Seattle’s ‘Great Reset’ — Holmes announces bid for fourth term as City Attorney – CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News
Pete Holmes has served as Seattle City Attorney since 2010 — long enough that his positions on legalizing marijuana were once seen as radical.
Tuesday morning, Holmes announced his bid for a fourth term serving the city saying his leadership can help Seattle through its “Great Reset” as it recovers from the COVID-19 crisis and responds to the demands of an “overdue racial reckoning” —
“My record of steady servant-leadership for the people of Seattle – in pursuit of the fundamental needs of safety, fairness, and reform for the benefit of all – is more urgently needed than ever. Seattle faces historic challenges – and opportunities – and I am committed to fighting for safe, livable neighborhoods and a revitalized downtown and small business districts, while never losing sight of the pressing need to restore trust in our police department, even as we select our next chief of police and negotiate new police union contracts. Now, more than ever, we need to rally behind our new president and truly ‘Build Back Better’ with federal, state, county, and city collaboration that reaffirms Seattle’s values as a more just and compassionate community.”
“The City faces unprecedented challenges stemming from a global pandemic that has impacted families, working people, small businesses, and our quality of life, and Holmes believes his record of thoughtful reform and focus on protecting the people of Seattle provide a foundation for the City’s ‘Great Reset,’ as Seattle recovers and moves forward amid demands for an overdue racial reckoning,” the Holmes announcement reads.
As City Attorney, Holmes runs an office charged with handling the city’s legal matters and defending officials in lawsuits. The bulk of the office’s work, however, related to the prosecution of misdemeanor crimes while felonies are managed by the King County Prosecutor. The misdemeanor work has put Holmes and his office on the frontlines of the city’s biggest challenges around homelessness, mental illness, and addiction.
That work has made Holmes a target, Crosscut reports:
In recent years, the region’s conservatives have come to loathe Holmes, viewing him as too soft on crime. He’s taken hits from more moderate voices as well, who question his office’s charging practices as too lax and too slow.
In seeking a fourth term, Holmes will also have the opportunity to continue his work managing the city’s legal aspects of police reform amid the shaping of a critical new police union contract and an acceleration of reform efforts.
The Holmes campaign announcement includes a robus roster of endorsements: Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) co-founder and Public Defender Association Executive Director Lisa Daugaard, Seattle City Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Lisa Herbold, and Andrew Lewis, King County Councilmembers Rod Dembowski and Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th LD Rep. Liz Berry, Attorney David Perez, and civic leader Rick Steves.
In 2017, Holmes easily defeated attorney, consultant, and public safety critic Scott Lindsay.
Holmes, who turns 65 in March, now awaits his next political opponents.
You can learn more at holmesforseattle.com.
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