Tammy Morales

Last updated

Tammy Morales
Tammy Morales (Feb 2024).jpg
Member of the Seattle City Council
from District 2
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2020

Tammy Janine Morales (born October 23, 1968) is an American politician from Seattle, Washington. She was elected to represent District 2 on the Seattle City Council in November 2019.

Contents

In December 2024, Morales announced she would be stepping down from the Seattle City Council on January 6, citing a hostile work environment from the rest of the council.

Early life and education

Morales was raised in San Antonio, Texas by a single mother who worked two jobs. [2] [3] Morales attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and later earned a Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. [4] [5]

Career

Morales served as Legislative Director for a state legislator in the Texas House of Representatives, where she worked with state agencies and advocates to develop legislation on TANF initiatives, childcare funding, and low-income housing. [4] Morales then worked as a budget and policy analyst for the New York City Independent Budget Office, where she focused on children's service agencies. [6] [7]

Morales moved to Seattle in 2000 and worked for nonprofits focused on community development. [4] Morales later started a consulting firm providing public policy research and advocacy, especially in food access with clients such as the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment and Seattle-King County Public Health. [4] [5] [7]

Morales completed a two-year term as a Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Seattle in July 2019 and also served on the board of the Rainier Beach Action Coalition. [4] [5] [8] [9]

Seattle City Council

2015 election

In 2015, Morales ran for Seattle city council in District 2 against two-term incumbent Bruce Harrell. [5] In the August primary, Morales came in a distant second of three candidates with 24.66%, and Harrell coming in first with 61.72%. [10] In the general election, Morales lost to Harrell by 344 votes. [11]

2019 election

In January 2019, Morales declared her candidacy for Seattle City Council District 2 and received an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Seattle, who co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. [12] The next day, Harrell announced he would not run for re-election. [13] During the primary, Mayor Jenny Durkan, in an email to supporters, called Morales a "socialist" — Morales's political affiliation is Democrat — and endorsed Mark Solomon, a crime prevention specialist. [14] In the August primary, Morales came in first among seven challengers with 50.07%, with Solomon coming in second with 23.19%. [15]

Morales focused her campaign on social justice issues, like expanding affordable housing and childcare. [6] She also supported a head tax for Seattle corporations, legislation opposed by Amazon, and that in 2018 Seattle City Council approved then quickly rescinded. [16] [17] Morales, along with incumbents Lisa Herbold and Kshama Sawant, received national attention when Amazon donated $1.45 million to support opposing candidates via the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's political action committee, the Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy (CASE). [18] [19]

Morales won the 2019 general election with 60.47% of the vote to Soloman's 39.08%. [20]

2023 election

In February 2023, Morales announced that she would run for reelection, focusing her campaign on her progressive accomplishments, such as creating the Jumpstart tax. [21] She faced two challengers, community activist Tanya Woo and Green Party member and disabled veteran Margaret Elisabeth. [22] In the August primary election, Morales and Woo advanced to the general election, with 52% and 42%, respectively. [23]

After the primary, Woo held a press conference with councilmember Sara Nelson and community leaders who all criticized the city's and Morales' response to address the drug use and illegal market that had negatively impacted the Little Saigon neighborhood. [24] Morales responded saying, "...if the chief can reallocate where we what we have right now so that the areas that are needing more attention are getting it that would be great." [24] At a debate, Woo accused Morales of voting to defund the police when she voted on a non-binding resolution, which Morales denied despite her past statements showing support. [25] Morales was critical of Woo's activism around stopping the SoDo shelter expansion due to the lack of shelter beds for homeless individuals. [25]

In the November general election, Morales won 50.65% of the vote to Woo's 49.1%, with a narrow margin of 403 votes. [26]

Tenure

Morales assumed the office of District 2 Councilmember in January 2020, representing Rainier Beach, Beacon Hill, Chinatown/International District, SODO, and Georgetown. [27] While in office, Morales supported progressive taxes, such as the Jumpstart Tax. [21] She shepherded legislation that would close the just-cause eviction loophole, and secured funding for street sinks, improving sidewalks and a local abortion fund. [28] Morales would vote in favor of a nonbinding resolution that, in part, supported defunding the police and defended her position, saying, "This is about allocating resources in a way that starts to actually serve the community better." [29]

Morales had been criticized by some constituents in the Chinatown International District for a lack of city response to increased crime and homelessness in the neighborhood. [30] In response to the criticism, she pointed to monthly meetings with community leaders and touring the neighborhood, and stated, "I would say absolutely, all levels of government need to be more authentic in their engagement with the CID in particular." [31] In 2024, Morales would be the lone vote against legislation that would create Stay Out of Drug Areas, including one located in the Little Saigon neighborhood, stating it would be ineffective. [32]

In 2024, Morales introduced legislation to the Housing and Human Services Committee to reduce red tape for affordable housing developers, which was voted down in a committee vote. [33] [34] After the vote, Morales said "Despite the fact that everybody’s talking about the need for more affordable housing, when it comes down to it, there’s either no understanding of how we actually get there, or no willingness to really take action." [33] At the next full council meeting, councilmember Cathy Moore accused Morales of calling other councilmembers "evil, corporate shills" and of "The vilification of your fellow council members in the media—it is uncalled for, it is unprofessional." [33] [34] [35] There is no record of Morales calling other councilmembers "evil, corporate shills." [33] [34] [35]

On December 4, 2024, Morales announced she will be resigning from the Seattle City Council effective January 6, 2025, citing and criticizing how the council has been operating. [36] Morales described a "venomous" work culture by her colleagues who she accused of undermining her as a policymaker. [37] She stated, “For all the talk of civility and respecting one another's differences, every time I have expressed a difference of opinion, I've been attacked from the dias. My colleagues have called me lazy, they’ve called me a poor leader, they’ve called me performative. I've been accused of misinforming the public, I’ve been accused of impugning the motives of my colleagues just because I raised a question.” [38]

Personal life

Morales has been a Seattle resident for over 20 years. She has three kids - two in the Seattle Public School system and one at Portland State University. Morales and her family live in Lakewood, near Seward Park. [3]

She is Jewish. [39]

Electoral history

2015 election

Seattle City Council District 2, Primary Election 2015 [40]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 8,066 61.72%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 3,223 24.66%
Nonpartisan Josh Farris1,72513.20%
Nonpartisan Write-in550.42%
Turnout 13,25826.81%
Registered electors 49,450
Seattle City Council District 2, General Election 2015 [41]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 9,532 50.79%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales9,18848.96%
Nonpartisan Write-in460.25%
Turnout 19,86639.74%
Registered electors 49,987

2019 election

Seattle City Council District 2, Primary Election 2019 [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 10,630 50.07%
Nonpartisan Mark Solomon 4,923 23.19%
Nonpartisan Ari Hoffman2,45111.54%
Nonpartisan Phyllis Porter1,2545.91%
Nonpartisan Chris Peguero1,0004.71%
Nonpartisan Omari Tahir-Garrett6072.86%
Nonpartisan Henry Dennison3041.43%
Nonpartisan Write-in610.29%
Turnout 22,17237.80%
Registered electors 58,655
Seattle City Council District 2, General Election 2019 [42]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 16,379 60.47%
Nonpartisan Mark Solomon10,58639.08%
Nonpartisan Write-in1210.45%
Turnout 28,40047.82%
Registered electors 59,389

2023 election

Seattle City Council District 2, Primary Election 2023 [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 10,326 52.28%
Nonpartisan Tanya Woo 8,406 42.56%
Nonpartisan Margaret Elisabeth9374.74%
Nonpartisan Write-in810.41%
Turnout 20,15630.65%
Registered electors 65,763
Seattle City Council District 2, General Election 2023 [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 13,123 50.65%
Nonpartisan Tanya Woo12,27049.10%
Nonpartisan Write-in640.25%
Turnout 26,47940.13%
Registered electors 65,990

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle City Council</span> Legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington

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.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Harrell</span> Mayor of Seattle

Bruce Allen Harrell is an American politician and attorney serving as the 57th and current mayor of Seattle, Washington. He was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2008 to 2020. From 2016 to 2020, he was president of the city council. He was acting mayor of Seattle from September 13 to 18, 2017. He was elected mayor in his own right in the 2021 Seattle mayoral election, becoming the city's second Black mayor, and its first African-Asian American mayor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Burgess (politician)</span> American politician

Timothy L. Burgess is an American journalist and politician from Seattle, Washington. He was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2007 to 2017, and served as Mayor of Seattle for 71 days in late 2017. Prior to his political career, Burgess was a radio journalist and Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kshama Sawant</span> Indian-American politician and economist

Kshama Sawant is an Indian-American politician and economist who served on the Seattle City Council from 2014 to 2024. She was a member of Socialist Alternative, the first and only member of the party to date to be elected to public office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Mosqueda</span> Seattle politician and activist

Teresa Carmen Mosqueda is an American politician and labor activist from Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the King County Council and has represented District 8 since 2024. Mosqueda was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2017 to 2023, in at-large position 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorena González (Seattle politician)</span> American politician

Maria Lorena González is an American lawyer and former politician who was a member of the Seattle City Council from position 9. She was the first Latino elected to the council. She was a candidate for mayor of Seattle in 2021 but was defeated by Bruce Harrell 59 percent to 41 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Herbold</span> American politician

Lisa Anne Herbold is an American politician. She served on the Seattle City Council representing the 1st District, which covers part of West Seattle. She was first elected in 2015 after narrowly defeating Shannon Braddock, and was sworn into office on January 4, 2016. She was reelected in November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Seattle mayoral election</span>

The 2017 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017. It was won by former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, who beat civic activist Cary Moon in the general election by 15 percentage points. The two candidates had advanced from an earlier primary election held in August, which ensured that Seattle would have its first female mayor since Bertha Knight Landes was elected in 1926. Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan though most candidates have declared party affiliations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Strauss</span> American politician

Daniel Aaron Strauss is an American politician who serves on the Seattle City Council from District 6. A native of Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, he previously worked as an aide to local politicians, including Seattle councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew J. Lewis (politician)</span> American politician (born 1989)

Andrew Joseph Lewis is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Seattle City Council from District 7. He was an assistant city attorney before his election to city council and worked on political campaigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Pedersen (politician)</span> American politician (born 1969)

Alex C. Pedersen is an American politician and former member of the Seattle City Council. He represented Seattle's District 4, which includes Wallingford, the University District, and Sand Point, from November 2019 until completing his term of office in December 2023. Previously, Pedersen was an aide to city councilmember Tim Burgess and a private sector housing finance analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Seattle mayoral election</span>

The 2021 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the Mayor of Seattle. It was won by former Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell, who defeated then-current President Lorena González; both candidates had advanced from a nonpartisan primary election on August 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayoral elections in Irvine, California</span>

Mayoral elections in Irvine, California, are held every two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Seattle City Council election</span>

The 2019 Seattle City Council election was held on November 5, 2019. Seven seats of the nine-member Seattle City Council were up for election. Four incumbent members of the city council did not run for reelection, while the remaining three incumbents all won reelection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Seattle City Attorney election</span>

The 2021 Seattle City Attorney election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent City Attorney Pete Holmes sought reelection to a fourth term in office, but came third place in the officially nonpartisan August 3 primary election and failed to advance to the general election, with both Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison finishing ahead of Holmes in the primary. Davison defeated Thomas-Kennedy in the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Seattle City Council election</span>

The 2023 Seattle City Council election was held on November 7, 2023, following a primary election on August 1. The seven district-based seats of the nine-member Seattle City Council are up for election; the districts were modified based on the results of the 2020 census. Four incumbent members of the city council did not seek reelection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Woo</span> American politician

Tanya Woo (胡清雅) is an American politician from Seattle, Washington. She ran for Seattle City Council in 2023 in District 2 against incumbent Tammy Morales but lost by a narrow margin of 403 votes. Woo was then appointed to the city-wide District 8 seat in January 2024 but lost that seat in the November 2024 special election to Alexis Mercedes Rinck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Wills</span> American politician

Heidi Wills is an American former politician who was a member of the Seattle City Council from 2000 to 2004. In 2019, she ran for city council in District 7 but lost in the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Saka</span> American politician

Rob Saka is an American lawyer and politician elected to represent District 1 of the Seattle City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathy Moore</span> American politician

Cathy Moore is an American lawyer and politician elected to represent District 5 of the Seattle City Council. She was a King County Superior Court judge from 2017 to 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Anthony, Stephen. "Kshama Sawant Made the Wrong Decision to not Run for Reelection". The Activist. Young Democratic Socialists of America. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ Robinson, Chetanya (February 14, 2019). "District 2 candidate Tammy Morales hopes to bring community power from the CID and south Seattle to City Council". International Examiner. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "About Councilmember Tammy J. Morales". Seattle City Council. 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Reyna, Luna (October 2, 2023). "Meet the District 2 Seattle City Council Candidates: Tammy Morales". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kramer Jenning, Linda (August 26, 2019). "Rebound Candidates: Will Past Defeat Help Tammy Morales?". Post Alley. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Oron, Guy (July 2, 2019). "Meet The District 2 Candidates: Tammy Morales". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Beekman, Daniel (October 10, 2019). "Seattle City Council District 2: Tammy Morales takes on Mark Solomon, who's backed by mayor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Seattle Human Rights Commission". Seattle.gov. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  9. ↑ "RBAC Spotlight: Tammy Morales". Rainier Beach Action Coalition. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  10. ↑ Feit, Josg (November 6, 2015). "Major Upset Brewing in Southeast Seattle as Morales Pushes Incumbent Harrell to Brink in City Council Race". Seattle Met. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Can Tammy Morales Win a Council Race and Finish What She Started Four Years Ago?". The Stranger. January 10, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (January 7, 2019). "U.S. Rep. Jayapal endorses a Harrell challenger as Seattle City Council incumbents weigh options". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (January 8, 2019). "Bruce Harrell third incumbent who won't seek re-election to Seattle City Council". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  14. ↑ Radil, Amy (July 25, 2019). "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan calls a council candidate a socialist but dismisses charge of 'red-baiting'". KUOW. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  15. 1 2 "King County Official Final, Primary Election" (PDF). King County Elections. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  16. ↑ Brown, Karina (November 7, 2019). "Amazon's Attempt to Flip Seattle City Council Appears to Be Flopping as Votes Are Tallied". Court House News Service. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  17. ↑ Weise, Elizabeth (June 13, 2018). "In a fast about-face, Seattle caves to Amazon, overturns landmark corporate head tax". USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ Bowman, Nick (November 5, 2019). "Bernie Sanders throws support behind quartet of Seattle council candidates". MyNorthwest. Bonneville Seattle. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  19. ↑ Nickelsburg, Monica (October 24, 2019). "Activists and politicians protest Amazon spending on Seattle elections: 'The country is watching'". GeekWire. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ "King County Official Final, General Election" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Archibald, Ashley (February 1, 2023). "Councilmember Tammy Morales announces reelection bid". Real Change News. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  22. ↑ Taylor, Sarah Grace (May 26, 2023). "Seattle City Council elections 2023: Meet District 2 candidates". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  23. 1 2 "Election Results" (PDF). King County Elections. August 14, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  24. 1 2 Daniels, Chris (September 5, 2023). "Council member publicly blames colleague for south Seattle public safety failures". KOMO News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  25. 1 2 Hyde, David; Denckmann, Libby; Burrows, Jason (October 11, 2023). "Sharp disagreements over homeless sweeps, policing in South Seattle City Council race" . Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  26. 1 2 "King County Official Results November 2023 Election" (PDF). King County Elections. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  27. ↑ Robinson, Chetanya (January 7, 2020). "Morales, New City Council Members Sworn In, Offering New Visions for Seattle and the South End". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  28. ↑ Smith, Rich (February 1, 2023). "Seattle City Council Member Tammy Morales Announces Reelection Campaign". The Stranger. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  29. ↑ Daniels, Chris (February 2, 2023). "Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales announces re-election bid". KOMO. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  30. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (December 28, 2021). "They've helped Seattle's Chinatown International District survive. Now they say government must do more". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  31. ↑ Cohen, Josh (February 1, 2023). "Incumbent Tammy Morales seeks re-election in Seattle District 2". Cascade PBS. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  32. ↑ Smith, Helen (September 17, 2024). "Seattle Seattle City Council approves 'stay out' zones for people with drug, prostitution arrests". King5. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Barnett, Erica C. (April 30, 2024). ""I'm Losing My Temper": Moore Accuses Morales of Calling Her Council Colleagues "Evil… Corporate Shills"". Publicola. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  34. 1 2 3 Kreig, Hannah (May 1, 2024). "Seattle City Council Kills Affordable Housing Development Incentive Package". The Stranger. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  35. 1 2 Packer, Ryan (August 7, 2024). "Seattle Council Punts Social Housing Funding Vote to 2025". The Urbanist. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales is resigning". The Seattle Times. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  37. ↑ Staff (December 4, 2024). "Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales steps down, citing harmful work environment". KUOW. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  38. ↑ Krieg, Hannah. "Tammy Morales Resigns from City Council, Calls For Culture Change As New Progressive Swears In". The Stranger. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Candidates to represent CID make their case in annual forum". Northwest Asian Weekly. July 21, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  40. ↑ "King County Official Final, Primary Election". King County Elections. August 17, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  41. ↑ "King County Official Final, General Election". King County Elections. November 24, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  42. ↑ "King County Official Final Election Results, General Election" (PDF). King County Elections. November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.