Seattle mayor chooses fine wine over homeless

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray had a choice: a night of complaints or a night of fine wine.

He chose the latter.

Last Wednesday, Murray skipped a public meeting in Ballard regarding a site on Market Street being prepared for a homeless camp, to attend the grand opening of a winery in Georgetown and a meeting at a synagogue. The parcel of land has been a point of contention, especially after a large power outage last week. Residents argue it’s not the right spot for a camp because of the other businesses nearby &#8212 a marijuana shop, bar, and liquor store.

Instead, Murray enjoyed an evening at the Jet City Winery, the Ballard News Tribune reports. A tweet by K Vintners at 6:31 p.m. shows Murray at the grand opening, a minute after the meeting began and about half an hour before public comment began at the homeless camp.

.@MayorEdMurray declared today Charles Smith Wines Jet City Day, in honor of our grand opening. pic.twitter.com/2YTwtyByWf

— K Vintners (@KVintners) August 13, 2015

Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim attended the meeting in Murray’s place. Murray never said he would attend the public meeting. The meeting was held to allow for public comment and for a presentation by the city.

Exactly what the mayor was doing during the meeting has been put into question by KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson. According to a Seattle Times story, the mayor was not at a winery, but a Capitol Hill synagogue to discuss his trip to Israel.

The mayor was at both, a city employee told the Dori Monson Show. However, exactly what Murray’s timeline was for the evening was not provided to the show.

The site is one of three being prepared for homeless camps in the city. The other two are proposed for Interbay and an industrial area on South Industrial Way.