‘Ineptitude does not mean it’s malfeasance’: Gee and Ursula say Seattle mayor recall effort was never going to work

The effort to recall Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson hit a wall this week, but the couple behind it said they’re not done.

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, shared why neither of them thinks the recall ever had a chance, even as both acknowledged frustration with the mayor’s performance.

Melinda Jacobson and her husband Dale Osterud withdrew their recall petition in King County Superior Court on Thursday, just days before Judge Patrick Oishi was set to decide whether it could move forward. Jacobson told the judge she had found “additional information that needs to be investigated” and had struggled to find an attorney willing to take the case until the night before.

Wilson’s attorney Dmitri Iglitzin called the petition “entirely frivolous” and said it has “imposed substantial costs” on multiple government agencies.

“Y’all got me agreeing with the mayor’s office right now,” Gee said. “Look, if you don’t like someone or you don’t like the decisions that they’re making and all those things, I personally don’t believe that is worth a recall. Now, you could disagree with decisions that — I disagree with some decisions that this mayor’s office has made. I never thought that that whole thing was going to have teeth in the first place.”

Gee said he disagrees with some of Wilson’s decisions, but that disagreement alone does not justify a recall.

“If you guys in the Seattle area, in a couple of years, you feel like this mayor wasn’t your cup of tea, then go to the vote and vote accordingly,” Gee said. “But until then, a recall based on what you don’t like and decisions and stuff like that, I don’t think that what Katie Wilson has done warrants a recall.”

‘This couple needs to give this up’

Ursula pointed out the legal reality was always stacked against the petition. Washington has a high bar for removing an elected official from office, requiring proof of malfeasance, misfeasance, or a violation of the oath of office.

“Not just bad judgment or unpopular decisions or poor leadership, which I would say, yes, the mayor has been flailing in this position so far,” Ursula said. “But ineptitude does not mean it’s malfeasance. This couple needs to give this up.”

Ursula believes the best outcome from the recall effort would be for Wilson and her team to hear the frustration and respond to it.

“I think the best thing that could happen right now is that the mayor and her team recognize how desperate and frustrated people are in this city right now for her to get it right, hear it clearly, and then move accordingly,” Ursula said.

She went further, saying she wouldn’t fault the mayor’s legal team for pursuing sanctions.

“I wouldn’t blame the mayor’s office for going after this couple for basically wasting time and wasting money,” Ursula said.

Wilson’s attorney warned in court that the mayor could seek sanctions if the couple returns with the same allegations.

Jacobson says ‘it’s not over’

Outside the courtroom, Jacobson was defiant.

“She’s had nothing but a series of rash decisions, and people are angry,” Jacobson said. “I may appear angry right now, but I represent a lot of citizens of Seattle, and this is not going to go unsaid. It’s not over.”

The petition had accused Wilson of failing to address public safety problems, pointed to the departure of former Police Chief Shon Barnes and challenged her decision to shut off some city surveillance cameras. Jacobson and Osterud filed the recall charges with King County Elections on Aug. 11.

But the effort faced long odds from the start. The last successful mayoral recall in Seattle was in 1931.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.