Rantz: Police union VP slams Lisa Herbold’s ‘bewildering lack of awareness’ on Seattle safety

It’s not been a good few weeks for embattled incumbent Seattle city councilwoman Lisa Herbold. And it’s not looking better as we hit the end of the election. After she claimed she’s an ally of Seattle police, the VP of the officer’s union is calling her out for a “bewildering lack of awareness” on public safety for her legislation around the Navigation Team.

On Tucker Carlson Tonight, I noted that Herbold and Socialist City Councilmember Kshama Sawant are pushing separate proposals that would cut funds to the city’s Navigation Team, a specialized group of police officers and social workers helping get homeless people off the streets, while cleaning up the dangerous encampments.

Seattle City Councilmembers Kshama Sawant & Lisa Herbold want to gut the Navigation Team, a specialized group of police officers and social workers who connect the homeless with shelter and other resources. This move will not just hurt some homeless — it will kill them. pic.twitter.com/1Q1AI3Hxkh

— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 23, 2019

When Carlson asked me what their motives were, I said it was driven, in part, by their anti-cop sentiment.

“This program, the Navigation Team, operates within the Seattle Police Department, meaning they have cops on board,” I said. “These are two council members, in Kshama Sawant and Lisa Herbold, that do not like cops.”

Herbold proposed attaching a proviso to the Navigation Team budget; if they don’t handle her busy work (which is already aimed at slowing down encampment cleanups), the council can cut funding every quarter. She had previously attempted to cut staff to the Navigation Team, then falsely claimed she didn’t.

Coalition of 100 West Seattle businesses rise in opposition to Lisa Herbold

Herbold invited me to correct the record after my FOX appearance, seeking to distance herself from Sawant (though they vote in alignment most of the time on various issues).

“I voted for the 2019 Seattle Police Guild contract; and in doing so helped to make SPD officers the highest paid in the state, and authorized $40 million in back pay. Councilmember Sawant did not,” Herbold said in a statement to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

If she’s hoping this will earn her some goodwill with Seattle cops, she’ll have to think again. They’re taking the budget threat seriously

“SPOG [Seattle Police Officer Guild] members that comprise the NAV team are fantastic public safety professionals who play a critical role in helping solve this region’s homeless crisis,” SPOG VP Officer Mike Solan tells the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “These proud police officers are direct link to much needed social services for people in need. Whether it’s offering mental health/drug dependency aid or assisting in finding temporary housing, the NAV team’s actions show our entire Seattle community that SPOG members care and we stand with Seattle. Any inference of removing/decreasing the NAV team’s funding by any city of Seattle elected official illustrates just how profoundly out of touch some of our elected officials truly are with this crisis.”

Herbold attended a SPOG forum on policing, along with her opponent Phil Tavel. And while Solan says SPOG appreciates her attendance and yes vote on the current contract, “…her public safety decisions reflect such a bewildering lack of awareness on the public safety issues that are impacting all of us that we could not support her re-election bid.”

Indeed, constituents angry over out-of-control homelessness and illegally parked, derelict RV can honestly point their fingers at Herbold for permissive policy that stops cops from effectively addressing the problem. Perhaps she doesn’t realize what it’s like dealing with homelessness in her district. When an RV was parked in front of her home, Herbold personally reached out to SPD Chief Carmen Best for help. Best didn’t extend to Herbold the special privileges she may have hoped for.

SPOG ended up endorsing Tavel, an announcement made shortly after a group of 100+ small and independent businesses also came out against Herbold. They were particularly irked by her frivolous attacks on Tavel, criticizing financial mismanagement for a tax lien against a company he didn’t own. While she called him out, Jason Rantz Show on KTTH exclusively reported Herbold and her husband personally owed over $32,000 to the IRS.

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