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on May 17, 2026, 18:43:20
From the Times:
Ms. Wilson’s comments generated applause and laughter in the room. But outside, the remarks drew a swift reaction and highlighted how political leaders and business executives are increasingly uneasy about Seattle’s changing relationship with the companies that helped transform the city into a global hub for entrepreneurial innovation. Her “like, bye,” and the wave she gave with it, also pulled Seattle into a broader debate in liberal cities about how to solve rising housing prices and economic disparity without driving away investment, employers and affluent residents.
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Ms. Wilson’s comments have drawn national attention to the worry among business leaders that Seattle doesn’t appreciate them, first from right-wing influencers, then mainstream outlets. Last week, Starbucks co-founder Howard Schultz singled out the mayor in a Wall Street Journal column accusing Ms. Wilson of “socialist rhetoric” that “vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue.”
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Pro-business sentiments in Nashville and Middle Tennessee are not necessarily matched around the Puget Sound. Last fall, voters in the region elected a slate of candidates, including Ms. Wilson, that promised more taxes on the wealthy. This spring, the state legislature created a new “millionaire’s tax” on personal income over $1 million, and recent polls have shown a majority of potential Washington voters, including Republicans, support the tax, which opponents are trying to force onto the November ballot....
Starbucks officials have framed the Nashville investments as a natural next step in their efforts to grow, particularly in the South and the Sun Belt.... Tennessee, which has no state income tax, a lower cost of living and right-to-work laws that make labor organizing more difficult, is pointedly offering itself as a refuge for companies weary of higher taxes, tighter regulations and soak-the-rich sentiments....
The mayor said she understands now that everything she says will be parsed for potential anti-business sound-bites and that she should have “a multidimensional relationship” with companies like Starbucks....
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NY Times on Seattle's clueless mayor - Potomac May 17, 2026, 18:43:20
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