By Gwen Davis 

Elections are coming up, and one city that’s usually politically quiet with low voter turnout is turning up the dial this year. The City of SeaTac has four council members up for reelection, and the four challengers are receiving a lot of attention, both inside and outside the city.

Senayet Negusse an educator and senior services provider is running for Position 1 against Tony Anderson;

The incumbent in position 1, Councilmember Rick Forschler, is not running for re-election. 

Damiana Merryweather, a small businesswoman is running for Position 3 against incumbent Peter Kwon; Takele Gobena, a labor organizer is running for Position 5 against incumbent Stanley Tombs; and Mohamed Ali Egal, a social worker is running for Position 7 against incumbent Erin Sitterely. 

There is a major ethnic discrepancy between the people who govern SeaTac and the people who live in SeaTac. The council is made up of mostly white people (except for Councilmember Peter Kwon who is Korean-American). 

According to census data, the city of over 28,000 is mostly non-white, with large populations of East African, Latino and Asian immigrants. Over 46% of the residents speak languages other than or in addition to English at home. Most of the residents are classified as working-class renters, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income in rent. Every precinct, except for one, voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

However, the mayor of Seatac, Erin Sitterely, is a Trump supporter who frequently posts pro-Trump views on her public Twitter account. The conservative leaning council has also made several controversial decisions over the past few years, most notably the decision to sell the SeaTac Center, displacing  50+ immigrant small business owners, and the city’s unwillingness to block the sale of the Firs Mobile Home Park, displacing 42 low-income households.

Criticism of the current council has run strong, and now progressive groups are hoping to flip the council – voting out the conservative members and replacing them with progressive leaders who more accurately reflect SeaTac’s residents. 

Current council members have cried foul, as the challengers have raised far more campaign money than the incumbents, most of it coming from outside donations. (“Outside donations” are considered any money not from SeaTac proper. Money coming from nearby cities like Seattle are considered outside donations.)  As of September 6, 2019, the four challengers have raised $66,786 of outside money, representing 90 percent of the total. 

“SeaTac is under attack by outside special-interest groups who want to buy and remake the city with their political beliefs,” reads a post by Councilmember Joel Wachtel, posted on October 4. “They misrepresent facts to align with their political agenda. They seek to undercut the success of the city and council so that the challengers will appear more attractive.” The post complains extensively about the outside money, and touts the current council’s achievements.

“The City of SeaTac has grown its budget from $33 million to $40 million in four years, with no additional taxes,” the post reads. “SeaTac now has a sustainable budget, with a fully funded contingency fund, and is putting over $500,000 annually into human services (one of the highest percentages in the County). SeaTac has not increased its city property tax in three years! (No other city in King County can make this statement). SeaTac has the lowest median income in the County and enjoys the lowest cost of living. The current Council has managed the city’s finances better than any prior SeaTac City Council. Today, the city is in its best fiscal position since incorporation!” Wachtel’s post reads.

The SeaTac Blog also ran a scathing editorial of the challengers. “The constant drumbeat of an all-white racist council by the challengers (and their supporters) in a minority city is a contrived issue,” the post reads. “One thing the City of SeaTac has never had is a racist council.”

The post goes on to applaud the council’s handling of the SeaTac Center and the Firs Mobile Home Park situation. 

With the election coming up in less than a month, voters will soon choose the political and ideological future of SeaTac.

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