Elections & Endorsements

While SeaTac City Councilmember Peter Kwon came in first with nearly 28% of the vote in a six-way primary race to be District 5's next King County Councilmember, his campaign’s message has been high-level and light on specifics. In The Urbanist's interview with Kwon, a strong theme of tax-aversion emerged.

Reductions in the size of proposed growth centers and new tree retention rules that could stifle homebuilding were among the dozens of Seattle growth plan amendments approved this week. Council rejected moves to make the plan bolder in a number of areas, fretting over the risk of legal appeals.

Last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the City’s new AI Plan, which looks to harness the current artificial intelligence boom in the tech sector by integrating AI into the City’s operations, public services, and civic engagement. But critics worry about the ethical implications of AI use in public services, as well as its potential impacts on workers and environmental harms.

The Urbanist sat down with Steffanie Fain, who is running for King County Council’s District 5 seat and facing off with SeaTac City Councilmember Peter Kwon. Both position themselves as tax-averse fiscal hawks, but Fain expressed marginally more openness towards raising new revenue to tackle the numerous challenges facing King County.

Seeking to fend off progressive challenger Katie Wilson, Mayor Bruce Harrell took a combative tone in the first debate of the general election season, recently aired by Seattle Channel's City Inside Out. Harrell frequently attacked and spoke over his opponent, hoping to land a punch that could shake up the race, which Wilson has led.

Facing a tough election battle, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has been ramping up his pace of press events and social media posts. A former McGinn staffer shares how ethics officials warned McGinn's office against such activity, which could constitute a misuse of public resources for campaign purposes.

On Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell rolled out a proposal for an $80 million “anti-gentrification and reparations fund,” and trumpeted $350 million in housing investments he aims to make in 2026. He also ramped up attacks on challenger Katie Wilson and other political opponents, saying "how dare anyone question the compassion of this administration toward people who are underrepresented."

This week, the Seattle City Council took a controversial 7-2 vote to greatly expand the Seattle Police Department’s surveillance pilot program, as proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell. Public comment was overwhelmingly against the idea, and progressive candidates also criticized the move.