Mayor responds to Public Safety Chair Kettle’s transparency request on Police Chief’s forced resignation  

Today Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7), chair of the Public Safety Committee, released the following statement after receiving a response from Mayor Katie Wilson regarding his request to provide the City Council with reason for the removal of Police Chief Shon Barnes as required by the City Charter. On the afternoon of July 30, in the midst of an ongoing investigation, Mayor Wilson announced that Police Chief Shon Barnes had resigned and stated the next day at a press conference she had asked for his resignation. 

“Yesterday, I received Mayor Wilson’s response to my letter, dated Aug. 21, 2026, demanding that she explain the reasons for former Police Chief Shon Barnes’ forced resignation, per the Seattle City Charter – Article VI, section 2. 

“Mayor Wilson‘s counsel noted that she ‘requested [Chief Barnes’] resignation due to the need to build a cabinet that is aligned with her administration’s values, policy goals, and vision for the Seattle Police Department.’ The statement included the City Clerk, so I consider it filed with the City Council. 

“It is no surprise that I disagree with this decision and how the issue was handled, but I understand her ability to do so based on the Seattle City Charter to which we both swore an oath to uphold.  It is critical for us as city leaders to respect our City Charter in contrast to what we are seeing in the other Washington with respect to our U.S. Constitution. 

“As we move forward, it is important for the Mayor’s Office and the City Council to work collectively and continue to abide by the Charter to find a quality candidate for the Chief of Police that will be selected by Mayor Wilson and reviewed and confirmed by the City Council. Given Seattle’s ongoing public safety challenges, we need to take these matters very seriously for the health and safety of our communities.”

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