Resident alleges police inaction and city oversight failures; vows legal action
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Summary
Addie Smith told the council the Mercer Island Police did not file timely reports about repeated attacks on her and her daughter, alleged biased treatment and mismanagement of an affordable-housing program, and said she intends to pursue litigation to clear her name.
Addie Smith used her three minutes of public comment to allege the Mercer Island Police and city staff failed to properly document and respond to attacks she and her daughter experienced over more than six months.
Smith said she sent repeated emails to city staff, including the interim city manager and the former police chief, and that police “refused to write one police report for months.” She said she was ultimately arrested after defending herself and described being treated poorly while the person she described as the attacker received what she called “kindness and support.” Smith said she has lost employment and business opportunities and that she believes the city’s oversight failures are tied to its handling of an affordable-housing program and a tax-exemption contract; she said the management company received “tens of thousands of dollars” in fee waivers while offering 20 percent affordable units and that the city ended a program (MFT) after she began speaking publicly about those issues.
Smith framed her statements as allegations and told the council she plans to seek an attorney and file a lawsuit to clear her name. No city staff response or formal action on her claims is recorded in the meeting transcript. Council did not debate or vote on matters relating to Smith’s claims during public comment; members thanked her for speaking and the meeting proceeded to the next speaker.