Rory O'Sullivan Running for City Attorney
Taking on our MAGA City Attorney
Seattle’s Republican City Attorney, Ann Davison, is running for reelection. And, as you may have read in The Stranger or The Urbanist, Rory O’Sullivan is running against her.
In their tepid announcement of her reelection campaign, The Seattle Times acknowledged that Ann Davison was lucky to win the seat in 2021. The NW Progressive Institute puts it another way: “Incumbent Davison is a Republican and out of touch with Seattle voters.” Yep!
During her first term, Ann Davison has exemplified the type of short-sighted, reactive responses to public safety I would expect from a member of Donald Trump’s party. Her accomplishments include increasing the time it takes to file DUI and domestic violence cases, shuttering Seattle’s Community Court and getting sued by the ACLU for misuse of prosecutorial power.
The City Attorney is a non-partisan position. But Ann Davison is not shy about being a Republican—actively trying to recruit people into the insurrection party. And Republicans are sure not shy about their devotion to Donald Trump and his racist, regressive agenda.
Seattleites want to see their values reflected in our legal system. Rory tells me he is running for City Attorney to build community, end the cycle of crime-arrest-jail-release-crime, and to make Seattle safer, fairer, and more equitable. I know him and I believe him.
BEING ANTI-CRIME IS NOT ENOUGH.
Ann Davison is anti-crime.
I’m anti-crime.
Rory is anti-crime.
We’re all anti-crime.
No one wants to live in fear. We all want to feel safe in our homes, on the road and during a night out on the town. But Ann Davison believes non-violent protestors pose a greater threat to our safety than drunk drivers do. I disagree.
She thinks the best way to address public displays of addiction is to throw people in jail or to move them to less visible parts of the city. She’s wrong. These aren’t solutions. They’re magic tricks, sleights of hand.
Davison also has grossly failed to address police misconduct. Putting reasonable accountability measures in place and demanding transparency from the Seattle Police Department will help protect lives and make neighborhoods safer. Police misconduct also cost Seattle taxpayers many millions of dollars a year. But Ann Davison has no problem asking you to include those costs in your household budget. She’s the only Republican I can think of who doesn’t want to cut spending!
JUSTICE WITH INTEGRITY
Rory O’Sullivan’s career has been spent serving the community. He founded Washington Employment Benefits Advocates (WEBA) to help workers fighting ESD for their unemployment benefits. He’s represented homeowners facing foreclosure and eviction. He’s represented survivors of domestic abuse trying to rebuild their lives.
Twenty years ago, Rory helped start an organization called Washington Public Campaigns. One of its major accomplishments was getting a state law prohibiting the use of public funding for elections overturned. Fast forward twelve years, and Rory was one of the authors of the initiative that created our democracy voucher program. That’s how he’s funding this campaign for City Attorney. You can help Rory qualify for the vouchers by providing a signature or making a $10 contribution.
Ann Davison has put people’s lives at risk by allowing a heavy backlog of cases. The dangerous actions of drunk drivers and domestic violence offenders are going unanswered for months.
Though I am not yet officially endorsing any candidate in this race, since I do not yet know who all will be in the primary, I am extremely clear he would drastically improve the situation over the current incumbent.
I believe Rory will prioritize the timely prosecution of DUIs and domestic violence offenders. He’s pledged to reestablish Community Court and implement therapeutic diversion programs to address the underlying causes of crime. And he’s promising to hold the SPD accountable for misconduct.
Resisting the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional demands for mass deportation requires dedicated action. I trust Rory to fight for our neighbors, our city and our values.
I know Rory and wish him success in his campaign. I hope you’ll consider helping him qualify for democracy vouchers. You can learn more here.