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Seattle hasn’t recalled a mayor in 95 years
As a King County judge weighs the merits of a recall effort against Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, the city’s history shows that while mayors have faced recall campaigns before, actually removing one from office has been rare.
SEATTLE - As a King County judge weighs the merits of a recall effort against Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, the city’s history shows that while mayors have faced recall campaigns before, actually removing one from office has been rare.
Seattle voters have successfully recalled two mayors: Hiram Gill in 1911 and Frank Edwards in 1931. The last Seattle mayor to face a recall vote was Wes Uhlman in 1975, but voters chose to keep him in office.
That means it has been 95 years since Seattle voters successfully removed a mayor through a recall.
Hiram Gill, Seattle's first recalled mayor
Hiram Gill became the first Seattle mayor voters kicked out of office in 1911.
The campaign against Gill was fierce. Newspapers of the era lambasted him as a "corruptionist" and accused him of smirching Seattle with slander.
Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecutor’s Office said Gill was known for his tolerance policy for gambling and boozing and prostitution.
"Voters at a certain point said, ‘Hey, we've had enough of this,’ and that’s why he got recalled," said McNerthney.
Frank Edwards gets the boot in 1931
Twenty years later, Seattle voters did it again.
Mayor Frank Edwards was recalled in 1931 after angering voters with his decision to fire J.D. Ross, a prominent figure at Seattle City Light whose name lives on at Ross Lake.
"He was in some hot water for firing J. D. Ross, which is the namesake of Ross Dam up north, and was really the powerhouse figurehead," explained McNerthney. "City Light and the efforts that put in place a lot of infrastructure that we have today. Voters were pretty frustrated with him for making that firing."
Edwards' removal remains the last successful recall of a Seattle mayor.
Wes Uhlman survives a recall attempt
The next — and most recent — Seattle mayor to face voters in a recall election was Wes Uhlman in 1975.
Uhlman had fired the city's fire chief, angering firefighters. Their union led the recall effort and accused Uhlman, among other things, of being soft on arson.
"He survived that recall effort pretty handedly," said McNerthney.
Seattle's history shows that a mayor can face a recall election, but voters actually removing one from office is far less common. In the 95 years since Edwards was removed, Seattle voters have not successfully recalled another mayor.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Lauren Donovan.