Seattle City Council, mayor trade barbs over proposed police cuts
Just after 5 on Tuesday afternoon, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a statement on the City Council's initial 2022 budget proposal, saying it reduces spending on the Police Department by about $11 million.
“After last week’s election results delivered a clear rejection of the City Council’s plans to defund SPD, I was hopeful the Council would listen to voters and address our public safety needs with a real plan. Instead, it’s déjà vu all over again with Council proposing one of the largest cuts to public safety to date," the statement read.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda pushed back Wednesday morning, kicking off the Select Budget Committee meeting with a defense of the council's plan and calling Durkan's comments "misinformation." She blasted Durkan's statement as a "headline-grabbing press release."
"The full (police) hiring plan, as proposed by the mayor, is in this budget," said Mosqueda, who hailed the $192 million for affordable housing, with $97 million from the new JumpStart Seattle progressive payroll tax on high salaries.
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/11/10/seattle-city-council-mayor-police-spending.html