‘Do you know how long that process takes?’: KIRO hosts say Wilson’s response to plummeting poll numbers falls flat

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s favorability rating has plunged 20 points in four months, dropping from 56% to 37%, and when pressed on it this week, her answer left KIRO fill-in hosts Angela Poe Russell and Jim Dever unconvinced.

Asked about the sharp decline, Wilson acknowledged public safety is on voters’ minds but pointed to the upcoming search for a permanent police chief as a sign of action.

“I think there are a lot of concerns right now about public safety, which I understand,” Wilson said. “Public safety is an extremely high priority for my office. We’re just about to start a search for our new police chief, so I understand we’re in a moment of uncertainty in the city, where a lot of people are wanting to see action, and we are going to be providing that action.”

Russell believes the response missed the mark entirely.

“When we go from where we’re concerned about public safety to ‘we’re starting a police chief search,’ I was like, no, that does not … I mean, starting a search, do you know how long that process takes?” Russell said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Russell added that the decision to let go of former Police Chief Shon Barnes felt unnecessary and that the issues could have been handled differently.

“What happened with Chief Barnes could have been resolved with a talking-to and reset standards under this mayor versus what maybe was expected from the last mayor,” Russell said.

Kettle calls on Wilson to turn cameras back on after Pioneer Square shooting

The poll numbers landed alongside another round of pressure from Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle, chair of the Public Safety Committee, who called on Wilson to turn the city’s surveillance cameras back on after a shooting outside Cowgirls Inc. in Pioneer Square early Sunday, according to KIRO 7. No arrests have been made, and the shooting occurred near one of the city’s disabled cameras.

Wilson has said she is waiting for the results of a privacy and data security audit, expected by the end of September, before making a decision on camera expansion.

Wilson sidesteps recall question, won’t say if interim chief is a candidate

Wilson was also asked about the recall petition filed against her, which cleared procedural requirements and is headed to a King County Superior Court hearing. She declined to engage.

“That is a legal process that will be playing out,” Wilson said. “I’m focused on leading the city and on making it an affordable place for people to live.”

When pressed on whether Interim Chief Andre Sayles would be a candidate for the permanent position, Wilson offered no endorsement.

“Interim Chief Sayles is our interim police chief, and we are embarking on a search process, and I do not know yet whether Interim Chief Sayles will be applying for that position,” Wilson said.

Dever said the non-answer was telling.

“That certainly wasn’t a strong endorsement for the interim chief to be going for the full-time position,” Dever said.

KIRO producer: Wilson had plans to replace Barnes all along

KIRO producer Joe Wallace said a credible source inside City Hall told him the mayor had planned to find her own police chief from the beginning and had been looking for a convenient time to make the move.

“They kept putting it off,” Wallace said. “At one point, it was because of the World Cup. They were just kind of putting it off for a more convenient time, and then this gave them the perfect opportunity.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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