Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson kept a blank expression when pressed over the now-collapsed campaign to remove her from office.
The 44-year-old Democrat secured a legal win this week after organizers behind a recall push pulled their petition from King County Elections in Washington. The filing had accused Wilson of “malfeasance” and claimed she violated her oath of office.
Wilson was later questioned about the failed Seattle mayor recall effort on Saturday by Jonathan Choe, a senior journalism fellow at the Discovery Institute.
The tense exchange began politely, with Choe asking the mayor how she was doing. Wilson responded warmly: “I’m doing great, Jonathan.”
But the tone shifted once Choe brought up the recall petition. At that point, Wilson stopped answering his questions.
‘Mayor, I was just going to say congrats on surviving the recall attempt,’ Choe began. ‘What have you learned from this process and what are you going to do differently as mayor?’
When Wilson then continued walking silently with her head down, Choe decided to reframe his question.
‘Are there any lessons you learned from this recall process?’ he asked.
Still, Wilson continued walking away silently as she playfully swung her child around.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson scored a legal victory this week when the organizers of a recall effort withdrew their petition
The now-defunct recall petition cited the mayor’s inadequate handling of the Bite of Seattle shooting last month in which three people were killed
In the now-defunct recall petition, Melinda Jacobson and her husband, Dale Osterud, cited the mayor’s inadequate handling of the Bite of Seattle shooting last month that saw three gunned down at a food festival.
They also addressed the persistent crime rate in the downtown area of Aurora Avenue and Chinatown International District and questioned Wilson’s decision to turn off CCTV cameras after the World Cup.
But the couple missed a filing deadline last Wednesday, only to show up in court the next day saying they were out of town due to family matters.
Judge Patrick Oishi, who was assigned to the case, then said their behavior was ‘absolutely inappropriate,’ according to the Seattle Times.
He said he had been in the dark about their arrival as he struggled to figure out what was going on as Wilson’s attorneys, Dmitri Iglitzin and Abby Lawlor, blasted the charges as ‘frivolous.’
Yet Jacobson doubled down – claiming she had found new information related to the charges and wanted to investigate further.
She did not describe what the new details were. Instead, she explained that she retained a lawyer to help restart the process and did not reveal their identity.
Jacobson said she had contacted multiple lawyers to take her case but that ‘too many attorneys in this city don’t want to handle a political situation.’
When the couple then requested to rescind their petition, Judge Oishi signed the order without prejudice.
Wilson’s lawyers have also warned that the mayor could seek sanctions against Jacobson if the recall petition is restarted
If the couple now seeks to restart the recall petition, they would need nearly 70,000 verified signatures from other supporters.
But Wilson’s lawyers have also warned that the mayor could seek sanctions against Jacobson if the recall petition is restarted.
Outside of the courthouse on Thursday, Jacobson defended her actions.
‘She’s had nothing but a series of rash decisions and people are angry,’ she said of the mayor, according to KIRO.
‘I may appear angry right now but I represent a lot of citizens of Seattle, and this is not going to go unsaid. It’s not over.’
Wilson has become increasingly unpopular in liberal Seattle after she mocked wealthy entrepreneurs who announced plans to move out of the city over a new wealth tax and called for a boycott of Starbucks, which was founded there in 1971 and remains headquartered there.
Wilson has since sought to backtrack after multiple CEOs blasted her policies and said they were leaving, with Starbucks gradually shifting staff to its Nashville offices, amid growing rumors it will ultimately quit its home city altogether.