Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2) released the following letter to her constituents and the people of Seattle:
To the People of District 2,
After very careful consideration, I have decided to resign from my position as a Seattle City Councilmember, effective January 6, 2025. Representing the people of Seattle, especially of south Seattle, has been my greatest honor and I will miss the opportunity to work alongside all of you on behalf of our neighbors. I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished over my tenure, including passing the historic Race and Social Justice ordinance, our Tenants Bill of Rights, and securing over $350 million of investments in D2 and across the city. I am so thankful for the community organizers, community leaders, students and advocates who have helped to drive the priorities of my Council office for the last five years.
However, I am worried about the future of this institution, and my place in it. For the last 11 months, this Council has eroded our checks and balances as a Legislative department and undermined my work as a policymaker. Since January, this Council has:
- Interfered with the ability of our non-partisan Council Central Staff to provide objective policy analysis
- Suppressed the will of voters by offering an alternative ballot initiative that would effectively gut the Seattle social housing developer next February
- Stifled first amendment rights during public comment by arresting people
- Intimidated commenters by having a police presence when any controversial legislation is considered
- Witnessed a significant reduction of institutional knowledge through the departure of 3 Council Central policy staff, the entire Council communications team, members of our human resources and finance team, and several legislative aides
- Attempted to defund a critical program for addressing anti-displacement and supporting community economic development led by people of color
- Passed 11 separate bills to increase the punitive nature of our criminal legal system without any additional meaningful accountability for our police department
- And passed a budget that reduces funding for social services for our most vulnerable while dramatically increasing funding for jails, police, and sweeps
This was a very difficult decision. I’ve thought a lot about my responsibility to my constituents and to the Council as an institution. As an elected representative I took an oath to the constitution of the United States, Washington State, and to our City Charter. Key among those duties is to protect the health, safety, environment, and general welfare of the people. I can no longer, in good conscience, say I am doing this by remaining on this Council.
I also have a personal responsibility to my family, who deserve to see me show up whole. This role has caused my mental and physical well-being to deteriorate, and this is an unfortunate reality for many women in particular who serve in public office.
I want to thank all the amazing people who have worked in my office over the last five years, including Darozyl Touch, LaKecia Farmer, Devin Silvernail, Alexis Turla, Imani Carey, Andra Kranzler, Naomi Lewis and Evelyn Chow.
I will be taking time away to spend with my children and care for my ailing father. But know that in my time here, your work, and the community who have shown up despite its repression, have given me hope. I’m not going anywhere. I just need some time to think about how best to serve the City I love and find the next opportunity to repair the harm done to Black and brown communities, democratize access to power and resources, and plan for the 7th generation. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
In community,
Tammy