King County Council demands assessor resign over stalking charges

Published 4:05 pm Wednesday, April 22, 2026

The King County Council is calling for the resignation of King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson after he was charged for his alleged crimes.

At the council meeting on April 21, the council signed a letter formally requesting Wilson to resign from his position as King County Assessor. This is the second request from the council after his arrest last June by Seattle police outside of his ex-fiancée’s house. On March 25, Wilson was charged with two misdemeanors of violating a no-contact order his ex-fiancée made against him.

“You have been embroiled in a domestic violence dispute for over two years, accused of stalking and harassing a King County resident,” the council’s letter said. “The King County Superior Court found enough evidence to issue a temporary protection order as well as a restraining order to prevent you from contacting that same King County resident due to your repeated stalking and harassment. The petition for the restraining order also alleged that you improperly used county resources to engage in the stalking, which would be a violation of the public trust and unacceptable.”

Councilmember Jorge L. Barón said when this issue came before the council last year, he appreciated the need for due process and thinks criminal charges are an important milestone in the process that requires the council to speak up again.

“Last year before this issue came before the council, I had a conversation directly with Assessor Wilson giving him the opportunity to deny some of the issues that were alleged, because I wanted to at least give him a chance to respond,” Barón said. “He did not deny the allegations that were made in the court record and so that’s what prompted me to continue to assess that the conduct did in fact occur.”

Councilmember Claudia Balducci said she has been hearing that Wilson argued in court he should not have to use an ankle monitor because he had a medical condition that requires him to soak his legs — before posting a photo to Facebook showing himself soaking in a hot tub.

“He’s just thumbing his nose at the public, thumbing his nose at the court process, making a joke of a very serious issue, which is domestic abuse and stalking and violation of protection orders,” Balducci said, “He should step down. And I’m sorry that we don’t have the ability to do more than just keep calling for it, but I’m glad that we use our voices to keep calling for it because this is very damaging to public trust and really just a stain on the reputation of this county.”

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Chair Sarah Perry said they will not take accusations of domestic violence lightly.

“A paramount importance to me, personally, is the safety of our residents. That is the number one job we as elected officials have, and the silence in the face of the allegations of behavior along the continuum of domestic violence, of which stalking and harassment is one … is deafening,” Perry said. “My first marriage was a situation of domestic violence, and I had not encountered that growing up. It was shocking, I didn’t see the warning signs coming, and I had a great deal of education from that experience, and that continuum is something I learned a great deal about.”

The council unanimously agreed to sign the letter.

“County residents deserve elected leaders that hold themselves to the highest standards, and that critical bar is not being met by your chosen actions,” the letter said. “You have continued to demonstrate a profound lack of judgement, a disregard for the safety and well-being of King County residents, and disrespect for the trust King County residents have awarded you. These shocking allegations impact your ability to execute the duties you were elected to perform as the King County Assessor.”