Seattle's Democratic mayor Katie Wilson is under fire for not keeping the city clean after the World Cup despite supposedly having done so during the global sporting extravaganza.
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mayor → keep → extravaganza
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce captured residents' unhappiness in its most recent index survey, which was released Tuesday.
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which → capture → survey
In the survey's October findings, 65 percent of respondents said Seattle was 'losing the positive momentum' on public safety and quality of life observed during this summer's World Cup.
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Seattle → say → Cup
Of those, 40 percent said they 'strongly agreed' with that sentiment.
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they → say → sentiment
The survey interviewed 700 people from September 23 to October 1.
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survey → interview → October
The chamber noted that the World Cup 'showed what Seattle can do,' and insisted that locals were concerned over the direction of the liberal city.
Though the survey did not mention Wilson directly, 66 percent of respondents said that city leaders were not doing enough.
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leaders → note → enough
Right now, just 24 percent of locals are confident that the city has an 'effective plan' to improve public safety, per the findings.
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city → have → findings
Fewer respondents, about 15 percent, believe that Seattle can reduce the homeless encampments that have increasingly become a talking point in the city.
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that → believe → city
Seattle residents do not believe that Mayor Katie Wilson and city leaders have an 'effective plan' to improve public safety, per findings from Seattle's Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Only 24 percent of Seattle residents are confident that the city has an 'effective plan’ to improve public safety
Seattle cleaned up more than five million pounds of waste and got rid of more than 661,000 needles ahead of the World Cup, according to KOMO News.
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Seattle → believe → News
The city's residents currently view crime, drugs and public safety as the liberal city's biggest issues, according to the survey.
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residents → view → survey
In particular, locals reported that they were feeling more unsafe in the city's downtown area.
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they → report → area
That especially applied at night, where just 46 percent of Seattleites said they felt safe.
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they → apply → Seattleites
It marked the city's lowest nighttime safety figure since early 2022.
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It → mark → 2022
Wilson addressed the findings on Tuesday, saying that public safety was 'on a lot of people's minds with a good reason.'
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safety → address → reason
The mayor noted that her proposed budget would fully fund Seattle police staffing and that there would be funding for 66 more officers next year, KOMO News reported.
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News → note → officers
Wilson said that the main challenge for law enforcement was a training bottleneck and not a lack of willing applicants.
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challenge → say → applicants
Drugs, crime and public safety are viewed by Seattle residents as the biggest ongoing issues in the liberal city
Wilson suggested that neighborhood-based public safety plans could lead to 'real progress' when it came to addressing safety concerns.
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it → view → concerns
'Real progress means not just reacting to incidents when they occur, but taking that really deep look at the root causes,' Wilson said, per the outlet.
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Wilson → mean → outlet
Wilson has received questions about her post-World Cup mayorship before, including criticism for allegedly turning off cameras in the Stadium District after the event.
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Wilson → receive → event
Seattle hosted six games during the World Cup.
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Seattle → host → Cup
Local couple Melinda Jacobson and Dale Osterud filed a recall charge against Democratic Mayor Katie Wilson in August and said she had been 'derelict in her duties for public safety of the city of Seattle.'
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she → file → Seattle
The couple said in a letter the cameras had 'proven to be a crime-fighting help' and that local residents and businesses were clamoring for them.
However, their recall petition was withdrawn at the couple's request at the end of the month, KING-TV reported.
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TV → say → month
Wilson has also been criticized for her handling of Seattle's crime, including recent shootings over the summer, as well as taxes.
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Wilson → criticize → summer
Wilson was previously criticized for her handling of a deadly shooting at a Seattle food festival in July
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Wilson → criticize → July
The response to the shooting, which killed three people, eventually caused Wilson to request her then-chief of police to resign
Seattle hosted six World Cup games this summer.
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Seattle → kill → games
The city's metro chamber said the global event 'showed what Seattle can do'
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Seattle → say → what
In July, Wilson was questioned for how she managed a deadly shooting at a Seattle food festival that killed three people.
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that → question → people
A press conference over the shooting was delayed for several hours with several suspects still at large, which Wilson initially blamed on the city's police department.
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Wilson → delay → department
She requested the resignation of Chief Shon Barnes for the response to the shooting and then paid him a $700,000 taxpayer-funded severance package.
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She → request → package
Despite an apparently long list of concerns, 59 percent of respondents maintained that they were optimistic about Seattle's future.
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they → maintain → future
On top of that, three-fourths indicated that they were proud to call themselves Seattleites despite their supposed worries.
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they → indicate → worries
Wilson has also been blasted for her support of Washington state's new millionaires' tax.
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Wilson → blast → tax
The 9.9 percent tax on people who make more than $1 million in annual income will come into effect in January 2028.
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who → make → January
Wilson, a workers' rights activist, was elected last November despite never having held elected office before.
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Wilson → elect → office
She was sworn in on January 2.
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She → swear → January
The Daily Mail has reached out to Wilson's office for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
