‘They think she’s bad at her job’: Jake and Spike analyze recall charges filed against Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson

Recall charges have been filed against Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, King County Elections Communications Manager Halei Watkins confirmed to KIRO Newsradio. However, Watkins noted most recall efforts don’t make it past the legal steps to the petition phase.

KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill analyzed the recall charges, which accuse Wilson of dereliction of duty.

“They just straight think she’s bad at her job,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Spike noted it would require 70,000 signatures to get on the ballot for a recall measure. He also pointed out the charges don’t accuse Wilson of committing any crimes.

“The real problem with this is, it doesn’t allege that the mayor committed any crimes or any improper behavior,” he said. “It’s just that the couple who filed the recall petition-a husband and wife, Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud, they allege that the mayor has just — they got nothing against her personally — she’s just in way above her head, to quote them directly.”

Watkins said the last time a recall effort was successful in King County was in 2018, when Black Diamond Councilmember Patricia Pepper was recalled in the February 13, 2018 special election. The last time a Seattle mayoral recall made it to the ballot was 1975 with Mayor Wes Uhlman, who won the recall election and retained his seat.

Next steps in effort to recall Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson

In Wilson’s case, the recall charges will undergo a technical review by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO), according to Watkins. If the recall effort meets the technical requirements, KCPAO will write a ballot synopsis and file it with the Superior Court, where a judge will decide if the charges meet the bar of mal/misfeasance or a violation of the oath of office.

If the recall makes it through both of those steps, proponents would have 180 days to gather signatures to qualify a recall election for the ballot.

“It’s tough to get people to sign things,” Jake said. “It costs money. That’s why Let’s Go Washington — it costs millions of dollars to get stuff on the ballot. So to get people to actually go out and stand in front of a place and get a signature to collect 70,000 signatures of Seattleites. Yeah, I think that’d be tough. I think it’d be real tough.”

“I think they’d be easy,” Spike pushed back. “I think this mayor is historically unpopular.”

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