City council member Kshama Sawant says its priorities, not her leadership style, that are causing divisions on the council.
City council member Kshama Sawant says it's priorities, not her leadership style, that are causing divisions on the council. City of Seattle

Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant doesn't directly acknowledge the demand that she apologize, but the message is clear. She has no plans to say she's sorry for what the Seattle Times editorial board calls her "slash-and-burn" leadership style.

In an op-ed released today (council staff say the Times declined to print it but invited her to "resubmit [as] a letter to the editor of 200 words or less"), Sawant responds to this scoldy editorial. It demanded she apologize to new temporary council member John Okamoto for calling him, basically, a tool of the corporate establishment on Monday as a majority of the rest of the council voted to approve him to replace Sally Clark.

During his interview process for the job, Okamoto refused to commit to a position on rent control, linkage fees, and almost everything else he was asked about. He has a not-great history at the Port of Seattle, and he was widely seen as the mayor's pick (and the pick of the more conservative wing of the council). All of that made him a target for Sawant, who said on Monday it would be "scandalous" to appoint him. And that made Sawant a target for some of her council colleagues, who, in a very un-Seattle way, made their annoyances with her totally public. That annoyance was echoed by the Seattle Times editorial board, which called on Sawant to make nice because being so aggressive is "unbecoming" and "ineffective." (They also made a sort of flawed defense of Okamoto, which I wrote more about here.)

In her response today, Sawant shifts the conversation from the Times' criticism of her "style" to slamming the council majority for having "failed to act on necessary solutions to the affordable housing crisis—rent control, strengthening tenants’ rights, and building thousands of high-quality, city-owned apartments to provide an affordable alternative to skyrocketing rents in the private housing market."

Sawant argues the council's widening division is about priorities instead of its members' style or willingness to work together.

"Monday's vote was the latest illustration of important differences of priorities on the council," Sawant writes. "In light of Seattle’s housing emergency, the council had an obligation to appoint the best applicant to advance an affordable housing agenda. Unfortunately, five members of the council instead chose to appoint a mayor-picked political insider, in a political maneuver to reinforce their majority."

According to city council staff, Times editorial page editor Kate Riley told Sawant by e-mail that if she did resubmit this as a letter to the editor, "To increase the chances it will be selected for publication, it should specifically address the behavior that was criticized.”

Here's Sawant's full editorial:


Council Split on Priorities, Not Style

By Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant

“I don't know,” was John Okamoto’s answer when asked about his solutions to Seattle's most pressing issue, the lack of affordable housing. Rather than offer any proposals, Okamato deferred to the mayor's housing committee. Nor was he prepared to even support the council's previously unanimous position on making big developers pay “linkage fees” for affordable housing.

Unfortunately, this did not stop the majority of the council from appointing Okamoto, the most controversial applicant, by the narrowest possible vote of five in favor and three against.

Wednesday’s Times editorial casts this split on the council as a question of “style” or personal differences. This widely misses the mark.

Monday's vote was the latest illustration of important differences of priorities on the council. In light of Seattle’s housing emergency, the council had an obligation to appoint the best applicant to advance an affordable housing agenda. Unfortunately, five members of the council instead chose to appoint a mayor-picked political insider, in a political maneuver to reinforce their majority.

This same majority has failed to act on necessary solutions to the affordable housing crisis – rent control, strengthening tenants’ rights, and building thousands of high-quality, city-owned apartments to provide an affordable alternative to skyrocketing rents in the private housing market.

Council member Rasmussen had no qualms in scrutinizing applicant Sheley Secrest, a civil rights leader. Yet the council majority cried foul when Okamato was questioned about his record as chief administrative officer at the Port of Seattle from 2003 to 2008, a period marked by numerous financial improprieties.

In electing me, voters gave me a mandate to represent the interests of working people, and in particular for a $15 minimum wage, rent control, affordable housing, and taxing the super-rich to expand transit and social services. The Times editorial board may disagree with voters on these issues, however they cannot claim I have acted inconsistently with the agenda on which I was elected.

Monday's vote demonstrates a bias by the majority on the council in favor of political insiders and a lack of urgency to address the housing crisis.

Despite disagreeing with this appointment, I will of course work with Okamoto to advance the interests of working people, as I have with every other council member. On every issue facing the council, I will continue to vote on political merit, not based on backroom dealing or personalities. Seattleites should expect nothing less of all their elected officials.