Bruce Harrell

Bruce Harrell
Harrell in 2022
54th and 57th Mayor of Seattle
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2022
Preceded by	Jenny Durkan
Acting September 13, 2017 – September 18, 2017
Preceded by	Ed Murray
Succeeded by	Tim Burgess
President of the Seattle City Council
In office January 5, 2016 – January 5, 2020
Preceded by	Tim Burgess
Succeeded by	Lorena González
Member of the Seattle City Council
In office January 3, 2008 – January 6, 2020
Preceded by	Peter Steinbrueck
Succeeded by	Tammy Morales
Constituency	District 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 party	Democratic
Spouse	Joanne Harrell ​ (m. 1992)​
Residence(s)	Seward Park, Washington, U.S.
Education	University 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.

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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 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.^[32]

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.^[33]

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.^[34] 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.^[34] 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.^[34] This drew criticism, including from Seattle journalist Erica Barnett, who shared the photos on Twitter and called the event a "giant, unmasked fundraiser".^[34] 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".^[34] 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".^[34] 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.^[34] 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".^[34] Harrell responded that he "had no discussions with Barnett but the question was posed, why was she the person to host us."^[34]

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.^[35] 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.^[36] In later comments he acknowledged his statements, and did not disavow them, but used more "diplomatic" language, according to the Seattle Times.^[36] 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.^[36] 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".^[36] 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.^[36] 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.^[36]

Harrell and his wife Joanne married in 1992; they have three children and live in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood.^[37]

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.^[38]

Seattle City Council Position 3, Primary Election 2007^[39]

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^[40]

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

Seattle City Council Position 3, General Election 2011^[41]

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

Mayor of Seattle, Primary Election 2013^[42]

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

Seattle City Council District 2, Primary Election 2015^[43]

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^[44]

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

Mayor of Seattle, Primary Election 2021^[45][46]

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^[47]

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

• Washington Huskies football statistical leaders

• Media related to Bruce Harrell at Wikimedia Commons
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Ed Murray	Mayor of Seattle Acting 2017	Succeeded by Tim Burgess
Preceded by Jenny Durkan	Mayor of Seattle 2022–present	Incumbent