(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera hit back strongly against Mayor Katie Wilson Thursday, pushing back on the mayor’s characterization of her gun violence prevention efforts as “grandstanding and politicking.”
Rivera’s statement follows a recent interview Wilson did with local media where the mayor dismissed the City Council’s push to implement a focused deterrence strategy.
Rivera, who represents District 4, is currently sponsoring Resolution 32217, urging the city to adopt the National Network for Safe Communities collaborative gun violence reduction model.
“Three people were killed in Belltown in the span of 24 hours. Several more were wounded. That comes after the mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle. It comes after the violence on North Aurora, after Little Saigon, and after Rainier Beach,” Rivera wrote. “Focused deterrence is not an experiment. It is not a theory. It is not another study. It is a proven gun violence prevention strategy that has significantly driven down shootings in multiple cities across the nation.”
Rivera directly questioned the mayor’s posture, asking: “When your neighborhood has had three shootings in a weekend and there’s a proven strategy that could stop future tragedies – is that grandstanding? Or is it the job we have been elected to do?”
The rift between the council and the executive office comes during a period of mounting political pressure on Wilson regarding her public safety record.
In recent months, Wilson saw a 20% drop in approval ratings over her first seven months in office, falling from 57% in April down to 37% by early August. Pollsters attributed the sharp decline directly to low voter confidence in her public safety strategies, while a separate poll conducted by Change Washington revealed that 60% of surveyed voters believed Wilson should be recalled or resign.
This growing dissatisfaction culminated in formal legal action when two Seattle residents filed a recall petition over public safety obligations, accusing her of dereliction of duty over police leadership shifts, pauses to surveillance programs and ongoing violence. Though the petitioners abruptly withdrew the recall petition to gather additional evidence, public scrutiny has remained intense.
Meanwhile, fellow city leaders have repeatedly challenged Wilson’s record. Councilmember Bob Kettle says sex trade and gun violence problems continue due to a lack of an actionable public safety plan, particularly along the North Aurora corridor.
Kettle also publicly criticized the mayor over a delayed communications response following the Bite of Seattle mass shooting and her demand for former Police Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation.
A full council vote on Rivera’s resolution is expected next Tuesday.