Dozens apply for at-large Seattle City Council seat

January 11, 2024 / 1:13 pm

caption: Collage of the Seattle City Council with a question mark to represent the vacant seat. Photos courtesy of the City of Seattle.

The Seattle City Council unveiled the official list of qualified applicants for the open seat on the dais — more than 72 people have applied.

The position is temporary. The Council will select a candidate to fill the empty role until the next election in November 2024. It's a replacement for former Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who represented Seattle's at-large Position 8. Mosqueda departed earlier this month after being elected to a new job on the King County Council.

Some of the more familiar names on the applicant list include people who have previously run for City Council.

Chinatown International District activist Tanya Woo, who lost her bid for Council last fall against incumbent Tammy Morales.
Attorney Phil Tavel, who ran twice to represent West Seattle.
Clinical Social worker Preston Anderson, who also ran to represent West Seattle last year.
Activist and design consultant Kate Martin, who previously ran for a number of offices, including City Council.
Ry Armstrong, who ran last fall to replace Kshama Sawant.

Other names include:

Vivian Song, who currently serves on the Seattle School Board.
Juan Cotto, an activist who works at Bloodworks Northwest.
Captain Steve Strand, who has been in charge of the Seattle Police Department's West Precinct since 2021.
Political activist Jack Edson Whisner, who quotes Liam Neeson in "Taken” in his cover letter: "I do have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that would benefit the council in many ways."

Next, the Council will get input from the public and is expected to make a decision on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Voters will get their say on who permanently occupies the at-large Position 8 seat in a special election later this year, starting with an August primary election.

The top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November. Whoever gets the interim appointment would not be prevented from running.

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David Hyde
Reporter

David’s people-focused politics coverage tracks local and national races. At KUOW, David has also reported for our Hearken Team answering listener questions,and covered a variety of other topics ranging from vaccine hesitancy to climate change.
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