‘Let’s call it what it is’: Seattle public safety chair demands mayor explain why she removed police chief

Seattle’s public safety committee chair is turning up the heat on Mayor Katie Wilson.

City Councilmember Bob Kettle said the mayor still hasn’t explained why she forced then-Police Chief Shon Barnes out after the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting, even though he said the city charter requires it.

“Despite our requested deadline of Aug. 28, nearly a month after the forced resignation of Police Chief Shon Barnes, the Council has not received a response – written or verbal – to my letter to the mayor asking for a written explanation on the reasoning for his removal,” Kettle said in a statement Tuesday. “The applicable section – Article VI, section 2 – of the City Charter on the topic provides clear guidance: ‘The Mayor may remove the Chief of Police upon filing a statement of his or her reasons for so doing with the City Council.'”

‘I asked him to resign’: Kettle points to Wilson’s own words as proof of forced removal

Wilson’s office has argued that because Barnes technically resigned, no explanation is owed. Kettle said the mayor forced Barnes out, and the public deserves to know why.

“It is clear Mayor Wilson removed Shon Barnes as Chief of Police in her actions and in her words, including at the end of a press conference appointing Andre Sayles as Interim SPD Chief when Mayor Wilson quite clearly stated, ‘I asked him to resign,'” Kettle stated. “This conduct makes the strong case that this was a forced resignation. So, let’s call it what it is – Mayor Wilson removed the Chief of Police.”

Kettle calls police chief removal ‘hasty,’ says separation agreement can’t shield mayor from obligations

Kettle said he spoke with Barnes about his status at different points in the year but not during or after the negotiated terms of the resignation and separation agreement. Separately, he said he received a call on July 29 and spoke with the mayor’s office about the decision to call for Barnes’ resignation and the selection of an interim chief.

“Ultimately, the removal of the Chief of Police was not a deliberative process but rather a hasty one,” Kettle stated. “The result being favorable terms of the agreement in the end for Shon Barnes, which he agreed to, but this agreement cannot be used to avoid the mayor’s duty and obligations under the City Charter. The agreement cannot be used to sidestep concerns such as legal risk or to mask her reasons for doing so, and the impacts this will have on the police department and our community safety posture.”

Kettle ended his statement by calling on Wilson to uphold her oath and file a statement with the city council outlining the reasons why she removed Barnes.

Contributing: Aaron Granillo, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest