Running for Seattle mayor from Tent City 3

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is running for reelection to a second term this year, and a handful of other candidates have jumped into the race so far.

One challenger said he’s seeing the city’s homelessness crisis up close, and it’s fueled his candidacy. Joe Molloy said he came to Seattle in 2021 and was evicted from his Ballard apartment last summer while dealing with health issues. Since then, he’s noticed what he calls “broken chains” of communication between the different services meant to help people who are homeless.

“I fully admit that I am not the most qualified candidate under normal circumstances,” Molloy said. “But I don’t feel like this city is under normal circumstances.”

Seattle has one of the worst rates of unsheltered homelessness in the country.

“I decided to run because I don’t feel like we are treating this like the state of emergency that it is,” he said.

RELATED: Homelessness is soaring among Seattle students. School support workers are on the front lines

Molloy is now a resident of Tent City 3, a communal encampment currently located in a parking lot in Seattle’s University District. Molloy puts in the same hours every resident contributes to helping administer the encampment and serves as a board member of the nonprofit SHARE (Seattle Housing and Resource Effort), as well as making his run for office.

“Your average Seattleite is just kind of worn out on the topic” of homelessness, Molloy said. “So, what I could bring to the table is a sort of understanding, base of knowledge, and willingness to address this issue in a real way.”

RELATED: Woman says she was 8 months pregnant when Seattle Mayor Harrell pulled gun on her, leading to his 1996 arrest

His platform calls for thousands more non-congregate emergency shelter units, like tiny homes, and a universal basic income pilot program.

Other candidates for Seattle mayor include Ry Armstrong, one of the leaders of the nonprofit Sustainable Seattle who also serves on the city’s LGBTQ Commission. Armstrong’s platform emphasizes housing investments and workers’ rights.

While the mayor’s race is nonpartisan, Capitol Hill small business owner Rachael Savage is running as a Republican. Savage is calling for a crackdown on public drug use and other types of disorder, and for creation of a city-owned jail and residential treatment for people with substance use disorder.

Thaddeus Whelan’s campaign website said he lives in North Seattle and is concerned about the “rising tide of fascism in America.” His platform is focused on housing, transit, and requiring Seattle police officers to “divest” from the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

RELATED: Mayor Harrell promises more police accountability, balanced approach to Seattle growth

Katie Wilson is the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union and a columnist who has written for publications including Crosscut and The Stranger. Wilson said she’s preparing to launch her campaign in the coming days.

The deadline for candidate filing is in May.