SEATTLE — With the position of mayor of Seattle being left vacant following Jenny Durkan's decision not to run for re-election, more than a dozen people have filed to campaign in the primary election.
Elected mayors serve four-year terms and are responsible for ensuring the laws of the city are enforced, while directing and controlling city officers and agencies.
Candidates with an * next to their name are participating in the city's Democracy Voucher Program.
The information presented below is based upon the city's campaign website.
Top-level candidates
Money raised: $104,402
Website: echohawkforseattle.com
Colleen Echohawk is the executive director of the non-profit Chief Seattle Club. She received numerous awards for her service and time on advocacy for the homeless, and in particular, unsheltered Native Americans. She is the founder of the Coalition to End Urban Native Homelessness.
Echohawk is an enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake, and said she would be a "new face, a new kind of way of working in City Hall."
Money raised: $0
Website: jessynformayor.com
Former State Rep. Jessyn Farrell says Seattle is ready for a "fresh start and fresh set of eyes" in the race for mayor.
Farrell served in the Washington state Legislature for four years before leaving to run for mayor back in 2017. She finished fourth in the primary that year.
She has been a longtime transit and environmental activist and once served as the executive director of the nonprofit Transportation Choices Coalition, which has been an incubator for future elected leaders.
Money raised: $58,197
Website: lorenaforseattle.com
Lorena González has served two terms on the Seattle City Council, which now includes serving as council president. That could mean her candidacy is viewed as a referendum on the current state of affairs in the city. She is expected to have significant labor support, where she is seen as a reliable ally.
Her extended voting record will likely be material for opponents. She first voted for hiring extra police officers, before voting for cuts; she voted for the head tax before voting to repeal, and backed an opponent of Kshama Sawant in the 2019 primary, before ultimately endorsing the political firebrand.
Money raised: N/A
Website: bruceforseattle.com
Bruce Harrell is a former three-term Seattle City Council member who served as president of the council for three years.
Harrell said the city as a whole needs to adjust the way it views its homelessness issue with a cultural shift. Everyone should be able to lend a hand one way or another, whether that be through fundraising, donating, or volunteering. He wants to reverse the impact the pandemic and destruction of property has had on Seattle's businesses. And hopes to "change the narrative and create a police department that we can all be proud of."
Andrew Grant Houston *
Money raised: $49,016
Website: agh4sea.com
Andrew Grant Houston, a Capitol Hill resident, is the founder of Design of House Cosmopolitan and board member of Futurewise. He is a member of organizations such as Share the Cities, Pike/Pine Urban Neighborhood Council, and Sunrise Movement. He serves as interim policy manager for Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda.
On his candidate website, Houston says it's "time to transform our economy in response and preparation to the uncertainty that comes with climate change." That includes fair wages, investment in sustainable infrastructure, and more.
Lance Randall *
Money raised: $22,629
Website: lancerandall2021.com
Lance Randall says the city needs a comprehensive approach for "ending the undignified neglect of our neighbors experiencing homelessness."
Randall, according to his candidate website, has developed a plan based on a model that creates safe places for temporary shelter with service providers on-site, amenities for basic human needs, virtual support teams and job placement for sustainable income.
He also points to a need for "swift economic rebound" due to COVID-19, a slowed economy, and policies that "make it hard to do business in the city."
Additional candidates
Jeffery Applegate
Money raised: $0
Website: N/A
Henry Clay Dennison
Money raised: $0
Website: N/A
Matthew F Ervin
Money raised: $0
Website: N/A
Rodney Holt *
Money raised: $12
Website: voterodneyholtformayor.com
A minister, war veteran, and founder of a nonprofit public charity, Rodney Holt believes Seattle is "in need of more communication, opportunity, structure and less bureaucracy," his candidate website states.
"Economic harmony is good for everyone, civil unrest not good for anybody as it pertains to the rich, the middle class and the poor."
Asukaa Jaxx *
Money raised: $0
Website: N/A
Thomas W Kennis
Money raised; $0
Website: N/A
William Kopatich *
Money raised: $0
Website: williamformayor.com
On his candidate website, William Kopatich says, "We desperately need new leadership in this city."
"The Democrats and Republicans in our local area clearly aren't working, and the two party system is broken.
"The only thing on William's Agenda is fighting for what you believe in and will fight hard, working for you."
Mona Radheshwar
Money raised: $0
Website: monaformayor.com
If elected, Mona Radheshwar says her team will "immediately address the most urgent issues facing our city." The team is committed to expanding green spaces, such as parks and biking trails, and preserving cultural roots.
