Tammy Morales listens to public comments at Seattle City Hall on Sept. 17. (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times)
The Seattle Times Editorial Board strongly criticized Councilmember Tammy Morales’ decision to resign, characterizing it as “political cowardice.” In their editorial, the Board pushed back on Morales’ public grievances against her Council colleagues.
The Editorial Board contrasted Morales’ departure with Council President Sara Nelson’s response to adversity. Nelson, often on the losing side of 8-1 votes during her first two years on the Council, did not quit. Instead, she recruited pragmatic candidates for the 2023 election, helping to elect five new members and shift the Council’s ideological balance.
While Morales cited health concerns as a factor in her resignation, the Editorial Board noted her “mini media tour” of criticisms, describing it as “torching the institution on her way out.”
The Board challenged several of Morales’ claims. One example is her criticism of the Council’s handling of a housing initiative. After a citizens group qualified the initiative for the February ballot, the Council approved placing both the initiative and an alternative measure on the ballot. Morales accused the Council of “suppressing the will of voters,” by offering the voters an alternative. The Editorial Board called this allegation “plain nonsense.”
The Editorial Board also pushed back on Morales’ criticism of the 2025 Council-approved budget, which passed 8-1. Morales opposed increased spending on public safety, a stance the Board highlighted as a continuation of her 2020 efforts to defund the police. “Over and over, she contends that police don’t make communities safer,” the Board wrote.
Following Morales’ resignation, effective January 7, the Council will have 20 days to appoint a temporary replacement for the District 2 seat. Voters will elect a new representative in November 2024, and the seat will return to the ballot in 2027 along with the other six district positions.
