Seattle voters have one week left to submit their ballots for the 2021 primary election. While the mayoral race following Mayor Jenny Durkan’s controversial one-term incumbency has caught the attention of voters and many, many candidates, there are plenty of other important races to follow. Here’s what’s on your ballot for city attorney and the two citywide council seats.
Attorney
According to the city’s website, the city attorney is the chief legal advisor, litigator and municipal prosecutor for the city of Seattle, as well as head of the city’s Law Department. This is not a lawmaking or executing body, and thus the position is nonpartisan. The position is elected every four years.
Ann Davison
Davison, an attorney, is set to challenge the 12-year status quo. In addition to a 16-year-long legal career, Davison is passionate about community service. She first dipped her toe into politics in 2019 when she ran for City Council and then ran for lieutenant governor as a Republican.
Pete Holmes
Holmes is running for re-election with 12 years of experience in the position. In that time, he worked to legalize marijuana and vacate past possession criminal records. He says, “Now is not the time for an untested voice in this critical office.”
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy
Thomas-Kennedy’s campaign calls for “Justice. Not jails.” As a public defender, she saw the destabilizing effect of criminalization and incarceration. She believes the only way forward is abolition.
Council
Two citywide council seats will be on the ballot this November. City Council is the city’s legislative or lawmaking body and has two at-large positions, 8 and 9, which alternate four-year election cycles with the seven district seats. Council position 8 is currently held by Teresa Mosqueda. She and 10 other candidates are competing in a predominately male race. Council President M. Lorena González chose not to rerun for council position 9 to run for mayor instead; seven hopefuls are vying for her spot.
Position 8
Brian Fahey
A trade-worker his entire working life, Fahey wants to bring pragmatism to the issues he would address in council position 8. He also encourages Seattlites to become police officers in their communities.
Jordan Elizabeth Fisher
Fisher is running to increase millennial representation. She wrote passionately about the George Floyd protests in The Stranger, is against Compassion Seattle and thinks blockchain can save Seattle $1 billion.
George Freeman
This candidate did not submit a candidate statement, but according to his website, Freeman believes in accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative. He plans to address homelessness with “sanctuary” parks for encampments.
Paul Felipe Glumaz
Retiree Glumaz says he’s running to keep Seattle from becoming a “broken-down, impoverished, crime ridden and drug infested slum.” He stresses that he is against efforts to defund the police.
Jesse James
A self-described populist, James is the founder of the Players Party, a grassroots movement of small business owners, local musicians and everyday people, according to James. He also emphasizes casino legalization.
Kate Martin
Martin posits her campaign as a confrontation to the incumbent. Having lived in Seattle for 42 years, Martin is concerned about how the council is spending taxpayer money.
Bobby Lindsey Miller
Miller stresses transparency and accountability. He says on his website, “Accountability is required and integrity is non-negotiable.” Finding governmental misuse and illicit spending appears to be his focus.
Teresa Mosqueda
The Seattle Times editorial board chose not to endorse any candidate for this position, saying Mosqueda, the incumbent, faces only nominal competition and is “one of the farthest-left voices on a council that needs moderation.” She has called to defund police and curb Amazon, homeless sweeps and single-family zoning.
Alex Tsimerman
A serial candidate in city and statewide elections, Tsimerman asks voters to “Stop Seattle fascism with idiotic face.” He believes Seattle is the number one fascist city in America.
Alexander White
A lifelong Seattleite, White is worried about homelessness and property crime. He plans to “forgo political activism and divisive politics and focus on running our city for a safer, stronger Seattle.”
Kenneth Wilson
Wilson is not happy with the council’s current direction. If elected, he says he will lean heavily on his analytical, engineering and infrastructure background.
Position 9
Corey Eichner
Eichner is a high school assistant principal. He wants to bring progressive policies to solve problems. Eichner calls for police reform, not defunding, and transitional housing so that encampments don’t become “permanent fixtures” in parks.
Xtian Gunther
A “big P Progressive,” Gunther stresses environmentalism, compassion, diversity, equity and inclusion. He wants to demilitarize most of the police and create a public utility to build and manage green housing for all.
Lindsay McHaffie
Homelessness is a focus for most candidates, but McHaffie says she has actually lived it. McHaffie says she will bring level-headedness to city government. Notably, she is running her campaign without any financial contributions.
Sara Nelson
Co-founder and owner of Fremont Brewing, Nelson believes in housing-first policies, delivering basic services and police reform without defunding. She says she is a policy nerd who watches the Seattle Channel for fun.
Nikkita Oliver
Attorney, professor and artist Oliver has made a name for themself in the Seattle activism scene. They are a founding member of the Seattle’s People Party and advocate for an end to sweeps and to reallocate funds from policing to community.
Brianna K. Thomas
Thomas is pursuing the job of her boss, González. A proponent of worker’s rights, Thomas led the fight for $15 an hour in SeaTac and helped build a review system for the Seattle Police Department.
Rebecca L. Williamson
Williamson, a Walmart employee, says her education comes not only from local community colleges but from working-class struggles. Williamson is running with the Socialist Workers Party and demands an “immediate, massive public works program, funded by the federal government.”
Hannah Krieg studied journalism at the University of Washington. She is especially interested in covering politics, social issues and anything that gives her an excuse to speak with activists.
Read more of the July 28 - Aug. 3, 2021 issue.