It’s been a rough few years downtown. Pre-pandemic, despite the economic boom, residents were confronting rising crime, street disorder and livability issues like daily gridlock and real estate developments indifferent to neighbors’ rights. Businesses of all sizes struggled with high rents and high levels of shoplifting and other crimes.  

When the pandemic hit, offices closed, hundreds of renters left downtown, and businesses shuttered en masse. Congregate shelters and the county jail were no longer safe options. Those struggling with drugs and behavioral health fended for themselves, camping in parks or on downtown streets.  Shortly after, the murder of George Floyd ignited months of social unrest followed by calls to defund the police.

These situations weren’t unique to Seattle, but the responses were. Next week’s key races will decide whether City leadership will be empowered to open the door to change or simply continue with the status quo. 

Based on DRA’s charter of promoting a livable, safe downtown, we endorse the following candidates:

Mayor: Bruce Harrell

An attorney and former Council President, Harrell pledges to “own the problem” of homelessness and unite public and private stakeholders to solve the crisis in one term. A former Council Member, Harrell understands its dynamics and believes he can foster cooperation in this often-contentious body.  His opponent is current Council President Lorena Gonzalez who throughout the campaign, refused to meet or answer written questions from some downtown organizations. Gonzalez frequently blames homelessness and other social ills on big corporations who don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Despite her position of authority, she reportedly described the City’s mechanism to report homelessness concerns as appearing to go “in a black hole somewhere.”

City Council Position 8: Kenneth Wilson

An engineer and political novice, Wilson faces an uphill battle against well-funded incumbent Teresa Mosqueda.  Wilson says he’ll apply an engineer’s objectivity and analytical skills to solving the City’s homelessness and infrastructure problems. Perhaps his strongest attribute is the willingness to listen with an open mind. Mosqueda, who chairs the Council’s budget committee, helped lead the effort on police defunding without strong alternatives in place. As co-chair of the powerful Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, Mosqueda has frequently criticized and sought changes to weaken public Design Review, the only avenue neighbors have to affect change in adjacent development.

Council Position 9: Sara Nelson

Owner of Fremont Brewery and once a Council staffer, Nelson would add a small business perspective lacking from the Council. Compared to her opponent, attorney and progressive activist Nikita Oliver, Nelson offers a boots-on-the-ground, moderate approach not often heard in City Hall on issues like police reform, homelessness, and prosecution of misdemeanors.

City Attorney: Ann Davison

Davison and her opponent, Nicole Kennedy-Smith represent a stark contrast in administering justice. For eight years, outgoing City Attorney Pete Holmes has pursued an informal policy of not prosecuting many misdemeanor crimes. Candidate Nicole Kennedy-Smith would push this policy even further. She is a self-described abolitionist who recently told a downtown neighborhood group downtown crime is nothing new and her approach to crime would center on helping victims. Ann Davison disagrees, promoting civil justice with common sense as well as compassion.

Learn more about the candidates in their own words in this King County video voters guide.