Mayor Wilson: The public awaits your plans for reversing the city’s high crime rates
Mayor Wilson: The public awaits your plans for reversing the city’s high crime rates
Most new political leaders set the agenda for their administration in their initial weeks in office through major speeches and announcements. While Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s blog has numerous mentions of her desire to increase Seattle’s public housing projects, there are no mentions of what the mayor will do to reduce the city’s serious crime...
Could a City of Seattle audit find the same waste that was uncovered at King County?
Could a City of Seattle audit find the same waste that was uncovered at King County?
A recent King County audit found that millions of dollars were unaccounted for within its Community and Human Services Department (CHSD), which oversees programs intended to help those who are homeless. Recently, a Seattle city councilmember, recognizing that its Human Services Department (HSD) has many of the same vendors as CHSD, has called for a...
Why do World Cup visitors receive a cleaned up and safer version of Seattle?
Why do World Cup visitors receive a cleaned up and safer version of Seattle?
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is admittedly not a sports fan, yet the world’s largest soccer tournament will be her first major test. Specifically, the mayor’s evolving strategies on homelessness will be tested as 750,000 international visitors are expected in the region for the 2026 World Cup. Seattle will host six matches as the 2026 World...
Taxpayer-Funded “Drug Shacks” Inside Seattle Tiny Home Villages
Taxpayer-Funded “Drug Shacks” Inside Seattle Tiny Home Villages
New revelations regarding Seattle’s tiny home villages have raised concerns on how effective this program is in helping homeless individuals battle their addictions in order to return to a productive life. These questions arise as new Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has made tiny homes the centerpiece of her homelessness strategy. Last week We Heart Seattle’s...
‘Seattle is Dying’ came out seven years ago. Our leaders didn’t listen
‘Seattle is Dying’ came out seven years ago. Our leaders didn’t listen
On March 16, 2019, KOMO-TV broadcast the documentary Seattle is Dying, produced by reporter Eric Johnson. The 90-minute program presented a different view of Seattle’s growing homelessness and crime problems, which contrasted with statements from local political leaders. Through candid street interviews and survey responses from first responders, Johnson revealed that addiction and mental health...
Washington’s 2026 Session: Are We Getting What We’re Paying For?
Washington’s 2026 Session: Are We Getting What We’re Paying For?
A Tax Reversal That Raises Process Questions In 2024, the Washington State House of Representatives passed citizen’s initiative 2111 — an income tax ban — by a 76-21 vote. The Senate followed 38-11. Over 400,000 citizens had signed petitions to place the initiatives in front of the legislature. Yet, just two years later, the legislature...
Mayor Wilson announces her homelessness plan, then leaves out the back door
Mayor Wilson announces her homelessness plan, then leaves out the back door
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said of the city’s current homelessness strategy, “I don’t think that anyone can really argue that our overall approach to homelessness has been successful,” during her first State of the City speech in mid-February. Given this acknowledgement that the region’s Housing First homelessness strategy has failed, it is surprising that last...
From the Worst to Even Worse: Washington’s Police Hiring Crisis Continues
From the Worst to Even Worse: Washington’s Police Hiring Crisis Continues
For the past few years, Washington State has been ranked the worst state in the country for hiring police officers — and now things have become even worse. The Washington Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs (WAPCS) released its annual report on police staffing levels in mid‑February, and once again, Washington State ranks at the...
The Issues Mayor Wilson Chose Not to Address
The Issues Mayor Wilson Chose Not to Address
On February 17, Mayor Wilson gave her first major speech since defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell in last November’s elections. From the moment she stepped on the stage at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, it was evident Wilson’s inexperienced team had failed to perform basic advance work as the new mayor had technical issues with...
State Income Tax Would Cause More Empty Office Spaces in Seattle
State Income Tax Would Cause More Empty Office Spaces in Seattle
Seattle investor Charles Fitzgerald believes his hometown is on the verge of becoming a modern Cleveland, the city symbolic of the post-industrial Rust Belt era during the 1970s and 1980s. A similar urban decay could happen in the Puget Sound region if a new income tax is passed by the Washington Legislature. That bill (SB...
Stop funding failed homeless policies and instead fund efforts that help people
Stop funding failed homeless policies and instead fund efforts that help people
A leading homeless advocate is encouraging Seattle’s political leadership to abandon failed homelessness and drug policies and instead increase access to treatment-based methods to help those suffering on our streets. Let’s hope that new Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and new King County Executive Girmay Zahilay are paying attention to what is and what is not...
More Spending, Less Oversight: Washington’s Growing Accountability Problem
More Spending, Less Oversight: Washington’s Growing Accountability Problem
Washington taxpayers have been told for years that rising taxes and ever-larger budgets are necessary to solve urgent problems like homelessness, housing availability, crime, taxes, education, etc.) But spending has exploded as those problems are all worsening, and serious questions about how money is actually being used have gone unanswered. Instead of immediate, independent investigations...
Bill would impose Seattle-style encampments onto every Washington community
Bill would impose Seattle-style encampments onto every Washington community
New legislation authored by seven-term State Representative Mia Gregerson (D – Sea-Tac), would prohibit local governments from enforcing their anti-camping and loitering laws unless they navigate a series of nearly impossible state requirements. It would effectively return cities to the frustrating period before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Grants Pass v Johnson in June...
Seattle’s Grocery Crisis Was Created by City Policy. The Fix Isn’t Government-Run Stores
Seattle’s Grocery Crisis Was Created by City Policy. The Fix Isn’t Government-Run Stores
Government policies and actions (or inactions) are placing burdens on Seattle’s big and small businesses. These struggling employers face: More taxes and regulations which neighboring cities and states do not face Public safety concerns which keep customers from visiting their neighborhoods A continuing retail theft problem with a revolving door justice system which immediately releases...
