An open letter to Tim Burgess & “People for Seattle”

July 29, 2019

By MLK Labor Executive Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Grant

Tim Burgess, you need to stop. The racist, anti-woman, and divisive campaign materials you’ve been mailing to voters through your organization “People for Seattle” are demeaning and offensive.

You portray yourself as the “adult in the room“ and the voice of civility. But your Trump-like, dog-whistling, behavior is the antithesis of your self-image.

Zachary DeWolf is a respected sitting Seattle School Board member who has effectively supported apprenticeship careers for Seattle Schools graduates. He’s a leader for indigenous and LGBTQ communities in Seattle. Tim Burgess, you endorsed Zachary for School Board in 2017 yourself.

Emily Myers founded the Seattle chapter of 500 Women Scientists. She’s brilliant, conscientious, an effective organizer and leader for researchers and educators at the UW, and is helping cure Parkinson’s disease. That you would slander her and undermine her candidacy so that you can help elect your protégé is self-serving and bad for our city.

It’s unfortunate for the candidates you are supporting that they are now tainted with your endorsement.

At a time when Donald Trump openly exploits racism to divide our county to his political benefit, we must find a way to do better in Seattle. Hopefully, voters see through the farce that is People for Seattle and reject this dirty style of politics next week.

My message to Tim Burgess and the dark money donors that fund the People for Seattle PAC is clear: Stop what you’re doing. Check your hypocrisy. Reign in your privilege. We also call on the candidates supported by this PAC, Alex Pedersen, Egan Orion, and Phil Tavel to unequivocally denounce their support.