‘We treat them like the enemy’: Angela Poe Russell says Seattle is failing its businesses

Seattle’s most valuable skyscrapers have lost $3.7 billion in value since 2022, and KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell believes Seattle’s attitude toward businesses is to blame.

Asked whether Seattle’s vacant buildings stem from a city problem or a broader shift in how people work, Angela leaned toward Seattle.

“In this case, I think it’s both. But I’m going to lean, if I have to tip it one direction, I’m going to say it’s a Seattle problem,” Angela said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “And I’ll say it’s a Seattle problem because we are not showing businesses that they are valued, that we want them here, that we want to be partners with them. We have to create an energy and an environment of partnership. And instead, it’s felt like we treat them like the enemy.”

Angela’s fix for Seattle: Clean up drugs, cut permit times, and meet with business leaders

KIRO host Spike O’Neill said while Angela’s points are valid, how would she run a city without a Seattle Business and Occupation (B&O) tax? Angela named several ideas, such as cleaning up the city’s overt drug use, meeting face to face with business owners, and cultivating a new mindset around business.

“Let’s not have our patrons go to Benaroya Hall and have to walk through a gauntlet of druggies. That’s number one. How about we not take a year for permits? How about we get together and meet with company executives and say, ‘What can we do to keep you here? What’s getting in the way of you having a good business? How can you help us with our issues? What can we do for you?'” she said. “I’m telling you, if you talk to many of these leaders, they have not felt like they are valued in the city.”

Approximately a third of downtown commercial space remains vacant, according to data from the King County Assessor. Angela called on city leaders to work harder to make business owners feel valued to fill those vacancies.

“Everyone should feel valued,” she said.

Spike agreed that yes, crime, pollution, homelessness, and drug addiction are all factors that need to be addressed, but noted the city is still feeling the effects of the pandemic.

“How we do business has changed. People work more remotely,” he said. “I think a third of all people, all jobs in the country that are possible to do so, still work in some form of a hybrid or remote work environment. That means there are fewer people needed in an office space. I think it’s a national trend that office space is on the decline.”

He added that companies like Meta and Amazon are investing in AI, meaning even fewer workers are needed to fill office spaces.

‘We need each other’: Angela urges leaders to unite with community on ‘millionaire tax’

Angela pointed to the “millionaire tax” currently waiting for a signature on Governor Bob Ferguson’s desk as something government officials could have gone about differently.

“We had CEOs coming out and saying, ‘Hey, this is bad for employees.’ Why is he having to do that? It would seem to me, if I’m a lawmaker and I want to have this kind of proposal, I would get leaders from various communities, and get us together and work out an agreement that everyone might be on board with,” she said. “Have a negotiation so that when you come to the table with a proposal, the business community is behind it, you have folks who maybe have homeless shelters, they have a voice in it, and then you’re not splitting up the community and people feeling like they aren’t supported. Because whether you like it or not, we need each other.”

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.