The surge of mail-in ballots that swept Katie Wilson into the Mayor’s office by just 2,000 votes sent a shockwave through Seattle’s political establishment. At first, it appeared that the narrative was set: a self-described Democratic Socialist was taking the keys to City Hall, and a radical restructuring was imminent.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the inauguration. Instead of clearing the decks with ideological firebrands, Mayor-elect Wilson has spent her first few weeks signaling a commitment to continuity and professional competence that has caught many moderates by surprise. If the campaign was about a “revolution at City Hall,” the transition is looking a lot more like a “pragmatic evolution.”

Here are the key moves Wilson has made that suggest she’s looking to govern from the center-left rather than the far-left.

1. The Barnes Confirmation: Stability Over Shakeups

The biggest question mark of the transition was answered yesterday. In a statement titled “A Vision for Public Safety in Seattle,” Wilson officially announced she is retaining Police Chief Shon Barnes.

This is a massive olive branch to the center. Barnes, a Harrell appointee, is well-liked by the business community and viewed as a “data-driven” reformer. By keeping him—along with Fire Chief Harold Scoggins and CARE Chief Amy Barden—Wilson is effectively neutralizing the “chaos” narrative. She isn’t dismantling the department; she’s challenging the existing leadership to execute her vision of a “diversified safety model” where police and alternative responders work in lockstep.

2. The Surratt Appointment: A Business Bridge

Earlier this month, Wilson signaled her economic priorities by naming Brian Surratt as her Deputy Mayor. Surratt, the CEO of Greater Seattle Partners and a former director of the city’s Office of Economic Development, carries immense “corporate cred.”

By placing a pro-growth, economic development expert in the most powerful unelected role at City Hall, Wilson is telling the private sector: You have a seat at the table. This move, combined with tapping City Hall veteran Andrés Mantilla to lead the transition, shows she values institutional knowledge over outsider disruption.

3. A Team of “Doers,” Not Just Dreamers

Her senior staff picks, announced last week, further reinforce this theme. From Jen Chan (Seattle Housing Authority) as Director of Departments to Aly Pennucci (former City Council budget analyst) as Budget Director, Wilson is surrounding herself with people who know where the “bodies are buried” in the city bureaucracy. These aren’t picks meant to “burn it down”; they are picks meant to make the city work.

4. Refining the “Jobs” Rhetoric

Since the election, Wilson’s language regarding the JumpStart tax has shifted slightly. While she remains committed to progressive revenue, she has acknowledged the need for a “thriving small business climate” to fund her social programs. She appears to understand that her dreams for social housing and world-class transit require a robust tax base that only a healthy, stable business environment can provide.

What This Means for the Next Four Years

Is this a betrayal of her progressive base? Unlikely. Wilson is a seasoned organizer who knows that to pass big, structural change (i.e. her proposed $1 billion housing bond) she needs the “middle” of Seattle (i.e. The Seattle Median) to stay with her.

By checking the boxes on basic governance—Retaining the police chief, hiring business-friendly deputies, and respecting institutional knowledge: by checking these boxes on basic governance, Wilson is building the political capital she’ll need when it’s time to take the “big swings” later in 2026.

She’s signaling she has the discipline to lead the whole city.