Assessing the Assessor, Urbanism v. Incivility, and Seattle Hates Nightlife

Jun 16, 2025

Josh Feit, news editor of the Stranger and a veteran on Seattle politics, joins the conversation to unravel the scandal surrounding King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson, who faces serious allegations yet remains defiant. They discuss the rising urbanist movement and how it's perceived as incivility by some council members. The chat also delves into the mayor's push to shut down nuisance properties, questioning if it's a necessary response to recent nightlife violence or just another blow to Seattle’s vibrant club scene.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

John Arthur Wilson's Defiant Stance

John Arthur Wilson, King County Assessor, remains defiant amid serious allegations of stalking and harassment.
The unanimous council call for his resignation shows strong political and ethical pressure despite his refusal to step down.

INSIGHT

High Recall Bar Despite Misconduct

There is a high legal bar for recalling a public official in Washington state.
John Arthur Wilson's actions likely meet the criteria for recall but its initiation is uncertain due to the assessor's low-profile office.

INSIGHT

Silence on Early Allegations

Initial public and political silence surrounded earlier stalking allegations against Wilson.
This reflects a broader pattern of minimizing or ignoring domestic violence and stalking issues in politics.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

With David away for a second consecutive week, Erica and Sandeep seek out the inimitable Josh Feit, news editor of the Stranger back in the olden (golden) days, to buffer their conversation with convoluted references to 50-year-old Joni Mitchell records.

We start with the increasingly off-putting saga of King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson, who remains defiant in the face of a unanimous vote by the King County Council (minus the absent Reagan Dunn) urging him to resign over allegations he stalked his ex-partner during their breakup from hell. We ask: Why did the resignation calls take so long, and are we headed for a messy recall? (Hours after we taped this episode on the morning of Friday, June 13, a judge denied Wilson’s legal motion seeking the dismissal of his ex-partner's protection order against him .)

Next up, Josh keys off the announced resignation of Councilmember Cathy Moore to argue that what Moore and her supporters and backers decry as incivility in Council chambers is really just sour grapes about the rising voice of an emerging urbanist majority. But are the urbanists so ascendant, give the status quo nature of the comp plan currently under debate?

Finally, we dig into the implications of Erica’s reporting that the mayor is seeking to expand the city’s powers to shutter “nuisance properties.” Is a crackdown on clubs warranted by recent incidents of gun violence that have occurred outside nightclubs and hookah lounges? Or is this just the latest iteration of a long, pinch-faced tradition in Seattle municipal politics of finger-wagging at—and passing laws to curtail—the city’s nightlife?

Better listen in before a Big Yellow Taxi comes to take Josh and Sandeep away!

Our editor is Quinn Waller.

Have a question or comment? Send us an email at realseattlenice@gmail.com.

Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com

HEARTH Protection: Do not let fear make your world smaller.

Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com

Support the show

Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.