An effort to recall Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson was withdrawn this week by Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud, the two Washington residents who filed a petition to begin the process earlier in August.
In a King County Superior Court room, Jacobson asked to withdraw their own charges after missing an important filing deadline on Aug. 26. According to The Seattle Times, the pair said they wanted to investigate new information related to the recall effort and have retained a lawyer to restart the process in "days, not weeks."
“It’s not over,” Jacobson told KUOW and other members of the media after the court appearance.
The dismissal comes ahead of a scheduled Aug. 31 review hearing, the first in a multi-step process to get a recall effort off the ground.
Petitioners can move to gather signatures only if a judge decides that the recall charges meet the legal requirements for the process. Jacobson and Osterud's efforts did not move beyond the early stages of the recall process.
How does a recall work?
Any registered voter in Washington can file a petition to recall an elected official. The general process includes the following steps:
- Recall charges filed with Election Board
- Election Board sends charges to Prosecuting Attorney's office for technical review
- The Prosecuting Attorney's office files the charges with the King County Superior Court for a sufficiency hearing to determine legality
- Recall supporters then have 180 days to gather signatures of registered voters for a recall election (around 69,200 signatures would be needed for this effort)
- Recall election held within 45-90 days
What did the recall charges say about Katie Wilson?
Jacobson and Osterud wrote that Wilson is "derelict in her duties," to maintain public safety in Seattle.
According to the recall petition, Wilson made a "a hasty, rash decision to force a resignation from Shon Barnes" who was the police chief. The move followed the July 26 shooting at Bite of Seattle food festival.
The firing showed a lack of fiscal responsibility and "creates chaos" in the Seattle Police Department amid a city budget crisis, the petition said.
Wilson has also failed, according to the petition, to address a spike in crime and drug use along Aurora Avenue and in the Chinatown International District and Belltown.
The petition charge also notes the use of CCTV around Seattle. Cameras were activated for the World Cup, and Wilson later turned them off in service of her pledge to pause any expansion of the program in Seattle. The petition cites the cameras as helpful in identifying crime suspects, and notes that residents and business in the areas have asked for them to be turned on.
Read the full petition charge here.
Has Seattle ever recalled a mayor before?
The last mayor to be recalled in Seattle was Mayor Frank Edwards in 1931, according to The Seattle Times. Before that, Mayor Hiram Gill was recalled in 1911. Wes Uhlman defeated a recall election in 1975.
In 2020, a recall campaign against Mayor Jenny Durkan was dismissed by the Washington State Supreme Court.
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network's Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle mayor recall attempt withdrawn but 'it’s not over'
