Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson avoided a recall — for now — after the petitioners asked a judge to withdraw their petition Thursday, just days before the case was set to be heard.
The self-described democratic socialist had faced a recall challenge over her handling of public safety.
Seattle residents Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud filed the initial recall paperwork with King County Elections on Aug. 11, accusing Wilson of misfeasance, malfeasance and violating her oath of office.
Their petition cited five allegations: public-safety concerns in the North Aurora neighborhood, drug activity in the Chinatown International District, crime and drug use in Belltown and along Third Avenue, Ms. Wilson’s use of surveillance cameras and the departure of Police Chief Shon Barnes following the Bite of Seattle shooting.
King County Elections referred the filing to the county prosecutor’s office for review, and prosecutors asked the court to determine whether the allegations met Washington’s legal threshold for recall. Judge Patrick Oishi was assigned the case, with a sufficiency hearing originally scheduled for Aug. 31.
Instead, Ms. Jacobson told the judge Thursday that she and Mr. Osterud had received new information requiring further investigation and asked for an immediate withdrawal so they could coordinate with newly retained legal counsel.
Judge Oishi granted the request, dismissing the petition without prejudice and canceling Monday’s hearing. Notably, he did not rule on whether the recall charges were legally sufficient, and he declined to weigh in on the mayor’s characterization of the petition as frivolous or the threat of sanctions, saying there was not enough information before the court.
Because the dismissal was without prejudice, Ms. Jacobson and Mr. Osterud retain the right to refile.
“It’s not over,” Ms. Jacobson told reporters afterward, saying Ms. Wilson “has had nothing but a series of rash decisions and people are angry.”
She declined to say whether she would resubmit the same petition or file a new one.
Ms. Wilson’s attorney, Dmitri Iglitzin, appeared remotely and called the effort “entirely frivolous,” arguing it had imposed substantial costs on King County’s elections department, prosecutor’s office and superior court, as well as the city of Seattle and the mayor personally.
He warned that a repeat filing could prompt Ms. Wilson to seek court sanctions and attorney’s fees against the couple.
Under Washington law, elected officials can only be recalled for misfeasance, malfeasance or violation of the oath of office — a narrower standard than simple political disagreement.
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