Democratic Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s first State of the City address on Tuesday drew criticism for technical difficulties and policy priorities, The Center Square reported on Wednesday.
Wilson, a self-described socialist, has been widely compared to socialist Democratic New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. She received poor reviews on her address, which began with technical difficulties and touched on city issues, including crime, homelessness and affordability, according to The Center Square. (RELATED: Seattle Mayor Proudly Admits She Is Not Seeking Probe Into Somali Scammers)
WATCH:
After about 40 seconds of no audio, Wilson could be heard speaking.
“Are you ready for this? I don’t think I’ve ever talked for as long as I’m about to talk, so we’ll see how it goes. Okay. Well, thank you so much for joining me today,” the mayor said. “Sorry. Can you please? Technical difficulties. Okay. There. Okay. A little bit less. A little bit. Back. Back the way you came. Back. Back. Okay. Okay. That’s good. Thank you. Okay. Okay!”
Wilson then cleared her throat and launched into her speech.
Andrea Suarez, the founder and executive director of We Heart Seattle, told The Center Square the speech omitted critical issues.
“She didn’t address the service-resistant crisis population who will not accept shelter or tiny homes,” Suarez told the outlet. “She didn’t bring up the death toll of our loved ones from fentanyl overdose. She didn’t bring up solutions for the crime associated with drug addiction.”
Suarez said he found it “bewildering” that Wilson did not discuss Seattle’s drug issue. He criticized the mayor for primarily focusing on gun violence.
“The death toll from drugs and havoc from drugs is exponentially worse than either [shootings and motor vehicle accidents] and yet crickets,” he told The Center Square.
Moreover, Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told The Center Square he opposed Wilson saying it was time to begin “treating childcare and early education as public goods … just like our parks, schools and utilities.”
“Her premise that a person’s labor is a public good, analogous to a park or park bench, is preposterous,” he texted the outlet. “It suggests a stunning ignorance of basic economics. And it’s impractical public policy. She’s setting herself up for failure.”
Conservative Seattle radio host Ari Hoffman also criticized the speech in a Wednesday X post. He called it “AMATEUR HOUR” and shared a clip of Wilson’s technical difficulties.
“Socialist Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson came out completely unprepared for her first big address,” Hoffman wrote, adding, “This is what happens when you elect someone who never had a real job.”
The Center Square received one positive review of the speech from Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes.
“There was a lot in the speech that I know will resonate with our members,” Scholes said. “I appreciated Mayor Wilson’s statements on collaboration and partnership. It’s the only way we make progress on Seattle’s biggest challenges, including homelessness and public safety – the first two issues she addressed in her remarks.”
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