This Week on PubliCola: April 6, 2025
Middle housing, a performative council resolution, Braddock appointed county executive, and more.
By Erica C. Barnett
Tuesday, April 1
Cathy Moore Wants to Make it More Expensive to Build Middle Housing
During a presentation on changes the city will have to make in order to comply with a new state law mandating more housing in traditional single-family areas City Councilmember Cathy Moore proposed imposing Mandatory Affordable Housing conditions on 4-unit “middle housing” developments, despite studies commissioned by the city that found the potential fees will make this type of housing infeasible.
Wednesday, April 2
Council Declares “Defund Is Dead,” But Can They Give Up Their Favorite Talking Point?
The current council, who were mostly elected in 2023, have taken shots at their predecessors for adopting nonbinding “issue” resolutions. How the tables have turned: This week, the council adopted a purely performative resolution declaring that “defund the police”—a thing that never happened—is dead.
Two stories in today’s Afternoon Fizz: After Dow Constantine’s departure to become Sound Transit CEO, deputy King County Executive Shannon Braddock was appointed acting—but not interim—executive, leaving open for now the possibility that the county council could replace her before November. And after a public commenter said cut-through traffic on a greenway is endangering cyclists in West Seattle, City Councilmember Rob Saka defended his opposition to traffic diverters when the project was built, saying that allowing cars to use the greenway to cut through the neighborhood is a matter of “equity” in a food desert.
Friday, April 4
Auditor’s Gun Violence Recommendations Prompt Defensive Response from Mayor’s Office
Late last month te City Auditor’s Office issued a set of detailed recommendations to improve the city’s response to gun violence, which has increased in Seattle even as other cities have seen dramatic reductions. Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington said the existence of the audit showed a lack of “respect,” adding that the city was already doing, or in the process of implementing, every recommendation on the auditor’s list.
Sunday, April 6
I went on Crystal Nicole Fincher’s Hacks and Wonks podcast this week to discuss recent state and local news, including Governor Bob Ferguson’s refusal to consider wealth taxes on the very richest Washingtonians, the Seattle City Council’s anti-”defund” resolution, and Councilmember Cathy Moore’s recent decision to halt a competitive bidding process for organizations that help exploited sex workers leave the sex trade.