quicker than González.

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