Downtown Seattle council candidates face off (politely!) over public safety

Seattle City Council incumbent Andrew Lewis (District 7) faced challenger and Navy veteran Bob Kettle in a blisteringly fast-paced candidate event at KUOW, which zeroed in on public safety.

Kettle went on the offense, albeit politely, about violent crime, which has been increasing statewide in recent years. Kettle blamed Seattle's crime problems on the current City Council’s policies.

“It really comes about from this permissive environment that's been created, and plays out with the random acts of violence and the lawlessness that you see,” Kettle said.

Lewis countered, in part, by defending his record.

“I've worked with stakeholders like the Downtown Seattle Association to stand up innovative new responses to public safety concerns, like the JustCARE program, where we've seen demonstrable decreases in criminal activity,” Lewis said.

City officials have noted that crime was down in Seattle for the first half of 2023. However, homicides in the city are approaching a historic high.

Lewis also spoke about his support for non-police response teams for crime and behavioral health problems, such as the 9-1-1 alternative response program.

Lewis, who previously served as assistant city attorney, also questioned Kettle’s premise — about whether issues with violent crime are unique to Seattle.

“What we've really seen throughout the last couple of years during Covid is a national rise in violent crime. Seattle has been no exception,” Lewis said.

The data on that point is somewhat mixed. While Lewis is generally right that Seattle has tracked with national violent crime trends, there’s also evidence the city is headed in the wrong direction this year, particularly when it comes to homicides. According to one recent study, for example, while the homicide rate dropped nationally over the last year or so, it increased in Seattle.

Kettle, who often speaks about the need to hire more officers to lower police response times, was also asked what reforms he supports to “lessen the negative interactions between people of color and police.”

In response, Kettle said the city needs to “build upon the consent decree,” which is the agreement between the Department of Justice and the city that requires Seattle to implement police reforms. He also pointed to the “Before the Badge Program” that focuses on training new recruits, as an example of the type of reform he favors.

Both candidates expressed support for a new drug law that Lewis recently co-sponsored, which makes public drug use and possession prosecutable offenses under Seattle law. And both said they disagreed with criticism that it will resurrect the failed war on drugs.

RELATED: Seattle City Council passes controversial drug ordinance

“Having a system where we are telling law enforcement, 'We want you to do warm handoffs to well-established providers like Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)' is definitely not what the war on drugs was in the 1980s,” Lewis said.

Kettle agreed, but added that, unlike Lewis, he would have also voted for a similar drug ordinance championed by city attorney Ann Davison, which failed by one vote earlier this year.

Lewis had reportedly been leaning “yes,” but changed his mind and voted against the bill after heated public comment, in which some community members raised concerns that the law would resurrect the failed “war on drugs,” which disproportionately harmed people of color. At KUOW's event, Lewis argued his new bill is an improvement.