Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson blasted by Chamber of Commerce urging no new taxes or regulations

(The Center Square) - Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce officials didn’t name Mayor Katie Wilson at their annual meeting Thursday, but the message was aimed at her: no new taxes or regulations.

"Companies have choices, talent has choices, other regions are competing aggressively against us," the chamber’s President and CEO Joe Nguyen said before an audience of 850 people.

"And meanwhile, employers are confronting rising costs, public safety concerns, and the cumulative impact of policies that are shaped without considering how they affect the broader community.”

Nguyen said the employer community cannot be treated as an endless resource, noting there has to be honesty about city taxes on businesses.

“And we cannot assume that the companies that are here today will be here tomorrow, because prosperity is not permanent,” he said.

The president and CEO of the chamber said Seattle economic activity generates nearly 70% of the revenue that funds the city budget.

Wilson has not proposed any new business taxes in her first eight months in office, but said she is considering such moves to close a $175 million gap in the city budget for 2027.

The business community has been unsuccessful in stopping other prior business taxes, such as a payroll tax that took effect in 2021 and a tax to fund new affordable housing that took effect in 2025.

Wilson only took office in January 2026, but actively campaigned for the housing tax during her campaign last year.

Earlier Thursday, the chamber was not shy about naming Wilson.

It wrote a letter to Wilson, in conjunction with two other public service organizations, Challenge Seattle and Washington Roundtable, stating that the city must act “with urgency” to fund actions needed to improve public safety.

Other signatories to the letter include Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, Costco CEO Ron Vachris, Alaska Air Group CEO Ben Minicucci, Nordstrom co-CEO Erik Nordstrom, Seattle Mariners CEO John Stanton and dozens of other CEOS and business leaders.

The groups cited their Aug. 17 poll of registered voters, which found that only 34% of voters said they were confident the city has an effective plan to address these issues.

“This is not a narrow or partisan agenda, it is a shared baseline that Seattle residents and the business community are asking their elected leaders to deliver both now and as a sustained priority,” the letter said which was shared with the media.

The letter specifically cited Seattle’s lack of police officers compared to other major cities and urged city officials to make the necessary investments as it prepares its budget for 2027.

“As of mid-2026, Seattle has approximately 1.31 sworn officers per 1,000 residents, about 40% fewer than Denver, 43% fewer than San Francisco, and 58% fewer than Boston,” it said.

It also raised the hot-button issue of crime surveillance cameras and the mayor’s pause on expanding the program earlier this year.

The three organizations’ poll found that respondents overwhelmingly favored activating the cameras.

“In the near term, voters have clearly called for activating CCTV cameras in Pioneer Square, the Stadium District, and other high-event areas to deter crime and help identify and hold offenders accountable,” the letter said.

The organizations also called for a public safety action plan within 100 days, specifically calling for regular foot and bicycle police patrols in areas with persistent public safety problems, such as Little Saigon.

It also recommended recommitting to the current standard priority 7-minute 911 response times.

The letter said data from Nordstrom’s flagship store downtown shows that only 29% of its 911 calls result in a police officer responding to the store.

“Conversely, calls at their Southcenter and Bellevue locations receive a 100% response to 911 calls,” the letter stated.

Another priority cited included shutting down open-air drug markets and adopting a policy that bans camping within 250 feet of a park, playground, or school, and requires the city to clear encampments in these areas within 72 hours.

Wilson did not respond to the remarks at the chamber meeting, but did issue a statement about her public safety efforts.

"In the last nine months, we increased police presence, including foot and bicycle patrols, in several neighborhoods with persistent public safety issues: Rainier Beach, the Chinatown International District, Little Saigon, North Aurora, and Belltown,“ she said.

“We are working with residents and business owners to implement changes to the built environment that improve safety and reduce gun violence.

She said shootings and homicides are at the lowest point in a decade.

"And yet we have far too much crime and public disorder and people have a right to be frustrated," she said.