Judge denies Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s appeal in recall effort
Oct 12, 2020, 6:48 PM | Updated: Oct 13, 2020, 9:18 am
Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant. (Seattle Channel)
(Seattle Channel)
A King County Judge on Monday denied Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s effort to stop a recall effort from moving forward.
Washington State Supreme Court throws out Mayor Durkan recall petition
King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers rejected Sawant’s appeal and found four of the six charges to be sufficient enough to move forward in the recall process.
The four complaints that rise to the level of malfeasance:
- She intentionally delegated an employment decision to an outside group and admitted doing so.
- She intentionally spent City money for the Tax Amazon Initiative and didn’t comply with disclosure procedures.
- She violated city and state law by using resources to allow protesters into City Hall while it was locked down for COVID-19 protocol.
- She led a march to Mayor Durkan’s home despite knowing it was legally protected due to death threats.
Judge Rogers had already dismissed two charges, which claimed Sawant encouraged the occupation of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct and that she helped create the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).
The ruling means the recall effort, brought by liberal Capitol Hill resident Ernie Lou, can move forward.
If the state Supreme Court confirms the lower court ruling, Lou would have to collect just over 10,700 certified paper signatures from registered voters, a number that would constitute 25% of total votes cast in the last District 3 election.
That would then trigger a simple “yes” or “no” recall vote, which would have to take place on a previously scheduled election date. If Lou gathers enough signatures in time, the earliest possible date for a recall vote would be a special election on Feb. 9, 2021.
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