Seattle City Council member Tammy Morales resigns, citing toxic work environment

Seattle City Council member Tammy Morales has announced she will resign in January and end her term with three years left. Morales is one of two remaining incumbents on the 2020 council, one of which is marked by calls for progressive police reform.

KUOW spoke with Morales two weeks before her departure. She described a toxic workplace culture in which any progress she tried to make on behalf of her constituents was stymied by other council members.

“I have been particularly the victim of bullying and gaslighting throughout the year, and that is bad behavior on the part of our elected officials,” Morales said in a Nov. 20 interview. “It makes it harder for me to work on behalf of my constituents and I think that needs to be brought up.”

In an announcement to her constituents in District 2, Morales reiterated that sentiment.

“Over the last 11 months, this council has undermined our controls as a legislative department and undermined my work as a policymaker,” she wrote.

She described in bullet points the measures allegedly taken by the Council with which she objected:

• Compromises the ability of our nonpartisan core Council staff to conduct objective policy analysis
• Suppressed the will of voters by offering an alternative ballot initiative that would effectively eliminate the Seattle public housing developer next February
• Suppressed First Amendment rights during public speech by arresting people
• Intimidation of commentators by police presence when controversial legislation is being considered
• There has been a significant decline in institutional knowledge with the departure of three key Council policy staff, the entire Council communications team, members of our human resources and finance team, and several legislative staff members
• An attempt was made to defund an important anti-displacement and community economic development program led by people of color
• Pass 11 separate bills to increase the punitive nature of our criminal justice system without adding any significant accountability to our police department
• And we passed a budget that reduces funding for social services for our most vulnerable while dramatically increasing funding for prisons, police and cleaning services

“This was a very difficult decision,” Morales wrote. “…As an elected representative, I took an oath to the Constitution of the United States, the State of Washington, and our city charter. One of these duties is to protect people’s health, safety, environment and general welfare. I can no longer in good conscience say that I can do this by remaining on this council.”

Morales added that she has a responsibility to her family members who “deserve that I emerge unharmed” and that her role has caused her “mental and physical well-being” to deteriorate.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Correction note, 12/4/24 at 9:46 a.m.: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Tammy Morales was the last remaining incumbent of the former City Council.