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Bruce Harrell

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Bruce Harrell
Photograph of Bruce Harrell
Harrell in 2022
54th and 57th Mayor of Seattle
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byJenny Durkan
Acting
September 13, 2017 – September 18, 2017
Preceded byEd Murray
Succeeded byTim Burgess
President of the Seattle City Council
In office
January 5, 2016 – January 5, 2020
Preceded byTim Burgess
Succeeded byLorena González
Member of the Seattle City Council
In office
January 3, 2008 – January 6, 2020
Preceded byPeter Steinbrueck
Succeeded byTammy Morales
ConstituencyDistrict 2 (2016–2020)
Position 3 (2008–2016)
Personal details
Born
Bruce Allen Harrell

(1958-10-10) October 10, 1958 (age 66)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Joanne Harrell
​
(m. 1992)​
Residence(s)Seward Park, Washington, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Washington (BA, JD)
City University of Seattle (MS)

Bruce Allen Harrell (born October 10, 1958)[1] 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.[2] He was acting mayor of Seattle from September 13 to 18, 2017.[3][4] 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.

Early life and education

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Harrell was born in 1958 in Seattle, to an African American father who worked for Seattle City Light and a Japanese American mother who worked for the Seattle Public Library. As a child during World War II, Harrell's mother was incarcerated with her family at Minidoka internment camp in Idaho.[5] Growing up, Harrell and his family lived in the Central District in Seattle in a minority neighborhood. He attended Garfield High School and played football there as a linebacker, becoming named to the all-Metro team.[6] He graduated from Garfield in 1976 as class valedictorian.[7]

After high school, Harrell attended the University of Washington on a football scholarship, rejecting an offer to attend Harvard University.[8] He played for the Washington Huskies football team from 1976 to 1979 and was named to the 1979 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team. He received the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, made the national Academic All-American First Team in football, and was named the Husky defensive player of the year.[9] In 2013, he was inducted into the NW Football Hall of Fame.[9]

Harrell graduated from the University of Washington in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law in 1984. In 1994, he earned a master's degree in organizational design and improvement from City University of Seattle. Harrell received the University of Washington Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 and its Timeless Award in 2012.[10]

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After attending law school, Harrell joined US West, now Lumen Technologies, in 1987. Harrell was chief legal advisor to the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, chief legal advisor to the First A.M.E. Church and First A.M.E. Housing Corporation,[11] chief counsel to US West, and general counsel to Moovn[12][13] and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Zeta Pi Lambda chapter.

Seattle City Council (2008-2020)

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Councilman Harrell with mayor Ed Murray met with African American leaders

Harrell was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2007. In 2011, he wrote a letter to now former US Attorney Jenny Durkan asking that the federal government mandate body cameras in Seattle.[14]

In 2014, Harrell was the only dissenting vote when the City Council's land use committee voted to rezone the area around the Mount Baker Light Rail Station to permit dense housing construction. Harrell unsuccessfully introduced amendments that would have delayed the upzoning indefinitely for further study and reduced the amount of housing that could be constructed near the public transit station.[15] When the upzoning was put up to a vote in the City Council, Harrell was the only member to vote against it.[16]

Following years of at-large city council elections, Harrell was reelected into the newly created District 2 position after a change to district-based city council elections. On January 4, 2016, he was sworn in to the District 2 office and elected council president by fellow councilmembers.[17] In 2016, Harrell supported a measure to attempt to bring back the Seattle SuperSonics, but the measure was defeated in a 5–4 vote.[18][19]

Acting mayor of Seattle

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Harrell being sworn in as acting mayor

Harrell was sworn in as acting mayor of Seattle on September 13, 2017, after Mayor Ed Murray resigned due to multiple allegations of child abuse, rape and sexual molestation.[3][20] Harrell served as acting mayor for a five-day period, after which the city council elected Tim Burgess to fill the position until the November election.[21] Harrell declined to continue as acting mayor until November, which would have required him to lose his city council seat.[22]

Mayor of Seattle (2022-present)

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Harrell joins other individuals that had recently won mayoral elections in meeting President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House

After Mayor Jenny Durkan announced in 2021 that she would not seek reelection, Harrell announced his candidacy. He won the November 2021 election and was sworn in as the 57th mayor of Seattle on January 1, 2022.[23]

Appointments and staff

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Harrell during an October 2022 press announcement

Deputy Mayor Kendee Yamaguchi resigned in July 2022. Harrell informed his cabinet that Greg Wong, the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods, would be promoted to deputy mayor.[24][25] Harrell appointed Adrian Diaz, the interim chief of the Seattle Police Department, to become permanent in September 2022.[26] Harrell appointed Gino Bettis, the former assistant state's attorney for Cook County, Illinois, as director of the Office of Police Accountability on August 1, 2022.[27] In February 2022, Harrell announced the appointment of State Representative Jessyn Farrell as Director of Sustainability and Environment.[citation needed] In July 2022, Harrell nominated Gregg Spotts as director of the Seattle Department of Transportation.[28] In September 2022, Harrell named Parks Anthony-Paul Diaz as Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent.[29]

Issues

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Harrell with (U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in 2022

Housing

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Harrell with U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh in March 2022

In 2023, Harrell sought to limit the applicability of a new Washington state law that permitted construction of fourplexes and sixplexes in zones previously zoned exclusively for single-family housing. The state law was intended to increase housing construction amid a housing shortage. In explaining Harrell's attempt to limit density and new housing construction, his spokesperson cited concerns over gentrification and displacement.[30]

In July 2022, the Pacific Northwest experienced a historic heat wave that brought dangerously high temperatures to Seattle. Harrell's administration faced harsh criticism for continuing to remove homeless encampments during the heat wave.[31]

In 2024, the Harrell administration released a comprehensive 20-year housing plan that proposed to slow housing construction in Seattle.[32]

Transportation

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In July 2022, Harrell's administration reversed a decision made by former mayor Jenny Durkan to allow the Department of Transportation to issue parking violation tickets instead of the Seattle Police Department. The move resulted in the cancellation of 200,000 parking tickets that had been issued by the Department of Transportation, with Seattle vowing to refund nearly $5 million to those who had paid fines.[33]

Climate change

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In September 2022, Harrell signed Green New Deal legislation in Seattle allocating $6.5 million for climate projects in the city, including funding towards efforts to get city-owned buildings off fossil fuels by 2035.[34]

Harrell with U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel while on a November 2022 trade mission to Japan

Controversies

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China Harbor restaurant event and subsequent Queen Anne mayoral forum

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On October 8, 2021, Harrell, at the time campaigning for mayor, attended a dinner event at China Harbor restaurant, a popular location for political fundraisers, to spread and deliver his mayoral platform.[35] In attendance were political figures including former Washington Governor Gary Locke, Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta, and candidate for Port of Seattle Commission Hamdi Mohamad. The event, which had around 270 attendees, had many COVID-19 restrictions in place by the restaurant, including requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and for eventgoers to wear a mask when not eating, drinking or sitting at their table.[35] According to state law at the time, masks were required in all public, indoor spaces, with the exception of those actively eating or drinking. During the event, Harrell and other attendees were photographed mingling and posing for photos without masks.[35] This drew criticism, including from Seattle journalist Erica Barnett, who shared the photos on Twitter and called the event a "giant, unmasked fundraiser".[35] One of Harrell's mayoral opponents, M. Lorena Gonzalez, later said in a forum that "leadership in my mind means that you cannot play by your own rules when it comes to public health, especially when the city is in a public health crisis".[35] In a statement two days later, Harrell said, "even though I only removed my mask for dining and brief intervals for photographs with friends and community leaders, I understand that people in public life will and should be held to high standards".[35] Locke, Matta, and Mohamad all commented on the story as well: Locke said he tried to wear his mask the whole time but nobody is perfect, Matta that the venue was big enough for everyone to be safe but they were still cautious, and Mohamad that he only removed his mask to eat and some photos.

Barnett, who publicly criticized the event, was also set to be moderator for a forum hosted by the Queen Anne Community Council between Harrell and other mayoral candidates.[35] According to Barnett, Harrell's campaign threatened to withdraw from the forum unless she was removed as a moderator, which she eventually was. This drew a round of criticism, with Gonzalez saying at that forum, "It's my understanding this journalist was one of the first to report on my opponent's decision to host a very large maskless indoor fundraiser in violation of King County's public health mandate".[35] Harrell responded that he "had no discussions with Barnett but the question was posed, why was she the person to host us."[35]

Leaked excerpts from homelessness meeting with Seattle Police Department

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In August 2022, as Harrell was implementing and pushing his "One Seattle'' plan to fight homelessness, excerpts from a meeting with the Seattle Police Department were leaked to the radio station 770 KTTH.[36] In the leaks, he said that "no one has a right to sleep on the streets" and that the "authority" was "working against" his efforts to address homelessness, criticized the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and vowed to work against "inexperienced" City Council members.[37] In later comments he acknowledged his statements, and did not disavow them, but used more "diplomatic" language, according to the Seattle Times.[37] In those comments he also said he had a right to "criticize what he sees" but that he would call anyone who might be offended by his leaked remarks.[37] Lisa Daugaard, the director of the Public Defender Association and overseer of the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, a program to provide care for those who break the law due to extreme poverty, said that its relationship with Harrell was still "in good shape".[37] King County Regional Homelessness Authority CEO Marc Dones did not directly address Harrell's remarks but stated his belief in the Homelessness Authority's work.[37] First-term City Councilmember Andrew Lewis noted that he did not believe the comments meant there would be any substantive changes with the mayor and the council, and that he had no concerns over the remarks.[37]

Personal life

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Harrell and his wife Joanne married in 1992; they have three children and live in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood.[38]

In 2022, Harrell was honored by Gold House (which honors those of Asian Pacific descent). The organization honored him and fellow mayors Aftab Pureval and Michelle Wu as having made the "most impact" in the field of advocacy and policy.[39]

Electoral history

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2007 election

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Seattle City Council Position 3, Primary Election 2007[40]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Venus Velazquez 31,554 43.72%
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 20,520 28.43%
Nonpartisan Al Runte 9,397 13.02%
Nonpartisan John E. Manning 5,665 7.85%
Nonpartisan Scott Feldman 4,810 6.66%
Nonpartisan Write-in 223 0.31%
Turnout 84,038 25.03%
Registered electors 335,746
Seattle City Council Position 3, General Election 2007[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 80,839 59.88%
Nonpartisan Venus Velazquez 53,539 39.66%
Nonpartisan Write-in 626 0.46%
Majority 27,300 20.22%
Turnout 159,120 47.46%
Registered electors 335,276

2011 election

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Seattle City Council Position 3, General Election 2011[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 96,978 61.05%
Nonpartisan Brad Meacham 61,138 38.49%
Nonpartisan Write-in 737 0.46%
Majority 35,840 22.56%
Turnout 197,524 52.87%
Registered electors 373,630

2013 mayoral election

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Mayor of Seattle, Primary Election 2013[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Ed Murray 42,314 29.85%
Nonpartisan Mike McGinn 40,501 28.57%
Nonpartisan Peter Steinbrueck 22,913 16.16%
Nonpartisan Bruce A. Harrell 21,580 15.22%
Nonpartisan Charlie Staadecker 6,288 4.44%
Nonpartisan Doug McQuaid 2,546 1.80%
Nonpartisan Kate Martin, planner 2,479 1.75%
Nonpartisan Mary Martin, factory worker 1,498 1.06%
Nonpartisan Joey Gray 1,318 0.93%
Nonpartisan Write-in 334 0.24%
Turnout 144,306 34.95%
Registered electors 412,847

2015 election

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Seattle City Council District 2, Primary Election 2015[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 8,066 61.72%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 3,223 24.66%
Nonpartisan Josh Farris 1,725 13.20%
Nonpartisan Write-in 55 0.42%
Turnout 13,258 26.81%
Registered electors 49,450
Seattle City Council District 2, General Election 2015[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 9,532 50.79%
Nonpartisan Tammy Morales 9,188 48.96%
Nonpartisan Write-in 46 0.25%
Majority 344 1.83%
Turnout 19,866 39.74%
Registered electors 49,987

2021 mayoral election

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Mayor of Seattle, Primary Election 2021[46][47]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 69,612 34.00%
Nonpartisan Lorena González 65,750 32.11%
Nonpartisan Colleen Echohawk 21,042 10.28%
Nonpartisan Jessyn Farrell 14,931 7.29%
Nonpartisan Arthur Langlie 11,372 5.55%
Nonpartisan Casey Sixkiller 6,918 3.38%
Nonpartisan Andrew Grant Houston 5,485 2.68%
Nonpartisan James Donaldson 3,219 1.57%
Nonpartisan Lance Randall 2,804 1.37%
Nonpartisan Clinton Bliss 1,618 0.79%
Nonpartisan Omari Tahir-Garrett 391 0.19%
Nonpartisan Bobby Tucker 377 0.18%
Nonpartisan Henry Dennison 347 0.17%
Nonpartisan Stan Lippmann 323 0.16%
Nonpartisan Don Rivers 189 0.09%
Write-in 386 0.19%
Total votes 206,814 100.00
Mayor of Seattle, General Election 2021[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Bruce Harrell 155,294 58.56%
Nonpartisan Lorena González 109,132 41.15%
Write-in 777 0.29%
Total votes 265,203 100.00

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Laws, Cindi (October 20, 2015). "The Case for Bruce Harrell". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Beekman, Daniel (January 4, 2016). "New Seattle City Council sworn in Monday". The Seattle Times.
  3. ^ a b Beekman, Daniel (September 13, 2017). "City Council President Bruce Harrell becomes Seattle's 54th mayor; Ed Murray steps down". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  4. ^ DeMay, Daniel (September 18, 2017). "Seattle council picks Burgess as new interim mayor". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Vu, Carol N. (February 3, 2007). "Harrell makes run for City Council". Northwest Asian Weekly. Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  6. ^ Meyers, Georg N. (April 17, 1977). "Bruce found training ground for politics". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  7. ^ Heffter, Emily (July 23, 2013). "Mayoral contender Harrell inspired by his modest roots". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Rockne, Dick (August 26, 1976). "Harvard lost Harrell to Huskies". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
  9. ^ a b "Bruce Harrell inducted to Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame", Northwest Asian Weekly, May 20, 2013
  10. ^ University of Washington Department of Political Science Website http://www.polisci.washington.edu/Alumni/distinguished_alumni.html
  11. ^ "Biography". City of Seattle.
  12. ^ "NOOBIA Trademark of Moovn Technologies, LLC Serial Number: 90023626 :: Trademarkia Trademarks". trademark.trademarkia.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  13. ^ USPTO. "NOOBEA - Moovn Technologies, LLC Trademark Registration". USPTO.report. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  14. ^ "What You Need to Know About Police Body Cameras".
  15. ^ "Mt. Baker Rezone Archives". South Seattle Emerald. June 6, 2014.
  16. ^ "Council Adopts Mount Baker Upzone, with Harrell Dissenting". Seattle Met. 2014.
  17. ^ "Councilmembers Inaugurated in First District-Based Representation System Since 1910, Harrell Elected Council President". Council News Release. January 4, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  18. ^ In 5-4 Vote, City Council Kills Street Vacation for New Sodo Arena | The Stranger
  19. ^ "Seattle Arena: Council rejects vacating Occidental Avenue 5-4 | KING5.com".
  20. ^ "Harrell sworn in as 54th mayor of Seattle".
  21. ^ "With Ed Murray out as Seattle mayor, here's how his duties will be handled". The Seattle Times. September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  22. ^ Beekman, Daniel (September 15, 2017). "Bruce Harrell turns down Seattle mayor's job, council will pick a replacement". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  23. ^ "Bruce Harrell becomes mayor of Seattle New Year's Day". January 2, 2022.
  24. ^ ericacbarnett (August 2, 2022). "Harrell Shakes Up Top Staff, Police Accountability Office Clears Officers Accused of Extortion". PubliCola. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "Seattle Deputy Mayor of External Relations Kendee Yamaguchi resigns". The Seattle Times. August 1, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  26. ^ Taylor, Sarah Grace; Green, Sara Jean (September 21, 2022). "Mayor Bruce Harrell appoints Adrian Diaz permanent Seattle police chief". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "Gino Betts announced as new director of Seattle's Office of Police Accountability". FOX 13 Seattle. July 19, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  28. ^ Housen, Jamie (July 27, 2022). "Mayor Harrell Nominates Greg Spotts to be Next SDOT Director". Office of the Mayor. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  29. ^ Hirsch, Christina (September 29, 2022). "Mayor Harrell Names AP Diaz Next Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent". Parkways. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  30. ^ "Seattle must legalize more quadplexes and sixplexes under new law". Axios. 2023.
  31. ^ Markovich, Matt (July 27, 2022). "'We are not trying to displace anyone'; Mayor Harrell fields criticisms of homeless sweeps during heat wave". FOX 13 Seattle. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "Harrell Throws in the Towel on Housing with a 20-Year Plan to Increase Housing Prices and Worsen Homelessness". PubliCola. March 15, 2024.
  33. ^ "Confusion, miscommunication led to Seattle canceling 200,000 parking tickets". The Seattle Times. July 15, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  34. ^ "Mayor Harrell signs $6.5 million Green New Deal to reduce impact of climate change". king5.com. September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Seattle mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell posed for photos without mask at large event". The Seattle Times. October 10, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  36. ^ "Rantz: Seattle mayor privately blasts homelessness groups, 'inexperienced' council". MyNorthwest.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c d e f "Seattle mayor does damage control after leaked criticism of homelessness agency, City Council". The Seattle Times. August 31, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  38. ^ "'Enough is enough': Bruce Harrell says Seattle's fumbles prompted him to leave retirement, run for mayor". The Seattle Times. July 8, 2021. Harrell married his wife, Joanne Harrell, in 1992. She is a senior director at Microsoft and a University of Washington regent. They have three grown children and live in the Seward Park neighborhood.
  39. ^ "A100 List". Gold House. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  40. ^ "King County Official Final, Primary Election". King County Elections. September 9, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  41. ^ "King County Official Final, General Election". King County Elections. November 27, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  42. ^ "Elections Results - General and Special Election" (PDF). King County Elections. November 28, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  43. ^ "Elections Results - Primary and Special Election" (PDF). King County Elections. August 20, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  44. ^ "Elections Results - Primary and Special Election" (PDF). King County Elections. August 17, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  45. ^ "Elections Results - General and Special Election" (PDF). King County Elections. November 24, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  46. ^ "August 3, 2021 Primary".
  47. ^ "King County August 3, 2021 Primary".
  48. ^ "Election Results – November 02, 2021" (PDF). King County Elections. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Seattle
Acting
2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Seattle
2022–present 		Incumbent
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