Gee & Ursula: Durkan never recovered from CHOP ‘Summer of love’ remark

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced today that she’s not going to be running for another term. In a video statement, she noted she’d like to focus on the economic recovery and stopping the spread of the virus instead spending her last year as mayor campaigning. Gee and Ursula weren’t entirely surprised by the announcement, considering what transpired this year.

“COVID attacks underlying issues. This is one of them. And it’s been an issue here in the city of Seattle, and I think over the last few months, I think the mayor has not done a good job at all. Correct me if I’m wrong, but where’s our police chief? Carmen Best is not here anymore. What happened down there with ‘the summer of love?’ What happened down there with CHOP?,” Gee asked.

“You know what? This was good. I’m glad she’s not running for reelection,” he added.

Ursula also doesn’t believe that Durkan ever recovered from her “summer of love” comment, and while she believes some credit is deserved, a poor communication style didn’t help anything.

Jenny Durkan announces she won’t seek a second term as Seattle mayor

“I’m going to say that I’m not surprised. And I think a few months ago I said that the summer of love comment — that was what did her in. There was just no way that she was going to recover from that. I will say that she doesn’t get credit for what she does, and I think so much of her problem is a poor style of communication and not being able to get out the word [about] what she has done,” Ursula said.

That said, Ursula sees Durkan as a moderating voice and is concerned for what may replace that.

“She has been a moderating voice — even though many people don’t see it that way — because so many people think that Seattle has lost its way, and I think a lot of that is the city council,” she said. “So beware what you wish for, because now who’s going to take the place of Jenny Durkan?”

Listen to the Gee and Ursula Show weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.