The two incumbent SeaTac City Councilmembers running for re-election—including the current mayor—will have to bid their jobs goodbye come January. Mayor Mia Gregerson and Councilmember Dave Bush were defeated by a wide margin.
Gregerson and Bush were both vocal supporters of the $15 minimum wage. And, both used highly partisan attacks against their opponents in an attempt to gain the upper hand.
In a campaign update, Gregerson claimed that the “conservative movement (tea party)” wants to “remove all incumbents that supported the $15 minimum wage voter initiative.” Meanwhile, Bush warned that Gregerson’s and his opponents had “Libertarian views and intend to start cutting budgets at City Hall as soon as they can.”
Never mind the fact that Gregerson and Bush’s clear attempt at “coordinated” attacks were not coordinated at all—Tea Party and Libertarians are not synonymous—the claim itself is reveals more about them than their incumbents. Gregerson and Bush have exhibited an unprecedented special interest-driven, partisan leadership in SeaTac. That’s why they were dismissed.
In other election results, 71 percent of voters in Tacoma have opted to phase in a $12 minimum wage instead of an immediate $15 for most businesses. Voters in Spokane rejected Proposition 1, which predictions indicated would raise the minimum wage as high as $21 per hour.
