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Cathy Moore

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Cathy Moore
Cathy Moore, 2024
Member of the Seattle City Council
from District 5
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2024
Preceded byDebora Juarez
Judge of the King County Superior Court
In office
January 2017 – February 25, 2022
Preceded byRonald Kessler
Succeeded byJason Holloway
Personal details
BornSeattle, WA
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDavid Baxter
Children3 sons
Alma materBinghamton University (BA)
Albany Law School (JD)

Cathy Moore is an American lawyer and politician elected to represent District 5 of the Seattle City Council. She was a King County Superior Court judge from 2017 to 2022.

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After graduating from Binghamton University and Albany Law School, Moore worked in Brooklyn as a public defender and continued to do so after she moved back to Seattle.[1][2] She left her job as a public defender to serve various Seattle city jobs on an interim bases, including city clerk and legislative aide to councilmember Richard Conlin.[3][4] Before her election to judge on the King County Superior Court, Moore was a judge pro tem and commissioner pro tem in King County Superior Court, as well as a tribal drug court judge and a state administrative law judge.[5] She also served as the chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission.[2][3]

King County Superior Court

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Moore ran for King County Superior Court in 2016 after Judge Ronald Kessler chose not to run for reelection.[5] In the August primary, Moore finished first with 55% of the vote, with Air Force veteran and lawyer Eric Newman coming in second with 36%.[5][6]

In the general election, the King County Bar Associated openly faulted Moore for a name tag at an event describing her as a judge and "elected official", at the time she was not, and misleading campaign materials.[7] Moore said the campaign material was "...not misleading" and that she covered the "elected official" portion of the name tag.[7] In the November election, Moore defeated Newman 55% to 44%.[8]

Moore faced no challengers for reelection and retired in February 2022.[9][10]

Seattle City Council

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2023 election

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Moore ran for city council in District 5 against nine other challengers after council president Debora Juarez announced she would not seek reelection.[11] She focused her campaign on public safety, increasing the police force and increasing violence intervention prevention, as well as affordable housing and small business support.[12][13] She was accused of flip-flopping on the criminalizing public drug use, at first opposing criminalization but then confirming support through the Downtown Seattle Association and The Seattle Times questionnaires.[13][14] The Moore campaign did not respond to questions on changing her position during the primary, saying they did not have the time to, stating "We're focused on winning the election, and are prioritizing our limited time."[14] In the August primary election, Moore came in first with 31% of the vote and ChrisTiana ObeySumner, a social equity consultant, with 24%.[15]

ObeySumner focused her campaign on progressive issues, such as reducing the police budget, increasing alternatives to policing, stopping homeless sweeps, and not criminalizing public drug use.[3][16] Moore continued to support Mayor Bruce Harrell plan to hire an additional 300 to 400 officers, and that the police budget was about right.[17] Moore confirmed her support for the city ordinance that makes drug use and possession prosecutable, even though it allocated no additional funding for treatment.[17] Moore received backing from business and real estate independent expenditure committees, which gave nearly $1.1 million in total to more "conservative" city council candidates.[18]

In the November general election, Moore won in a landslide with 64% of the vote to ObeySumner's 36%.[19] Moore was elected with a slate of other candidates that were considered "moderates" and generally support Mayor Harrell's agenda.[20]

Tenure

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Moore is the chair of the Housing and Human Services Committee and has worked to make changes to the Seattle Housing levy passed in 2023.[21] The committee would vote against the legislation, brought up by councilmember Tammy Morales, that would reduce red tape for affordable housing developers.[22][23] After the vote, Morales said "Despite the fact that everybody’s talking about the need for more affordable housing, when it comes down to it, there’s either no understanding of how we actually get there, or no willingness to really take action."[22] At the next full council meeting, Moore accused Morales of calling other councilmembers "evil, corporate shills" and of "The vilification of your fellow council members in the media—it is uncalled for, it is unprofessional."[22][23][24] There is no record of Morales calling other councilmembers "evil, corporate shills.[22][23][24]

In a February 2024 council meeting, protestors and asylum seekers disrupted the meeting by banging windows and demonstrating in the chambers.[25][26] Protestors were arrested and the council chambers were cleared, with Moore stating she felt "physically threatened" and that "We need to make sure that this does not happen going forward."[27] The protestors were charged with first-degree criminal trespassing, one was charged with obstruction as well.[26]

At a press conference on Aurora Ave with city attorney Ann Davison, Moore announced that she would introduce legislation to create "Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution" (SOAP) zones on Aurora Ave in conjunction with councilmember Robert Kettle's "Stay Out of Drugs Areas" (SODA) zone legislation.[28][29] Moore and Davison introduced the legislation in response to high crime on Aurora associated with prostitutions..[28][29] City council Central Staff updated a memo in regards to comments by Moore, which removed sections that raised concerns about the legislation's impact and lack of additional funding for diversion and emergency services.[30]

Personal life

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Moore resides in Seattle with her husband and three children. She is the legal counsel for her family's landscaping business.[5][31]

References

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  1. ^ "Candidate General 2023". King County Elections. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Coughlin-Bogue, Tobias (September 27, 2023). "Seattle City Council District 5 candidate Cathy Moore talks to Real Change". Real Change. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Cohen, Josh (October 10, 2023). "Seattle City Council District 5: Cathy Moore vs. ChrisTiana ObeySumner". Crosscut. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Staff (October 25, 2023). "Cathy Moore has best résumé, ideas to serve as council member for Seattle District 5". The Seattle Time. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Staff (July 22, 2016). "Eric Newman for King County Superior Court Judge Position No. 44". The Seattle Time. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Pulkkinen, Levi (October 25, 2016). "King County Bar Association scolds judicial candidate". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "2020 candidate filing". King County Elections. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Inslee appoints two judges to King County Superior Court". Washington Governor Jay Inslee. February 18, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  11. ^ Taylor, Sarah Grace (May 26, 2023). "Seattle City Council elections 2023: Meet District 5 candidates". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Cohen, Josh; Buhain, Venice (May 24, 2023). "Seattle City Council elections: Meet the 45 candidates". Crosscut. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Trumm, Doug (July 25, 2023). "D5 Candidate Cathy Moore Lays Out Her Vision for Seattle". The Urbanist. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Krieg, Hannah; Smith, Rich (July 19, 2023). "City Council Candidates Flip-Flop, Flounder, and Try to Play All Sides". The Stranger. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Santos, Melissa (October 16, 2023). "Where Seattle's District 5 council candidates differ most". Axios. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Hyde, David; Denkmann, Libby; Gasca, Noel (October 18, 2023). "North Seattle Council candidates are miles apart on police funding, drug law". KUOW. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Cohen, Josh (October 30, 2023). "Outside interests spend more than $1M on Seattle City Council races". Crosscut. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. November 27, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Cohen, Josh (November 15, 2023). "A largely new Seattle City Council to take office in January". Crosscut. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "About the $970 Million Housing Levy Spending Plan". Seattle Medium. July 11, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d Barnett, Erica C. (April 30, 2024). ""I'm Losing My Temper": Moore Accuses Morales of Calling Her Council Colleagues "Evil… Corporate Shills"". Publicola. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c Kreig, Hannah (May 1, 2024). "Seattle City Council Kills Affordable Housing Development Incentive Package". The Stranger. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Packer, Ryan (August 7, 2024). "Seattle Council Punts Social Housing Funding Vote to 2025". The Urbanist. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  25. ^ Raftery, Isolde (February 27, 2024). "6 protesters arrested after descending on Seattle City Hall to demand support for refugees". KUOW. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Knowles, Hannah (April 2, 2024). "Body camera video shows arrest of 6 protesters who derailed Seattle City Council meeting". KOMO. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Barnett, Erica C. (February 24, 2024). ""Arrest Those Individuals": Councilmember Demands Police Response to Protests Outside Locked Council Chambers". Publicola. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Staff (August 1, 2024). "Seattle City Council will consider proposal to address sex trafficking on Aurora Avenue". KOMO. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  29. ^ a b Denkmann, Libby; Burrows, Jason; Radil, Amy (August 5, 2024). "Seattle City Council's SOAP and SODA Zones, explained". KUOW. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Nerbovig, Ashley (August 13, 2024). "Moore Scrubs Memo that Raised Concerns about Prostitution Loitering Bill". The Stranger. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  31. ^ "Financial Affairs Disclosure - Washington State Public Disclosure Commission". Public Disclosure Commission. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
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