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Fix Homelessness How to rebuild human lives
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Date
March 13, 2026
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Economic Impact
Governance
Street Report
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Downtown Seattle Association President: “We’re Going in the Wrong Direction”

Jonathan Choe
March 13, 2026
Economic Impact, Governance, Street Report
2
 View at Jonathan Choe's X
Categories
Economic Impact
Governance
Street Report

Raising the Alarm

Holy crap! Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO John Scholes is going nuclear.

He annihilated the so called “progressive tax” and says it’s crippling the downtown business core in Seattle.

With sobering data, Scholes masterfully lays out his case and also acknowledges Bellevue is quickly becoming the new destination for business owners.

Meanwhile, far-left politicians like Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, CM Alexis Mercedes Rinck, and WA State Rep. Shaun Scott claim the “progressive tax” will help revitalize the city.

So who do you believe, Scholes or these socialist elected officials?

Masked and Moved

Scholes confirms what I have been reporting for years. All the crime in the downtown shopping corridor was simply pushed to nearby Belltown and Chinatown-ID.

The problems are being masked and moved around the city. This is now on Mayor Katie Wilson.

Progressive Tax Advocates

These are the people advocating for a “progressive tax.”

Full Speech

Here is the Scholes’ speech in full.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.