By Alia Sinclair
Here’s what happened at Tuesday night’s (July 11, 2023) SeaTac City Council meeting:
Public Comments
A SeaTac resident expressed concern that there was a conflict of interest between Mayor Jake Simpson’s discharge of official duties regarding the 2023 Legislative Agenda and his employment at Wind Power Strategies, due to the aforementioned company being owned by Washington State Representative Mia Gregerson. The resident cited the code of ethics which states that no elected official shall engage in, accept employment from, or render services to any interest when such employment or services are incompatible with proper discharge of official duties or would impair judgment, independence, or action in official duties. The resident called for Mayor Simpson to recuse himself of any vote or discussion on the Legislative Agenda in the future until such time as either he or Rep. Gregerson are no longer in office.
American Somali Day Proclamation
Deputy Mayor Negusse declared July 1st Somali Day in the City of SeaTac, recognizing that Somali Americans are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in SeaTac and acknowledging their integral role in growing our vibrant communities.
End of Session Legislative Report
A wrap-up report for the 2023 legislative session was presented to the council by Government Relations and Communication Manager Kyle Moore and State Lobbyists Josh Weiss and Annika Vaughn. The report covered an overview of the session, outcome of city priorities, and additional legislative issues as detailed on the slides below:
4th of July Emergency Call Volume
The emergency call volume over the 4th of July was higher than typical in a 24-hour period for a total of 207 calls whereas a typical call volume is 110. However, of those 207 calls, only 3 were related to firework usage. The breakdown of calls from 8 a.m. on the 4th to 8 a.m. on the 5th were as follows:
- 115 fire calls
- 86 medical calls
- 3 non-emergency calls
Councilmember Kwon asked for clarification on whether or not residents should call 911 for calls related to firework concerns and was told no, unless it is a medical emergency or someone is in danger.
Alia Sinclair is a writer residing in SeaTac. She is passionate about the arts and connecting people through the written word. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Patchwork Mosaic, a magazine for creatives.
I believe Council Member (Appointed Mayor) Jake Simpson owes the citizens of SeaTac and City Staff a response to the Public Comment referred to at the beginning of this article. In addition, I also believe he needs to resolve the obvious conflict that he should have recognized prior to accepting his employment with WinPower Strategies (the actual name of his employer, rather than the incorrect name given in the article).