New Mayor Katie Wilson's State of the City: "Hope" and Patience

By Jean Godden

It’s just two months into the new year and Seattle is still getting to know a new mayor, a reconstituted city council, and a new style of leadership. Standing under a banner that read “This Is Your City,” Mayor Katie Wilson delivered her State of the City speech to a packed crowd at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center Feb. 17.

Wilson’s speech spent much time describing challenges, less so on solutions. She is going slow, emphasizing “hope” as a mantra and a long-term strategy. She restated her most critical concerns: public safety, homelessness, childcare, and small business. The speech was a moderate one easing earlier fears that, as a democratic socialist, she would quickly make radical moves. In fact, some observers said it was a speech that could have been delivered by her predecessor, Mayor Bruce Harrell.

Wilson began her speech deploring the fatal shooting of two Rainier High School students at a nearby bus stop. To deal with that incident and other gun violence, she said that she will enlist a panel of local and national leaders to advise on solutions. She also plans to increase police presence in the Chinatown International District and close unsafe businesses.

When campaigning for office, Wilson had opposed expanding CCTV surveillance cameras but, after hearing from residents concerned for public safety, she now is less certain. At the same time, she is hearing from those who fear that the current federal administration will make use of those cameras for immigration enforcement. Facing a contentious but pressing issue, Wilson said she’s taking time to decide.

https://www.postalley.org/2026/02/23/new-mayor-katie-wilsons-state-of-the-city-hope-and-patience/