Seattle Business Leaders Demand 100-Day Safety Plan Amid Budget and Tax Concerns
A coalition of 38 major Seattle-area business leaders, including executives from Microsoft, Starbucks, and Costco, has issued a formal demand for a 100-day public safety action plan. The letter, sent to Mayor Katie Wilson and the City Council, cites an August poll showing only 34% of voters trust the city’s current safety strategy. Key demands include reactivating CCTV cameras in high-crime areas, enforcing a seven-minute 911 response time, and banning camping near parks. This pressure coincides with the release of an independent economic report warning that Seattle’s tax structure, particularly the JumpStart payroll tax, risks driving high-wage tech jobs to Bellevue, while the city faces a projected $175 million budget deficit.
