Seattle residents criticize leaders amid crime crisis
Christina Coleman reports on the crime crisis in Seattle as residents criticize local leaders for their lack of action.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's press secretary is leaving City Hall after less than seven months on the job, marking the latest high-profile departure from an administration that has already faced significant staffing turnover during its first year.
Local outlet PubliCola reported Wednesday that Sage Wilson made the call after "deciding he’d be more effective as an advocate for progressive causes outside the mayor’s office than inside it."
"Wilson, who previously worked in media relations for the labor advocacy group Working Washington and the progressive policy group Civic Ventures, doesn’t have a job lined up yet; his last day will be in early August," the report continued.
On his LinkedIn page, Wilson identifies himself as Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s deputy communications director.
Seattle Mayor Katie B. Wilson during the Seattle International Film Festival screening of "The Invite" at SIFF Cinema Downtown on May 17, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. (Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
Sage Wilson's departure is the latest in a series of staffing changes inside Mayor Katie Wilson's office. PubliCola previously reported that the mayor's communications director, Seferiana Day, resigned in June after the mayor requested her resignation following several weeks of negative publicity.
According to the outlet, City Hall later brought in political consultant Crystal Nicole Fincher as a temporary communications advisor and Seattle Department of Transportation spokeswoman Dawn Schellenberg to assist with media relations.
On Thursday, the Everett Post reprinted a story from The Center Square that quoted Schellenberg as saying that the turnover is to be expected.
SEATTLE CLEANED UP FOR THE WORLD CUP BUT ONLY WHILE THE WORLD WAS WATCHING, COMMENTATOR SAYS
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson declared last year at a barista picket line, "I am not buying Starbucks, and you should not either.’" (David Ryder/Reuters)
"It is common for new administrations to have some turnover and restructuring during the early phase as staff settle into their roles and address the priorities voters elected them to do," Schellenberg said.
Before taking office, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson urged Seattle residents to boycott Starbucks in support of a baristas' union protest at one of the company's local stores. She later softened her stance after Starbucks announced it would establish a regional headquarters in Nashville and relocate some Seattle-based jobs there.
"I had the pleasure of visiting the Pike Place Market Starbucks a little while ago, and I ordered – I think it was a blueberry muffin latte that was like a staff creation," Wilson said during a June interview with FOX 13 Seattle co-anchor Hana Kim, who had asked Wilson if she still supports a boycott of Starbucks.
"I guess I broke my boycott," Wilson added. "And yeah, but I, you know, I don’t know. What do you want me to say about that?"
In a May Wall Street Journal opinion piece, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz criticized Wilson's "socialist rhetoric," arguing it reflected an anti-business climate contributing to companies leaving Seattle.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's staff abruptly ended an interview with a local news reporter last week after he pressed her on rising gun violence and surveillance cameras in the city after a recent shooting. (David Ryder/Reuters)
"Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner," Schultz wrote in the op-ed. "Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue. She has encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave."
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News of Sage Wilson’s departure quickly prompted criticism from political opponents on social media, many of whom pointed to the administration's earlier staff changes as evidence of broader instability. Others wished the departing spokesman well and speculated about the demands of the job.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sage Wilson for comment.
