Former public defender, arbitrator challenge 3-term incumbent Pete Holmes in Seattle city attorney race

In the main campaign for Seattle City Attorney, incumbent Pete Holmes faces two challengers on three terms: former public defender Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and attorney and arbitrator Ann Davison.

Davison has already run for public office – Seattle City Council in 2019 and Lieutenant Governor in 2020 – and, as this year, highlighted public safety and homelessness as key issues in their campaigns. Thomas-Kennedy, meanwhile, is running for an abolitionist, saying she would try to get rid of most of the misdemeanor charges which she believes only further destabilize those who are often poor, mentally ill, or homeless.

In theory, all three candidates generally agree that there is a need to prioritize relationships with community organizations, build mental health and disability resources, hold large corporations accountable, and focus on the needs of colored communities. But they express differences over the prosecution’s practices.

The prosecutor’s office has around 200 employees and two main departments – criminal and civil law. On the criminal side, the office tracks traffic violations and offenses, including cases of DUI, vandalism, theft, and domestic violence. In Seattle, the King County Attorney’s Office deals with crime.

The civil chamber represents the city in legal proceedings and typically deals with government affairs, land use, environmental protection, labor law and contracts. The office is defending the city in lawsuits for lack of text messages from city officials, including Mayor Jenny Durkan, and counterclaimed the Seattle Times last week over the newspaper’s efforts to preserve the records.

Thomas-Kennedy gained most of her legal experience with the King County Department of Public Defense, where she worked for about four years – first in civil law obligations in hospitals, where she processed requests for judicial psychiatric treatment, and later in the later Seattle Municipal Court, King County District Court and King County Superior Court.

Thomas-Kennedy left public defense last summer to start her own law firm. She continues to handle public defense cases on a contract basis, including eviction defense for the Snohomish County Legal Service and the Housing Justice Project in Seattle.

Since former public defenders typically don’t seek prosecutors, Thomas-Kennedy said she was grappling with the idea of ​​putting people in jail.

“But at the same time, I didn’t want to be a total purist in the sense that I’m more concerned about my conscience and my ideology than about how many people I can help,” she said. The potential to “fix some things” is so great that prosecuting people outweighs the idea, she said.

She said she will not try to prosecute most crimes, particularly “poverty crimes” – including those who stole food or items from thrift stores.

“There’s nothing about following a hungry person that makes them less hungry. There’s nothing wrong with prosecuting someone with mental illness that makes them less mentally ill, “she said. “It’s not an effective way of dealing with these things.”

Police officers could still arrest people for these crimes, she said, but she would prevent herself from bringing charges in these cases. There are some exceptions, including cases of domestic violence or repeated DUIs, she said.

On the civilian side, she said she wanted to draw attention to issues such as environmental stewardship and wage theft.

Originally from Iowa, Thomas-Kennedy moved to Seattle in 1996 and later enrolled at Seattle Central College to pursue her GED. After earning her associate degree there, she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and her law degree from Seattle University.

Thomas-Kennedy was supported by the Transit Riders Union and the Emerald Youth Organizing Collective.

The other challenger, Davison, has been a Seattle attorney since 2005, a few years after moving from Washington, DC. She started her own law firm here before moving to downtown Aiken, St. Louis & Siljeg a few years later, mainly handling civil and business matters. In recent years she has served as a referee for various boards and forums in Seattle.

Having already run for public office, Davison said she is “deeply involved in the issues that are at the forefront of our city.” In each of her previous races, Davison said, she has focused on improving “people’s sense of security” in Seattle.

“In that one seat, we can actually see this critical change,” said Davison. “By fixing this critical link in public safety, we can improve the quality of life in the city for everyone.”

If she was elected, she said she would tackle it Police Reform, Racial Justice and Homelessness, and advocates “smarter law enforcement”. For example, she said that the office has underpunished people who have shown us they will continue to engage in criminal activity, but when it comes to people of color, law enforcement is overdone.

Davison, like Thomas-Kennedy, said she also wants to investigate why people commit crimes and work harder to connect them to the resources they need, despite disagreeing with her opponent’s desire to get rid of most offenses.

Davison also criticized Holmes for his expenses. Since 2010, the budget for the city’s legal department has grown from $ 18.2 million to $ 34.2 million in 2020.

Davison once worked in basketball for Seattle SuperSonics and received her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and her law degree from Willamette University. Before coming to Seattle, she worked in the Marion County’s office in Salem, Oregon.

She is assisted by former Washington Governor Dan Evans, who served from 1965 to 1977, retired King County Attorney Chris Bayley, and retired Seattle City Judge Ed McKenna, among others.

Both Davison and Thomas-Kennedy say that Holmes, who has been in office for 12 years, hasn’t done enough to make change and keep Seattle residents safe. They say the city needs a fresh start.

However, Holmes stands by his work, saying that his most recent tenure was in some ways “the best of the three.”

In an interview, Holmes said he was impressed with the work his employees were doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. One example, he said, is that the civil division of his office this year launched a state bar-approved seminar on the reparation of slavery. Washington attorneys can take the course as they go through their recertification process.

On the criminal side, his staff suggested last year that an internal review body be set up so prosecutors can consult with colleagues on cases where something “doesn’t feel right,” Holmes said. The aim of the peer review committee, which is still in the planning process, is to ensure the prosecution’s discretion in cases that need more scrutiny, he said.

Holmes also said he was proud of his past work, including sponsoring the initiative that led to the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana in Washington in 2012, as well as embedding attorneys into the Seattle Police Department as part of ongoing reforms in the As part of the federal approval decree and the capping offense, imprisonment of 364 days (instead of 365 days) so as not to trigger any consequences of immigration.

He said the city attorney played a crucial role.

“Offenses are important,” said Holmes. “They have a higher volume, they affect more people. … This is also where you have the greatest chance to change behavior and investigate the underlying causes before they become crimes. “

With the city soon to have a new mayor and police chief, Holmes argues that there is a need for stability in this position and that his opponents lack legal and political experience.

“At this point in Seattle’s history, it is probably more important than ever that we have consistent, proven, and stable leadership in this job,” he said.

“I certainly can’t hide from my 12-year record, but the fact that I’ve just been there for 12 years is absolutely no reason to just switch,” said Holmes.

If re-elected, Holmes expects to retire after his fourth term.

Holmes has received endorsements from Attorney General Bob Ferguson, King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Attorney Dan Satterberg, and several members of the Seattle City Council.

By July 13, the city’s latest fundraising campaign, Davison had raised $ 7,014 in campaign contributions and Thomas-Kennedy had raised $ 16,102. Thomas-Kennedy said Monday she raised about $ 100,000 in verified democracy vouchers, and Davison also said Monday that she raised more. Holmes has raised $ 92,691, according to the commission.

The ballot papers in the non-partisan race for a four-year term must be returned by August 3rd. The two leaders in the August primaries are advancing to the November parliamentary elections.