A new survey of Seattle registered voters finds there is more optimism about public safety since extremists no longer control the city government. Residents also believe city hall needs to do more to help struggling employers  to return businesses and their workers back downtown.

At the end of April, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released its latest Index Survey of 700 Seattle voters. This is the eighth Index of issues impacting the city the Chamber has conducted since the summer of 2021. A few of the key findings from the April survey are:

• Voters’ concerns over public safety dropped 10% since last fall.
• 48% believe the city has made meaningful improvements to address public safety and that 40% believe the Seattle Police Department has made progress in closing down the open-air-drug markets downtown.
• A 20% increase (to 85%) in those who feel safe visiting Downtown Seattle during the day and 15% increase (to 45%) when it gets dark since the first survey in October 2021.
• 81% believe the city should lower the cost of starting and running a business in Seattle.

These results are the latest repudiation of the radical policies that dominated Seattle government for nearly a decade when such extremists as Kshama Sawant, Lisa Hebold, and Andrew Lewis controlled the city council and Pete Holmes ran the city attorney’s office.

When violent rioters took over portions of Seattle in 2020, these elected officials caved in to their radical anti-police demands by defunding the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and refusing to prosecute repeat criminals who continually caused difficulties for downtown merchants.

Hundreds of well-trained Seattle police officers left for other departments due to lack of support from elected leaders. While similar-sized cities in the U.S. have over 1,600 officers, SPD had less than 900 after the mass exodus. This staffing shortage prevented officers from responding to calls and conducting investigation (even on sexual assaults), leading criminals to view Seattle as a safe haven for their illegal activities.

Skyrocketing crime rates, growing homeless encampments, and severe COVID restrictions, forced many downtown retailers to board-up their windows. Even when restrictions were finally lifted in July 2021, public safety issues kept many employers from returning to their downtown office spaces.

The results were devastating with a record-breaking 33% downtown office vacancy rate and the seemingly constant news of more downtown retailers closing their doors.

The depressed Downtown Seattle real-estate market is forcing all King County home owners to pay higher taxes due to the revenue loss from commercial property taxes. (Homeowners went from paying approximately 65% of total property tax revenues in 2020  to now paying over 83%).

Since most of Seattle’s more radical elected officials were either defeated at the polls or retired to avoid defending their failed policies in a reelection campaign, more practical individuals now hold these positions. Nearly all these newly elected officials ran on a platform of being more supportive of police and restoring downtown by ending city hall’s constant higher taxes and regulations on employers.

This pragmatic approach has brought a reduction in crime rates as the mass exodus of officers appears to have ended, and more police recruits are considering careers with the Seattle Police Department due to a more supportive city hall.

While Seattle still has a long ways to go to clean up the messes created by Sawant, Herbold, Lewis, Holmes, and the rest of the extremists, the latest Index survey reveals the moderate approach is working and there is strong public support to continue to find moderate solutions to public safety problems and also to help revitalize Downtown Seattle by supporting businesses.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that radical progressive policies have resulted in disastrous results in Seattle, the activists keep pushing their extreme agenda. Thus, it is important for city leaders to know citizens appreciate their efforts to legislate commonsense solutions.

Please take the time to let Seattle’s elected leaders know that you support their practical approach that is making the city safer and is our best hope to return jobs back to Downtown by sending them a quick email.