Seattle City Council | |
---|---|
City Council | |
Map of the seven districts effective January 2016 | |
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Unicameral |
Leadership | |
President of the Council | Sara Nelson (D) |
Structure | |
Seats | 9 |
Political groups | Democratic (9) |
Committees | List
|
Elections | |
First-past-the-post with a Nonpartisan blanket primary | |
Last election | November 7, 2023 |
Meeting place | |
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 sole responsibility of approving the city's budget, and develops laws and policies intended to promote the health and safety of Seattle's residents. The Council 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.)
District | Member | Party preference | First elected |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Rob Saka | Democratic | 2023 |
2 | Tammy Morales | Democratic | 2019 |
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) | Tanya Woo | Democratic | 2024 [lower-alpha 1] |
9 (at-large) | Sara Nelson | Democratic | 2021 |
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.
Candidates may participate in Seattle's unique democracy voucher program, which provides residents with vouchers to give candidates for public campaign funding.
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*. [6] Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the decennial U.S. census, beginning in 2022. [7]
District | Neighborhoods |
---|---|
1 | West Seattle, Delridge, South Park, Harbor Island, Industrial District* |
2 | Beacon Hill*, Central District*, Downtown*, Rainier Valley*, Georgetown, Columbia City, Seward Park, Industrial District* |
3 | Beacon Hill*, Capitol Hill*, Cascade*, Central District*, First Hill*, Montlake, Rainier Valley* |
4 | Bryant, Cascade*, Fremont, Laurelhurst, Maple Leaf*, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Sand Point, University District, View Ridge, Wallingford*, Wedgwood* |
5 | Bitter Lake, Broadview, Greenwood*, Haller Lake, Lake City, Maple Leaf*, North Beach/Blue Ridge*, Northgate, Roosevelt*, View Ridge, Wedgwood* |
6 | Ballard, Crown Hill, Fremont*, Green Lake*, Greenwood*, North Beach/Blue Ridge*, Phinney Ridge, Wallingford* |
7 | Belltown, Capitol Hill*, Cascade*, Downtown*, First Hill*, Interbay, Magnolia, South Lake Union, Queen Anne |
8 | At-large position, citywide |
9 | At-large position, citywide |
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. [8] 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. [9] 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. [10]
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. [11]
This section may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards.(March 2021) |
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. [12] 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. [13]
The partial transition to districts started with 2013's elections for Positions 2, 4, 6, and 8 being truncated, two-year terms. [14]
The first primary based on the new combined district/at-large system was held August 4, 2015. The first city council election based on the new system was held on November 3, 2015. [15]
2015's 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. [14] [13]
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. [16]
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. [18]
In 2010, Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Richard Conlin, Nick Licata and Mike O'Brien earn $117,533.52 annually. Councilmembers who were re-elected in 2011, Tim Burgess, Sally J. Clark, Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, and Tom Rasmussen, will earn an annual salary of $119,976.48, effective January 1, 2012. Their salary will remain at this level through December 31, 2015.
In January 2017, salaries of councilmembers are authorized to be $59.08 per hour (councilmembers are paid monthly salaries, however the published compensation plan are presented as hourly rates). This is equivalent to an annualized pay of $123,359.04 [19]
As of April 2018 [update] , salaries of councilmembers are authorized to be $62.11 per hour, an increase of 5% from 2017. This is equivalent to an annualized pay of $129,685.68. [20]
As of 2021, salaries of district councilmembers are authorized to be $65.32 per hour. [21] Annually, councilmembers make as much as $140,000. [22]
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:
Elect. year | Pos 1 | Pos 2 | Pos 3 | Pos 4 | Pos 5 | Pos 6 | Pos 7 | Pos 8 | Pos 9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Sue Donaldson | Jane Noland | Margaret Pageler | Tom Weeks | Sherry Harris | Cheryl Chow | Martha Choe | ||
1993 | Jan Drago | ||||||||
1995 | John E. Manning | Tina Podlodowski | |||||||
1996 | Charlie Chong [note 1] | ||||||||
1997 | Richard Conlin | Peter Steinbrueck | Nick Licata | Richard McIver | |||||
1999 | Judy Nicastro | Heidi Wills | Jim Compton | ||||||
2001 | |||||||||
2003 | Jean Godden | Tom Rasmussen | David J. Della | ||||||
2005 | |||||||||
2007 | Bruce Harrell | Tim Burgess | Sally J. Clark | ||||||
2009 | Sally Bagshaw | Mike O'Brien | |||||||
2011 | |||||||||
2013 | Kshama Sawant | ||||||||
- | Distr 1 | Distr 2 | Distr 3 | Distr 4 | Distr 5 | Distr 6 | Distr 7 | Pos 8 | Pos 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 2] | |||||||||
2017 | Abel Pacheco Jr. [note 3] | Teresa Mosqueda | |||||||
2019 | Tammy Morales | Alex Pedersen | Dan Strauss | Andrew Lewis | |||||
2021 | Sara Nelson |
The 1963 State Elections Act (RCW 29.13) mandated ... Terms of office were to begin on the first day of the next year.
All city, town, and special purpose district elective offices shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
Honolulu City Council is the legislature of the City and County of Honolulu, the capital and largest city in Hawai'i, the fiftieth state in the United States. The City and County of Honolulu is a municipal corporation that manages government aspects traditionally exercised by both municipalities and counties in other states. Each of the nine members of its city council is elected to a four-year term and can serve no more than two consecutive terms. Council members are elected by voters in nine administrative districts that, since 1991, are reapportioned every ten years. Like the Honolulu mayor, members of the city council are elected via nonpartisan elections.
The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan, and elect a mayor to a four-year term; there are no term limits. The mayor's office is in Boston City Hall, in Government Center.
The Los Angeles City Council is the lawmaking body of Los Angeles. It has 15 members from 15 council districts that are spread throughout the city.
The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is the result of a merger of King County and the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, better known as Metro, which was a federated county-city structure responsible for water quality and public transportation.
The Minneapolis City Council is the legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, United States. Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern the city. Each member represents one of the 13 wards in Minneapolis, elected for a four-year term. The current council structure has been in place since the 1950s. In recent elections, council membership has been dominated by the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). As of 2024, 12 members identified with the DFL, while four identified with Democratic Socialists of America. Until the 2021 Minneapolis City Council election, the city's government structure was considered a weak-mayor, strong-council system. However, a charter amendment was passed that gave the mayor more power and reduced the council to purely legislative duties.
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state and is overseen directly by the federal government.
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County.
The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no limit on the number of terms an individual can serve. Boston uses a strong-mayor form of government in which the city council acts as a check against the power of the executive branch, the mayor. The council is responsible for approving the city budget; monitoring, creating, and abolishing city agencies; making land use decisions; and approving, amending, or rejecting other legislative proposals.
The Sacramento City Council is the governing body of the city of Sacramento, California. The council holds regular meetings at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm, with exceptions for holidays and other special cases.
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday evenings on the fourth floor of the Baltimore City Hall. The council has seven standing committees, all of which must have at least three members. As of 2022, the president receives an annual salary of $131,798, the vice president gets $84,729 and the rest of councillors receive $76,660. The current city council president, Nick Mosby, was sworn on December 10, 2020.
The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a location besides city hall. The Detroit City Council has elected Mary Sheffield to be its president. The council may convene for special meetings at the call of the mayor or of at least four members of council.
The Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members: the council president, twelve members elected from districts within the city, and three members representing at-large posts. The city council is the legislative branch of the Atlanta city government.
The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of San Diego, California. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council uses a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as the executive. There are currently nine members of the council. City council members serve a four-year term and are limited to two successive terms.
Bloomfield, New Jersey was incorporated on March 23, 1812. It operates under a Special Charter granted under an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. The township is governed by a mayor and a six-member Township Council. The mayor and three councilmembers are elected at-large, and one member from each of three wards, with all positions chosen on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. Councilmembers are elected to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with the three at-large seats up for election together and the three ward seats coming up for election two years later. Bloomfield's charter, retains most of the characteristics of the Town form, with additional powers delegated to an administrator. The mayors are:
The Oakland City Council is an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland, California.
Municipal elections were held in San Diego in 2016 for mayor, city attorney, city council, and ballot measures. The primary election was held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Five of the nine council seats were contested. Two city council incumbents ran for reelection.
Local elections in the Philippines were held on May 13, 2019. This was conducted together with the 2019 general election for national positions. All elected positions above the barangay (village) level were disputed. The following positions were disputed:
The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is Kirk Watson. The duty of the council is to decide the city budget, taxes, and various other ordinances. While the council is officially nonpartisan, all but one current council member are affiliated with the Democratic Party.
Mayoral elections in Irvine, California, are held every two years.