As the head of Seattle’s city government, the Mayor of Seattle is responsible for overseeing our city and tackling the problems that Seattle faces. Ahead of our next mayoral election this fall, many students are still unaware of who current Mayor Bruce Harrell is, much less why he should (or shouldn’t) be re-elected.
Bruce Harrell was born and grew up in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood, and attended Garfield High School before going to the University of Washington on a Football scholarship. After graduating and receiving his Juris Doctorate, Harrell ran and was elected to the Seattle City Council in 2007.
Due to the resignation of Mayor Ed Murray amidst a flurry of sexual abuse allegations in 2017, Harrell was appointed as acting mayor which greatly changed his tenure on the City Council. Harrell chose not to continue as mayor, remaining on the Council until 2021 when he announced his mayoral candidacy following Mayor Jenny Durkan decision not to run for a second term.
After clinching first-place in the 2021 Seattle Mayoral Primary Election and securing a narrow lead over fellow City Council Member Lorena Gonzalez, Harrell gained a much larger margin of victory by defeating his opponent with 59% of the vote compared to her 41% in the general election.
Since his inauguration in 2022, Harrell’s administration has focused on strict crackdowns on homeless encampments, increasing police recruitment numbers, and stimulating Seattle’s economy following the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Criticisms of Harrell’s administration range from backlash to his punitive solutions, to the persistence of the homelessness crisis, to his favorable treatment of large Seattle-based corporations. A recent poll done by Change Research of prospective voters shows that 45% of voters disapprove of Mayor Harrell, while 40% approve and 15% are unsure.
Feelings around Lincoln about our Mayor seem to vary, with some students approving of Mayor Harrell and many not even knowing who he is. Upon being asked about the mayor senior Avi Brown stated, “I have no clue who that is”. Brown asked a passing student about the Mayor, who also did not know. Ella Nelson (’25) was also unaware of the identity of our current mayor.
Lance Barnes (’25) emphasized his approval of the Mayor. “I feel like he represents me in our government, and I’m happy with the work he’s done.” With the identity of our Mayor remaining a mystery to many students, The Lincoln Log turned our attention to the important issues of the upcoming election.
When asked about the biggest issues facing Seattle, students gave a variety of responses. Avi Brown mentioned that he was concerned about the level of crime in Seattle, but that prostitution “Isn’t that big of an issue”. More poetically, Brown stated his belief that the biggest issue in Seattle is Ignorance.
Barnes also mentioned a concern for the growth of Seattle’s homeless population. Bruce Harrell recognizes many of these same issues, having launched an aggressive campaign to break up homeless encampments in the city.
In response to rising levels of crime in Seattle, Mayor Harrell has repeatedly reinforced his commitment to the Seattle Police Department, incentivizing recruitment to the police force in a stark departure from the previous progressive lean of Seattle, especially in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd Protests and Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.
While many of Harrell’s policies have proven divisive and alienating to more progressive voters, the results of the 2025 Mayoral election depend largely on the Mayor’s opponents in his bid for re-election.
As of January 16th, Only one other person has announced their candidacy, South Whidbey shaman and restauranteur Graham Gori. While the election is still months away, the most important topics on voters’ minds seem to have already solidified themselves.
If the students at Lincoln are any indication, especially considering that many of them will be eligible to vote this fall, Bruce Harrell will have to fight harder to make his name known around the city and to inspire confidence in his campaign.
Mayor Harrell’s success this fall will depend on his ability to unite the electorate under his banner while facing off against rising crime and a growing deficit and to convince voters in his ability to provide meaningful solutions for problems like homelessness and high costs of living.
