KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘She’s about to be in charge of $9 billion’: Jake questions if Katie Wilson is prepared to be mayor

Nov 4, 2025, 6:40 PM | Updated: 7:08 pm

With election results just hours away and a competitive Seattle mayoral race between incumbent Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson, KIRO host Jake Skorheim questioned whether Wilson is prepared for the role.

“The thing that he has running against him is that he’s the establishment candidate. She’s like pie in the sky. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have everything that we want? Money is no object. That’s what she’s proposing,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

With less experience in politics than Harrell, Jake wondered if Wilson is fully ready to be mayor.

“She’s on the verge of winning the mayor of Seattle. She’s run a nonprofit, which I think total has paid out like, low six figures in the money it’s doled out to its employees, of which I think there were a couple, like, to the tune of maybe $140,000 lifetime or whatever the number was. She’s about to be in charge of $9 billion and 14,000 employees. Like, does she ever sit there with her husband at night while he’s baking bread and just go, ‘Hey, you know what? This is crazy,'” Jake said.

Jake also mentioned Wilson’s comment that she’s never been to the top of the Space Needle.

“I’ve never been to the top of the Space Needle. Is that gonna lose me the election?” Wilson joked in an interview.

“Would that be hilarious if it did lose her the election?” Jake quipped.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

KIRO Newsradio Opinion

ask ursula divorce...

Ursula Reutin

Ask Ursula: Amid a combative divorce, how do I handle a friend who’s in love with me?

Dear Ursula, I'm 58 and in the middle of a contentious divorce from a narcissistic doctor who stripped me of nearly everything.

1 hour ago

national radio day...

Charlie Harger

Harger: A community college radio station gave me a career, a newsroom full of colleagues, and a wife

I talk for a living, on a medium that talks about itself constantly, and I found out about National Radio Day after the show ended yesterday.

3 hours ago

camera...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘We kicked this can 7 more weeks down the unsafe city road’: Jake, Spike rip Mayor Wilson for delaying camera decision

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson resurfaced at a news conference, but her answers on surveillance cameras, left Jake and Spike unimpressed.

17 hours ago

seattle mayor junk fees rent recall approval wilson...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘You knew what you voted for’: Gee says don’t act shocked as Katie Wilson’s approval plunges amid recall effort

A new poll shows only one in three Seattle voters trust Mayor Wilson's safety plan as recall efforts intensify, and Gee Scott wonders why people are surprised.

17 hours ago

boeing netflix documentary...

John Curley Show

‘You failed if you weren’t safe’: KIRO hosts weigh in on Netflix doc alleging Boeing bypassed inspections

KIRO hosts analyze the Netflix documentary on Boeing's alleged inspection bypassing and its impact on safety culture.

23 hours ago

Photo: The exterior of a Seattle Public Schools building....

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘I’m tired of doing this every year’: Gee, Ursula sound off on Seattle teachers’ strike threat

Seattle educators voice frustrations over contract talks, warning of a potential strike if an agreement isn't reached soon.

23 hours ago

‘She’s about to be in charge of $9 billion’: Jake questions if Katie Wilson is prepared to be mayor