Joni Balter, Columnist

How Amazon’s Klutzy Politicking Backfired in Seattle

A big-money effort to elect a friendly city council did the opposite. Here comes the tax bill.

November 14, 2019 at 3:00 PM UTC

By Joni Balter

Joni Balter is a longtime Seattle columnist and writer who contributes to local NPR and PBS affiliates.

Backlash.
Photographer: Chloe Collyer/Bloomberg

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For a company that is so good at so many things, Amazon is remarkably bad at politics.

Exhibit A is the latest debacle in its hometown of Seattle, where the company’s push to seat a more politically moderate city council backfired. Campaign cash aimed at producing a less tax-happy council triggered the opposite result and turned a socialist headed for defeat into a martyr.