City Hall battle over Seattle police reforms grows

There appears to be a major division in Seattle City Hall between the mayor, the city attorney and key council members over the selection of an independent monitor who will oversee reforms in the police department.

The rift between the offices in city hall spilled into public Wednesday when Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said he would not consider one of the top people for the job Merrick Bobb. The mayor doesn’t think Bobb can be impartial because a person in his consulting firm helped write the Department of Justice report outlining abuse in SPD.

“If Merrick Bobb has particular skills or talents, he might be a suitable part of the team,” Mayor McGinn said. “But we have been opposed to him as the monitor because of his concerns of his links to the person who wrote the report which casts into doubt his ability to be impartial or being viewed as an impartial and independent monitor.”

The city attorney and four council members then released a statement saying the mayor’s opposition is undermining the selection process and creating confusion, doubt and mistrust in the process.

They all believe Bobb is the best person for the job.

“The Mayor’s statements undermine the candidate selection process and are factually wrong,” wrote Councilmembers Sally Clark, Bruce Harrell, Tim Burgess and Nick Licata, along with City Attorney Pete Holmes.

“Merrick Bobb is one of our country’s preeminent police reform experts. His reputation is unblemished. His experience with police practices, accountability and rebuilding public trust and confidence in the police is extensive and highly appropriate for Seattle.”

The group says while it values the input of the mayor and SPD brass, “the leadership of the police department should have veto authority over this selection.”

The city and the Department of Justice have until next week to present their selection to a federal judge.