‘Looks like a hostage video’: Jake breaks down Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s progressive efficiency pitch

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson released a roughly 100-second video on social media arguing that “effective government is a progressive value,” pointing to voter support for preschool, transit, libraries, and free college programs.

“The right talks a lot about efficiency and fiscal responsibility, but for decades that’s been code for something else: starving services, cutting safety net programs, and defunding what works,” Wilson said in the video.

She additionally issued an executive order to streamline permitting, modernize city technology, and improve how departments track grants.

KIRO host Jake Skorheim broke down the video on “The Jake and Spike Show” with guest host Greg Tomlin.

“She’s trying to reclaim that language,” Tomlin said. “It’s actually the right who are trying to defund essential services, and let’s put that bad moniker on them. It’s an interesting play on words that she’s trying to reclaim here, but I don’t think it’s going to have the effect she intends in the long term.”

Tomlin said Wilson’s use of the word “defunding” stood out to him as a deliberate reframing, given how the phrase “defund the police” damaged Democrats in past election cycles nationally.

The video’s production and editing, including shots of Wilson sitting on steps and speaking directly to camera in short cuts, felt similar to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s viral social media approach, according to Jake, who argued Wilson doesn’t have the same on-camera presence.

“Katie Wilson is not Zohran Mamdani. He has actual presence on camera,” Jake said. “Every one of her videos looks like a hostage video. She’s staring up, she’s reading words behind the screen.”

Tomlin prefers a more formal visual distinction between elected officials and everyday people, rather than the increasingly casual style of political messaging on platforms like TikTok.

“I don’t like the trend, the TikTokification of our politicians,” Tomlin said. “I want gravitas, to feel buttoned up, and like we’re taking the health and well-being of the city seriously.”

In the video, Wilson pointed to Seattle voters repeatedly approving funding for public programs as evidence that residents want effective government, not smaller government.

“Seattle voters have answered that argument clearly and repeatedly, voting to fund preschool, transit, libraries, free college,” Wilson said in the video.

But Jake had an issue with the transit example, citing Sound Transit’s cost growth on its ST3 light rail expansion, which voters approved in 2016 at an estimated $54 billion and which Sound Transit’s own updated projections now put tens of billions of dollars higher.

“When you sold me on $53 billion for ST3, but now you’re telling me it’s going to be $200 billion, that doesn’t make me a conservative,” Skorheim said. “That makes me go, well, that’s too much money. You’re giving somebody too much money if they can just up the budget by four times and say that that’s good governance, because it’s not.”

Wilson’s streamlined executive order

Wilson used the video to announce an executive order to improve city operations, including permitting timelines, technology systems, and how the city tracks grants across departments.

“We are streamlining how projects are built, so construction isn’t delayed for years,” Wilson said in the video. “We’re modernizing our technology and financial systems so we stop leaving money on the table.”

That section of the video was the one portion of her message Tomlin said he can largely support, while remaining skeptical of the outcome.

“If some form of accountability results from this, I’m all for it,” Tomlin said. “But I don’t want to descend into cynicism here; I’m skeptical that that’ll be the outcome.”

Tomlin noted the video didn’t address Seattle’s current fiscal picture. The city is projecting a $175 million budget deficit for 2027 and a cumulative shortfall of roughly $488 million over the following three years.

“What I didn’t hear a lot of in this video was any recognition that the city is currently projecting approximately $175 million shortfall for 2027, and $488 million cumulative shortfall over the next three years,” Tomlin said. “How does she plan to address that budget gap? I think we’re going to learn that this week.”

Jake expected Wilson’s answer to include new revenue proposals, not just spending cuts.

“She’s going to be calling for more additional revenue,” Jake added.

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