Early life and career
Nelson grew up "really poor" in Sacramento to a family of McGovern supporting Democrats. [1] [2] Her parents divorced when she was 12,her mother struggling to raise her as a single mom,her father an alcoholic. [3] She received a BA degree from the University of California,Santa Barbara and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington. [1]
After receiving her PhD,Nelson worked as a policy staff member for then-councilmember Richard Conlin from 2002 to 2013. [2] Nelson was bitter after Conlin's loss to Socialist Kshama Sawant,stating that the council is responding to activist voices. [3]
In 2009,Nelson,along with her husband Matt Lincecum,founded Fremont Brewing in the namesake neighborhood of Fremont,earning the King County Business of the Year award in 2014. [2]
Seattle City Council
2017 election
In 2017,Nelson ran for Seattle City Council position 8,portraying herself as a business-friendly candidate who maintained progressive bona fides. [2] [4] In the August primary,Nelson came in third with 21.48%,with labor activist Teresa Mosqueda and tenant advocate Jon Grant advancing to the general election. [5]
2021 election
In 2021,Nelson again attempted to run for the city council,this time running for the position 9 office being vacated by Lorena Gonzalez who ran for Mayor of Seattle. [6] In the August primary,seven candidates ran for the open seat,with Nelson and activist Nikkita Oliver advancing to the general election,with 39.47% and 40.18%,respectively. [7]
Nelson was the more moderate choice in the election,with issues such as policing,homelessness,and pandemic recovery coming to the forefront. [6] [8] One of the most drastic differences between the candidates was their approach to policing and police funding. [8] Oliver,a police abolitionist,called for a 50% cut to the budget of the Seattle Police Department,arguing the funds could be better used to address root causes of crime. [1] [8] Nelson argued that the police budget should not be cut at all and that reforming the department would be the best solution. [1]
Throughout the election,Nelson claimed to have not laid off employees during the COVID pandemic,but a report showed that seven full-time and part-time employees were let go before Thanksgiving 2020. [9] [10] Nelson dismissed the claims,saying "The employees you mention were part-time and/or seasonal hires,and the busy season —as much as there was a 'busy season' in 2020 —ended. We kept on every full-time employee who was on payroll when the pandemic hit..." [10]
In the general election,Nelson won with 53.84% of the vote to Oliver's 45.99%. [11] [12]
2025 election
In December 2024,Nelson announced she planned to run for reelection. [13] She drew three challengers for the primary,including Dionne Foster,executive director of the Washington Progress Alliance,and Connor Nash,a former economist for the federal government. [14] In the August primary,Nelson came in a distant second,with 35% of the vote,and advanced to the general election against Foster,who earned 58%. [15]
Tenure
In her first two years in office,Nelson was a minority in the city council as a moderate,with the majority of the council being progressive. [16] She pushed for increased public safety measures,like police hiring bonuses and an ordinance criminalizing drug possession. [17]
In the 2023 election,the council experienced the largest changeover since 1911,with five new council members who campaigned on a moderate platform taking office. [18] In January 2024,Nelson was elected to council president by a unanimous vote from her fellow council members. [19] She stated her focus as council president would be on public safety and government accountability,especially with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. [17] [20] As council president,Nelson oversaw the passage of police hiring bonuses and the creation of controversial exclusionary zones,known as the Stay Out of Drug Areas and Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution. [21] [22]
Her tenure as Council President has been criticized as encouraging a toxic culture of bullying within the Council. Upon resigning her seat on the City Council in December 2024,former City Councilmember Tammy Morales alleged that Council leadership "eroded our checks and balances as a Legislative department and undermined my work as a policymaker." [23] Morales stated in an interview that under Nelson,the Seattle City Council "is sliding towards really undemocratic behavior."
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