(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss voiced concerns over his demotion from a committee in charge of updating Seattle’s 20-year plan, saying that the change represents unprecedented use of power by the city council president.
During the Seattle City Council briefing on Monday, Strauss indirectly flagged City Council Chair Sara Nelson for removing him from his vice chair role, saying that it was “not a normal use of powers of the council presidency.” Strauss said Nelson did not speak directly to him about this change.
“I’ve been consistent about letting the record reflect when our council president has exercised her powers in ways that are outside the norms of previous council presidents – the change in precedent is occurring,” Strauss said during the council briefing.
Strauss emphasized he was troubled more by the process than the decision to remove him from his position on the committee.
“Changes to the committee roles within a biennium is unusual, and it’s even more unusual to make these types of changes mid-year or twice in two months,” Strauss added.
Seattle City Councilmember Mark Solomon is replacing Strauss as vice chair of the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan. Solomon, a crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle Police Department, joined the Seattle City Council Jan. 27 after receiving enough votes from the council to replace Tammy Morales as the District 2 representative after she stepped down last January.
There was further division between the two council members caused by Nelson not allowing the Select Budget Committee, which Strauss chairs, to convene this year until March 5. Strauss suggests that a lack of predictability when it comes to future budget committee meetings makes budget accountability and reform work more difficult.
Strauss further questioned if the disagreement between him and Nelson led to his demotion on the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan.
Nelson responded she had emailed Strauss directly about her decisions, but chose not to further discuss Strauss’ comments during the council briefing, comparing it to seeing “mom and dad in a spat,” due to them being the senior members of the city council.
Nelson explained that the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan is chaired by the same chair of the Seattle Land Use Committee, which Solomon has been appointed to do. However, fellow Seattle City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth is the chair of the committee due to Morales resigning from her position.
Hollingsworth said she did not agree with either the decision or the process Nelson chose to take.
Nelson further noted that Solomon hired a specialist in land use to join his staff in order to provide their expertise and that the conversation to remove Strauss from the vice chair position had been talked about for “a long time.”
Strauss said he would like to be included in those conversations if they were to occur over a long period of time.
“There was no effort to exclude you from the conversation – you simply were not in your office after the meeting,” Nelson said.
The Seattle Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan will convene March 19.
