“Fire the Mayor” committee awaits Mayor Durkan’s next move
By Alexa Peters
Elliott Harvey started this change.org petition to King County Elections Director Julie Wise.
July was a tumultuous month for Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. After King County Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts ruled on July 10 that a petition to recall the mayor could proceed, Mayor Durkan filed a motion for reconsideration—alleging the mayor has no authority over the conduct of the police department. On July 29 the judge announced she would stand by her ruling, allowing the petitioning process to move ahead.
In early June, the recall petition was put forth by Fire the Mayor, a 527 political organization founded by a group of Seattle residents who assert that by sanctioning instances of police brutality during George Floyd protests, the mayor has violated her oath of office and failed to protect citizens of Seattle. The particular charge found sufficient by the county judge is that Mayor Durkan, “failed to institute new policies and safety measures for SPD to prohibit the use of tear gas and other chemical crowd control… during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Converge Media first had Fire the Mayor Committee Chair, Elliott Grace Harvey, and Committee Vice Chair, Alan Meekins, on July 16’s Morning Update Show to discuss the petition. Since then, the committee is preparing to gather signatures as they wait to hear whether or not Durkan will appeal and take the case to the Washington State Supreme Court.
Harvey, who identifies as a history nerd and a student of police brutality in Seattle, traces the beginnings of their Fire the Mayor recall petition to May 30, when they noticed the police violence at Black Lives Matter protests was really ramping up.
“I was sitting in my kitchen with my wife watching all of this unfold and what was happening downtown—how the protest was planned, and still the police reacted early. And then Durkan announced the curfew at 5 o'clock for 5 o'clock and I knew what was coming… because of my familiarity with the WTO history in Seattle,” Harvey said.
In discussion of the contemporary protests around the CHOP zone, Harvey alludes often to the 1999 demonstrations surrounding the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference (WTO), which were some of the largest civil protests Seattle had ever seen and were publicized throughout the world. In the end, Seattle was also heavily criticized for police misconduct and lack of preparation during those protests.
During the local uprising around the death of George Floyd, Harvey said they identified WTO tactics in the police response—in particular, the “incredibly brutal” ways police targeted legal observers, assaulted and arrested residents outside their homes, and how they used teargas.
Then, Harvey, a Capitol Hill resident, experienced the brutality firsthand.
On June 1, police teargas entered Harvey’s home and forced them to seek shelter in a hotel. Two days later, when they returned home, the first thing they did was draft the petition to recall the mayor on the basis of misconduct, a process of holding elected officials accountable that Harvey says few citizens really understand. If nothing else, they hope this petition will change that.
“You have agency as a voter, you don't have to just watch this happen,” Harvey said. “Recall is designed for the voters and it should be accessible to the voters, and people need to know what it is and how to do it. The difference between asking Durkan to resign and telling her that she's done is incredibly powerful for people who feel helpless and need agency in this situation.”
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and police Chief Carmen Best made good on their promise to meet on June 3 with community and protest leaders. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
According to the Washington State Constitution, unlike the process of impeachment, citizens do not need the approval of a city council to recall a mayor. Instead, the process of recall is similar to getting voter initiatives and referendums on the ballot—voters must build a case, file an official petition, King County Elections must prepare a ballot synopsis, and King County Courts must find the charges sufficient enough to move ahead. At that point, the petitioners are given 180 days to collect the appropriate number of signatures and then the special election can occur.
Since Judge Roberts ruled in favor of their petition, Fire the Mayor is awaiting permission to begin collecting the signatures they need to roll out the recall ballot—equal to at least 25% of the votes cast in the mayoral election. Mayor Durkan has 15 days from the July 29 ruling to appeal the charge. If Mayor Durkan does appeal, the case goes to the State Supreme Court. If Mayor Durkan doesn’t appeal, the signature collection can start as soon as the fifteen-day period is complete.
“I would be shocked if she doesn't [appeal], but I think it's weighing the difference between, ‘Do I hope this goes away?’ or ‘Do I risk going to the Supreme Court and making this even more of a national story and losing at the state level?’” said Harvey.
Even if the petition doesn’t survive the appeals process, Harvey says the recall movement is about making a statement that elected officials are not “untouchable” and teaching citizens more about their rights. It also puts the re-election pressure on Durkan early, in hopes she will better listen to her constituents, Harvey said.
“This doesn't become successful the moment she's removed. With every signature, and with every volunteer, and with every name on that change.org petition, and with every article and bad story and interview that I do, the political pressure gets bigger,” said Harvey. “With moving up the election, effectively, she has to start running for re-election now. She has to start listening to voters now.”
