KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘Does Katie Wilson finish her term?’: Curley polls the room after Starbucks, Starlink controversies

May 23, 2026, 5:00 AM

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson backtracked on some of her comments regarding Starbucks and her decision to boycott the Seattle-based company, which is leaving a rotten taste in the mouths of her supporters.

On top of the Starbucks comments, Wilson’s supporters are also displeased after a recent report surfaced that she tapped Elon Musk-backed Starlink for a $100,000 contract to provide backup internet during the FIFA World Cup.

Starbucks backtrack, $100K Starlink contract draw fire from supporters

In light of the developing dilemma within Wilson’s ever-changing stance on working with some of the world’s largest companies, KIRO host John Curley questioned whether she can survive an impeachment in her first term.

“Do the people of Seattle think Mayor Katie Wilson will finish her term? Does she make it all the way through?” Curley asked on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

“Yes, I say she makes it bumper to bumper,” KIRO traffic reporter Nate Connors replied. “Katie Wilson makes it four years.”

“Joe, what say you?” Curley asked.

“Yeah, I think she does. Honestly, a lot of things that people are mad about her are just things that she says,” KIRO producer Joe Wallace responded. “The Starlink contract, that’s at least actually something she did. Most everybody else is mad at her for the ‘tax the rich’ stuff, which she didn’t have anything to do with. She just says she wants to do it. She has almost zero policies in place so far.”

From Trump’s policies to Wilson’s pledges: Curley reflects on broken political promises

Curley ran through a list of promises politicians have made and broken, tying it to how Wilson has handled the early stages of her time as Seattle mayor.

“How often does a candidate say they’re going to do something and then go into office and actually do it?” Curley asked. “Donald Trump did it with immigration, good for him, A+ on that. Not getting the U.S. involved in endless wars? F. Making things more affordable? F. First of all, I don’t know how anybody could do something like that. Taxing or tariffing us to prosperity? Yeah, that didn’t work either.

“They promise, and never deliver. And people are fooled constantly by the con artist, the suave, slick salesman who can come along, and that’s what people vote for,” he continued. “I think it was either Socrates or Plato, said, ‘We can’t have people vote. You want to see a crappy government? Let people vote.’ H. L. Mencken said, ‘The greatest argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with a common man.’ I’m not saying you should pass a test to vote, but you have to have an educated populace to have a government that works.”

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.

John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for The John Curley Show.

John Curley

KIRO Newsradio Opinion

Amazon bezos WA...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘A profound benefit to Washington’: Jake pushes back as Spike questions Amazon’s overall impact on the state

Jake champions Amazon's benefits to Washington's economy amid Spike's concerns about the company's state presence.

3 hours ago

tacoma speeding tickets...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘Traffic roulette’: Gee backs random ticket selection as Tacoma cameras catch nearly 400K speeders in 1 month

Two new speed cameras in Northeast Tacoma caught so many speeders that the company running them couldn't afford to process all the tickets.

9 hours ago

WA Ballot box...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Washington ballots are on kitchen tables. Here are five things I’m watching as they come back

By now, your ballot should be sitting on your kitchen table. As ballots start coming back, here's what I'm keeping an eye on.

11 hours ago

seattle restaurant rising cost...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘They’ve had to make choices’: Gee and Ursula discuss restaurant cutbacks as Hawaii General Store plans to close

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin explore how Seattle's rising costs affect restaurant choices and customer visits.

2 days ago

wa income tax ken jennings...

John Curley Show

‘You did a great job reading the script’: Curley takes aim at Ken Jennings’ arguments against repealing WA’s income tax

John Curley critiques Ken Jennings' ad against Initiative 645 on WA's income tax, highlighting key arguments for voters.

2 days ago

landlord damage charges...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘There are some bogus landlords out here’: Gee recalls rental dispute as Tacoma tenant sues over $10,000 damage bill

A Tacoma woman claims retaliation after receiving a hefty damage bill for asserting her tenant rights against her former landlord.

2 days ago

‘Does Katie Wilson finish her term?’: Curley polls the room after Starbucks, Starlink controversies