Seattle City Council

Last updated

Seattle City Council
City Council
Seattle City Council Logo.png
Seattle City Council District map.png Map of the seven districts effective January 2016
Type
Type
HousesUnicameral
Leadership
President of the Council
Structure
Seats9
Seattle City Council makeup, 2024.svg
Political groups
  Democratic (9)
Committees
List
  • Committee on Economic Resiliency and Regional Relations
    Energy and Environment Committee
    Government Performance and Finance Committee
    Housing, Human Services, Health and Culture Committee
    Libraries, Utilities and Center Committee
    Parks and Neighborhoods Committee
    Planning, Land Use and Sustainability Committee
    Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee
    Transportation Committee
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post with a Nonpartisan blanket primary
Last election
November 7, 2023
Meeting place
Seattle City Hall 001.jpg
Seattle City Hall
600 Fourth Avenue, Second floor
Seattle, Washington 98104
Website
http://www.seattle.gov/council/
Constitution
Charter

The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-large positions; all elections are non-partisan. It has the responsibility of approving the city's budget, and passes all legislation related to the city's police, firefighting, parks, libraries, and electricity, water supply, solid waste, and drainage utilities. (The mayor of Seattle is not considered part of council.)

Contents

Members

Last election: November 2024 [1]
DistrictMemberParty preferenceFirst elected
1 Rob Saka Democratic 2023
2Mark Solomon Democratic 2025 [a]
3 Joy Hollingsworth Democratic 2023
4 Maritza Rivera Democratic 2023
5 Cathy Moore Democratic 2023
6 Dan Strauss Democratic 2019
7 Bob Kettle Democratic 2023
8 (at-large) Alexis Rinck Democratic 2024
9 (at-large) Sara Nelson Democratic 2021
Notes
  1. ↑ Mark Solomon was appointed to fill the vacancy after the resignation of Tammy Morales. Solomon said he would not run in the 2025 special election to fill the remainder of the term. [2]

Elections

Election of city council members occur on odd-numbered years, with at-large seats staggered from district seats. City council members' terms begin January 1 although public ceremonies are held on the following Monday. [3] The council positions are officially non-partisan and the ballot gives no party designations. [4] Party identification is based on candidates' voluntary self-identification. Like other elections in Washington, all candidates run together in the primary with the top two progressing to the general election. Beginning in 2027, Seattle will begin to use ranked-choice voting to determine the top two candidates from the primary who will compete in the general election. [5]

Candidates may participate in Seattle's unique democracy voucher program, which provides residents with vouchers to give candidates for public campaign funding.

Districts

Results of the 2015 City Council election. Size of circle shows total votes cast in each District or Position. Names and percentages given for top two candidates, and incumbent, in each race. 2015 Seattle City Council final results.gif
Results of the 2015 City Council election. Size of circle shows total votes cast in each District or Position. Names and percentages given for top two candidates, and incumbent, in each race.

Beginning in 2015, the geographic outline of the 7 districts and 2 citywide positions are as follows. Some neighborhoods overlap more than one district, indicated with an asterisk*. [7] Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the decennial U.S. census, beginning in 2022. [8]

DistrictNeighborhoods
1West Seattle, Delridge, South Park, Harbor Island, Industrial District*
2Beacon Hill*, Central District*, Downtown*, Rainier Valley*, Georgetown, Columbia City, Seward Park, Chinatown/International District, Industrial District*
3Beacon Hill*, Capitol Hill*, Cascade*, Central District*, First Hill*, Montlake, Rainier Valley*
4Bryant, Cascade*, Fremont, Laurelhurst, Maple Leaf*, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, University District, View Ridge, Wallingford*, Wedgwood*
5Bitter Lake, Broadview, Greenwood*, Haller Lake, Lake City, Maple Leaf*, North Beach/Blue Ridge*, Northgate, Roosevelt*, View Ridge, Wedgwood*
6Ballard, Crown Hill, Fremont*, Green Lake*, Greenwood*, North Beach/Blue Ridge*, Phinney Ridge, Wallingford*
7Belltown, Capitol Hill*, Cascade*, Downtown*, First Hill*, Interbay, Magnolia, South Lake Union, Queen Anne
8At-large position, citywide
9At-large position, citywide

History

Seattle was first incorporated as a town by an act of the Territorial Legislature on January 14, 1865. The town charter established a five-member board of trustees to govern Seattle, which appointed citizens to other positions. [9] The act was repealed January 18, 1867, after most of the town's leading citizens petitioned for its dissolution. Seattle was again incorporated, this time as a City, on December 2, 1869. The new unicameral legislature, known as the Common Council, was elected at-large to one year terms. [10] At-large election was replaced in 1884 by a system of 14 wards and four members elected at-large, all elected to two-year terms. [11]

The Home Rule Charter, adopted in 1890, reorganized the city council into a bicameral legislature, with a nine-member Board of Aldermen and a sixteen-member House of Delegates. [12]

District-based elections

In 2013, Seattle voters approved Charter Amendment 19 calling for the nine citywide Seattle City Council positions to be divided into seven district-elected seats and two citywide, at-large seats. [13] The elections for the two at-large seats are held as separate contests, thus results are not proportional. Each seat is filled in two-step process - a primary election is held in August, with the two most popular candidates going on to a general election in November. [14] The partial transition to districts started with 2013 elections for Positions 2, 4, 6, and 8 being truncated, two-year terms. [15]

The 2015 election cycle featured all nine seats, except the seven district positions were elected to full, four-year terms, and the two at-large positions would be for truncated, two-year terms. [15] [14] The first primary based on the new combined district/at-large system was held on August 4, 2015, with the general elections held on November 3, 2015. [16]

The seven district seats were up for election again in 2023; the two at-large seats will be up for election again in 2025. Only two of the seven districts retained their incumbent member in the 2023 election. [17]

Timeline

Salary

The Council chamber Seattle City Council Chambers 01.jpg
The Council chamber

In 2006, Seattle City Council salaries exceeded $100,000 for the first time. This made Seattle's city council among the highest paid in the United States, behind only Los Angeles and Philadelphia. [19]

As of 2021, salaries of district councilmembers are authorized to be $65.32 per hour. [20] Annually, councilmembers make as much as $140,000. [21]

Council President

The Seattle City Council picks among its peers a Council President to serve a two-year term, beginning January 1 of the year following an election. The Council President serves as the official head of the City's legislative department. In addition, they are tasked with:

Notable past council members

Recent councilmembers

Table of city councilmembers (1991–present) [24]
Elect. yearPos 1Pos 2Pos 3Pos 4Pos 5Pos 6Pos 7Pos 8Pos 9
1991 Sue Donaldson Jane Noland Sherry Harris George Benson Margaret Pageler Tom Weeks Jim Street Cheryl Chow Martha Choe
1994 Jan Drago
1995John E. Manning Tina Podlodowski
1996 Charlie Chong [note 1]
1997 Richard Conlin Peter Steinbrueck Nick Licata Richard McIver [note 2]
1999 Judy Nicastro Heidi Wills Jim Compton
2001
2003 Jean Godden Tom Rasmussen David Della
2005
2007 Bruce Harrell Tim Burgess Sally J. Clark
2009 Sally Bagshaw Mike O'Brien
2011
2014 Kshama Sawant
2015 John Okamoto [note 3]
-Distr 1Distr 2Distr 3Distr 4Distr 5Distr 6Distr 7Pos 8Pos 9
2015 Lisa Herbold Bruce Harrell Kshama Sawant Rob Johnson Debora Juarez Mike O'Brien Sally Bagshaw Tim Burgess Lorena Gonzalez
Kirsten Harris-Talley [note 4]
2017 Abel Pacheco Jr. [note 5] Teresa Mosqueda
2019 Tammy Morales Alex Pedersen Dan Strauss Andrew Lewis
2021 Sara Nelson
2023 Rob Saka Joy Hollingsworth Maritza Rivera Cathy Moore Bob Kettle
2024 Tanya Woo [note 6]
Alexis Mercedes Rinck [note 7]
2025Mark Solomon [note 8]
Notes
  1. ↑ Elected in special election after Tom Weeks resigned to work for Seattle Public Schools. [25]
  2. ↑ First appointed to the council in January 1997 when John Manning resigned in December 1996. He would serve in Position 3 until the November election but chose to run for the open Position 8 seat, winning that election. [26]
  3. ↑ Appointed to fill vacancy after Sally Clark resigned to work for University of Washington. [27]
  4. ↑ Appointed to fill vacancy after Tim Burgess became mayor in September 2017
  5. ↑ Appointed to fill vacancy following the resignation of Rob Johnson in April 2019. [28]
  6. ↑ Appointed to fill the vacancy after Teresa Mosqueda resigned after being elected to King County Council. [29]
  7. ↑ Elected in a special election to fill the remaining term of Teresa Mosqueda after her resignation. [1]
  8. ↑ Appointed to fill the vacancy after Tammy Morales resigned, citing a toxic workplace. Solomon stated he would not run in the 2025 special election to fill the remainder of the term. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 Staff (November 11, 2024). "Alexis Mercedes Rinck wins Seattle City Council race against Tanya Woo". Fox13 Seattle. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Cohen, Josh (January 27, 2025). "Seattle City Council appoints Mark Solomon to District 2 seat". Cascade PBS. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Seattle City Council Members / 1946-2015". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved March 29, 2019. The 1963 State Elections Act (RCW 29.13) mandated ... Terms of office were to begin on the first day of the next year.
  4. ↑ "RCW 29A.52.231 Nonpartisan offices specified". Revised Code of Washington. Retrieved March 29, 2019. All city, town, and special purpose district elective offices shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
  5. ↑ "Seattle will likely switch to ranked-choice voting — but not for years". KNKX Public Radio. November 22, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ↑ November 3 General Election results, King County Elections, November 24, 2015
  7. ↑ "Seattle City Council Districts - City Clerk - seattle.gov" - http://www.seattle.gov/cityclerk/municipal-code-and-city-charter/council-districts
  8. ↑ "Districts FAQ". Find Your Council District. Office of the City Clerk. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Lange, Greg; Tate, Cassandra (November 4, 1998). "Legislature incorporates the Town of Seattle for the first time on January 14, 1865". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ "1869-1882: The Common Council under the First City Charter". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ "1884-1890: Ward System Established". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ Charter of The City of Seattle, Commonly Known as The Freeholders' Charter. Seattle: The Northwestern Printing Company. October 1, 1890. p. 9. OCLC   38579564 . Retrieved December 5, 2017– via Google Books.
  13. ↑ "SEEC Law & Filer Info" - http://www2.seattle.gov/ethics/lawrules/lawrules.asp?ElCycle=el15a
  14. 1 2 "Seattle, Washington municipal elections, 2015".
  15. 1 2 "Charter Amendment 19" (PDF). King County Elections. August 5, 2013. p. 7. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Current and Prior Election Information 1998 - present" - King County Elections - http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/election-info.aspx
  17. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (January 2, 2024). "Seattle politics shift as City Council gets new members, president". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  18. ↑ Seattle City Council Members, 1869–Present Chronological Listing, Seattle City Archives. Accessed online February 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ Brunner, Jim (November 18, 2005). "Seattle's council members among highest-paid in U.S." The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  20. ↑ "2021 Salary Schedule and Compensation Plan" - Seattle Department of Human Resources - https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/HumanResources/Class%20Comp/SalarySchedule.pdf
  21. ↑ Council Connection (September 19, 2021). Councilmember Sawant: We Must All Back the Courageous Carpenters Strike Archived September 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine . Council Connection . Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  22. ↑ "1910-1946 - CityArchives | seattle.gov". www.seattle.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Great Northern Tunnel -- Seattle". www.historylink.org. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  24. ↑ "General and Special Elections - CityArchives | seattle.gov". www.seattle.gov. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  25. ↑ Roberts, Gregory (April 27, 2007). "Charlie Chong, 1926-2007: Former councilman blazed trail in City Hall". The Seattle P-I. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  26. ↑ "1946-2015". Seattle Municipal Archives. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  27. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (April 2, 2015). "Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark stepping down to work at UW". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  28. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (April 22, 2019). "Seattle City Council appoints Abel Pacheco to succeed Rob Johnson". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  29. ↑ Kroman, David (January 23, 2024). "Seattle City Council chooses Tanya Woo for open seat". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 26, 2024.

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