Current Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Walton-Anderson will be Criminal Chief, bringing over 24 years of experience to the role, and former Mayoral public safety advisor Scott Lindsay will become Deputy City Attorney
December 16th, 2021 – Today, City Attorney-elect Ann Davison announced her first appointments to the City Attorney’s Office leadership team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Walton-Anderson will add critical leadership to the Criminal Division as its Chief. Public safety thought-leader Scott Lindsay will join the office as Deputy City Attorney and lead a team responsible for policy development, communications, community engagement, and data transparency.
“I am thrilled to welcome Natalie Walton-Anderson as my new Criminal Chief at the City Attorney’s Office. Natalie’s life has focused on advocating for underrepresented voices in the criminal justice system,” said City Attorney-elect Ann Davison. “Her career has taken her from being a legal administrative assistant to being a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney working on mental health, family support, and LEAD. Now she joins us from the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring her wealth of knowledge to create real results and community safety for the people of Seattle.”
“I see true justice as a collaboration between prosecution, community service providers, and law enforcement. I hope my experience as a trial attorney and my experience working with criminal legal alternatives as well as being mother and a woman of color gives me a unique perspective on the complex criminal legal system issues facing our city,” said Walton-Anderson. “To be successful, we will need all the tools at our disposal – jail alternatives, therapeutic courts, diversionary programs, and community based solutions.”
At age 18, Walton-Anderson began working at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office by volunteering for King County Kid’s Court. She continued at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office while working her way through law school. Walton-Anderson’s remarkable career has spanned from college volunteer to Assistant U.S. Attorney Office over the past 24 years.
“Natalie worked in our office since she first started as a receptionist in our Victim Assistance Unit – over 20 years ago. As a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, she served throughout the office and was instrumental in the success of the LEAD program for many years. Everywhere Natalie served within the office she left it a better place because of her capable leadership and innate understanding of the humanity on all sides of our work,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg.
Scott Lindsay has accepted the role of Deputy City Attorney. As Deputy City Attorney, Lindsay will oversee policy development, communications, community engagement, and data transparency.
“I want to thank Scott for agreeing to join my team as the Deputy City Attorney. His deep insight into police reform and public safety will be an enormous asset to our office,” said City Attorney-elect Ann Davison. “Scott is a key thought-leader on reforming Seattle’s criminal justice system to deliver both services and accountability. I have asked him to lead our efforts to coordinate public safety strategies in neighborhoods across the city.”
“I look forward to joining Ann’s team and am ready to work with her to tackle some of Seattle’s most pressing public safety challenges.” said Scott Lindsay. “As we begin to tackle an unfathomable backlog of serious cases in the City Attorney’s Office, it is clear there are tough decisions ahead of us. I am excited to lead a team that will focus on delivering improved public safety results throughout the city.”
Scott served as the Public Safety Advisor and Special Assistant for Police Reform to Mayor Ed Murray where he was responsible for oversight of the federal consent decree and police reform initiatives as well as several place-based public safety initiatives. Lindsay is the author of reports analyzing the challenge of prolific offenders and systemic failures within Seattle’s municipal criminal justice system. He previously served as senior counsel to Rep. Elijah Cummings and House Oversight Committee Democrats in Washington, D.C. and was an attorney in both the Seattle and D.C. offices of K&L Gates LLP.
For press inquiries, contact: Chelsea Kellogg, chelsea@chelseakellogg.com