Seattle, Washington
| Seattle, Washington | |
 | |
| General information | |
Mayor of Seattle
Bruce Harrell | |
| Last mayoral election: | 2021 |
| Next mayoral election: | 2025 |
| Last city council election: | 2023 |
| Next city council election: | 2025 |
| City council seats: | 9 |
| City website | |
| Composition data (2019) | |
| Population: | 724,305 |
| Race: | White 67.3% African American 7.3% Asian 15.4% Native American 0.5% Pacific Islander 0.3% Two or more 6.9% |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic 6.7% |
| Median household income: | $92,263 |
| High school graduation rate: | 94.8% |
| College graduation rate: | 64.0% |
| Related Seattle offices | |
| Washington Congressional Delegation Washington State Legislature Washington state executive offices | |
Seattle is a city in King County, Washington. The city's population was 737,015 as of 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Click on the links below to learn more about the city's...
- Mayor
- City council
- Other elected officials
- Elections
- Census information
- Budget
- Contact information
- Ballot measures
- County government
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Seattle uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1]
Mayor
The mayor serves as the city's chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.[1] The current Mayor of Seattle is Bruce Harrell (nonpartisan). Harrell assumed office in 2022.
City council
The Seattle City Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances. Seattle's city council has nine members.[1]
Seven city council members are elected by district, while two are elected at large.
The widget below automatically displays information about city council meetings. The topic list contains a sampling of keywords that Voterheads, a local government monitoring service, found in each meeting agenda. Click the meeting link to see more info and the full agenda:
Other elected officials
Mayoral partisanship
Seattle has a Democratic mayor. As of November 2024, 63 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 25 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, four are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Elections
2024
The city of Seattle, Washington, held a special election for city council on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for August 6, 2024. The filing deadline for this election was May 10, 2024.
2023
The city of Seattle, Washington, held general elections for city council on November 7, 2023. A primary was scheduled for August 1, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was May 19, 2023.
2022
The city of Seattle, Washington, held general elections for municipal court judges on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 2, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was May 20, 2022.
2021
The city of Seattle, Washington, held general elections for mayor, city council, and city attorney on November 2, 2021. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was May 14, 2021.
2019
2018
Seattle held general elections for municipal court judicial seats on November 6, 2018. A primary election took place on August 7, 2018. The top two vote recipients in the primary advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was May 18, 2018.
2017
Seattle held general elections for mayor, city attorney, and two at-large seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on August 1, 2017. The top two vote recipients after the final count of the primary vote advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was May 19, 2017.
2015
The city of Seattle, Washington, held elections for city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on August 4, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 15, 2015. All nine council seats were up for election.[2][3]
From 1910 to 2013, all nine council members were elected at large. In 2013, Seattle voters approved Proposed Charter Amendment No. 19. This amendment created seven new districts within the city responsible for electing seven council members. Two council members are still elected at large.[4]
The transition from at-large voting to district-based voting took place in conjunction with the November 2015 elections. The seven district members were still elected to four-year terms. Initially, the two at-large members were elected to two-year terms; but after 2017, four-year terms were to become the norm.
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about the city.
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| Demographic Data for Seattle | |
|---|---|
| Seattle | |
| Population | 737,015 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 83 |
| Race and ethnicity** | |
| White | 63.6% |
| Black/African American | 6.7% |
| Asian | 16.8% |
| Native American | 0.6% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% |
| Two or more | 9.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.5% |
| Education | |
| High school graduation rate | 95.6% |
| College graduation rate | 66.7% |
| Income | |
| Median household income | $116,068 |
| Persons below poverty level | 5% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | |
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | |
Budget
The city's budget process operates by fiscal calendar years running from January 1 to December 31.[5] According to the Seattle city clerk's website, "the City budget is proposed by the Mayor (Executive), checked for compliance by the City Attorney, and amended and passed by the City Council (Legislative) before returning it to the Mayor for his or her approval and signature."[6]
Fiscally standardized cities data
The fiscally standardized cities (FiSC) data below was compiled by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to make municipal budgets comparable across cities in the United States.[7]
| “ |
FiSCs are constructed by adding revenues and expenditures of each central city municipal government to a portion of the revenues and expenditures of overlying governments, including counties, independent school districts, and special districts. The allocations to FiSCs are estimates of the revenues collected from and services provided to central city residents and businesses by these overlying independent governments. Thus FiSCs provides a full picture of revenues raised from city residents and businesses and spending on their behalf, whether done by the city government or a separate overlying government.[8] |
” |
| —Lincoln Institute of Land Policy[9] | ||
The tables below show estimated finances within city limits. As such, the revenue and expenses listed may differ from the actual city budget.
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Historical total revenue and expenditure
To see the historical total revenue or expenditures as a rounded amount in this city, hover over the bars.[7]
Seattle, Washington, salaries and pensions over $95,000
Below is a map of the nationwide salaries and pensions in this city over $95,000. To search a different ZIP code, enter it in the search bar within the map.
Contact information
Mayor's office
600 4th Ave. 7th Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-684-4000
City Clerk's office
600 4th Ave. 3rd Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-684-8344
Click here for city council contact information.
Ballot measures
- See also: King County, Washington ballot measures
The city of Seattle is in King County. A list of ballot measures in King County is available here.
Noteworthy events
2020: Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
During the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, demonstrations and protests took place in cities nationwide, including Seattle, following the death of George Floyd. Events in Seattle, Washington, began on Friday, May 29, 2020.[10] On May 30, Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) issued a curfew.[11] The same day, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) activated the Washington National Guard and deployed troops to the city at Durkan's request.[12]
2018: City council votes to expand bike-sharing program
On July 30, 2018, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to expand the city's bike-sharing program, making permanent a pilot program launched in 2017. The council's ordinance authorized the operation of up to 20,000 bikes in the city, up from the 10,000 authorized under the pilot program. The ordinance also provided for up to four bike-share companies to operate in Seattle, each paying $250,000 for the right to deploy as many as 5,000 bikes in the city. The council also approved a nonbinding resolution setting a deadline (the close of 2019) for the construction of additional bike lanes.[13]
LimeBike, one of the three companies that participated in the pilot program, indicated that it would apply for permits to participate in the expanded bike-share program. Lina Feng, general manager of Ofo Seattle, a Chinese company that likewise participated in the pilot program, announced that it would no longer operate within Seattle, citing $50 per-year bike registration fees: "The exorbitant fees that accompany these new regulations — the highest in the country — make it impossible for Ofo to operate and effectively serve our riders." Spin, the other company that participated in the pilot program, had not, as of July 31, 2018, announced its plans with respect to continued operations in Seattle. Joel Miller, manager of Seattle's bike-share program, said that five to 10 companies had expressed interest in participating in the expanded program.[14]
2018: City council head tax proposal
Seattle's city council voted 7-2 to repeal a new head tax on large employers after running into opposition from the city’s business community, including online retailer Amazon. The tax would have required businesses grossing at least $20 million to pay $275 per employee. The city council repealed the head tax on June 12, 2018, one month after it voted 9-0 to pass it.[15][16]
The $45 to $49 million in revenue the tax was estimated to raise would have been earmarked for affordable housing construction and funding for services for Seattle's estimated 5,500 homeless people. City council member Mike O'Brien, a sponsor of the proposal, told the New York Times, "From my point of view, we have a crisis in our town around housing affordability and homelessness. ... They’re closely related and it’s related to the booming tech industry in Seattle."[17]
The head tax generated attention before it was passed on May 14 when Amazon halted a major construction project on May 2 and cited the proposal.[18]
The council responded by amending the original proposal — which would have taxed 500-600 Seattle companies grossing at least $20 million per year at 26 cents per employee hour — so that the amount per employee decreased from about $500 to about $275. Amazon resumed the building construction after the proposal was amended but said the company "remain[ed] very apprehensive about the future created by the council’s hostile approach and rhetoric toward larger businesses, which forces us to question our growth here."[19]
Advocates of the proposal said they were asking successful corporations, not employees or small businesses, to pay more to fight rising housing costs. Critics pointed to Amazon's search for a second corporate headquarters as evidence that policies opposed by business could push high-paying jobs out of the city.
Head tax opponents cited a study from the Chamber of Commerce, which said the tax would have cost Seattle about 14,300 jobs and $3.5 billion in economic output.[20] Responding to the study, Councilmember Lisa Herbold said, "[L]eading first with a regional funding approach, reliant on higher property or sales taxes for all taxpayers, is [not] preferable to resources from those most benefiting from income inequality in Seattle."[21]
2015: Study on city's nondiscrimination laws
In July 2015, the Movement Advancement Project described Seattle, Washington, as a city or county that prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of gender identity via ordinances that apply to public and private employers. At that time, a total of 71 of America's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while 69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[22]
Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Municode, "The Charter of the City of Seattle," accessed September 1, 2021
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Law, Rules and Information for Filers," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Seattle City Council Districts," accessed December 31, 2014
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Exploring the Patterns of People in Seattle and King County," accessed October 24, 2019
- ↑ MRSC, "Budgeting in Washington State," accessed August 28, 2023
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Office of the City Clerk," accessed August 28, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities database," accessed August 28, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, "Fiscally Standardized Cities," accessed August 28, 2023
- ↑ Q13 Fox, "George Floyd protesters take to downtown Seattle streets; 7 arrested," May 29, 2020
- ↑ My Ballard, "Seattle mayor extends curfew Monday night in wake of protests," May 30, 2020
- ↑ South Seattle Emerald, "GOV. JAY INSLEE SENDS UP TO 200 WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD TO SEATTLE," May 30, 2020
- ↑ Route Fifty, "At Crossroads for Dockless Bikeshare, Seattle Chooses to Go Big," August 1, 2018
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "City Council approves new bike-share rules, prompting Ofo to leave Seattle," July 30, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Seattle reverses course on business tax after Amazon pressure," June 12, 2018
- ↑ Fox Business, "Seattle repeals ‘head tax’ after backlash from Amazon, Starbucks," June 12, 2018
- ↑ Geekwire, "Seattle’s socialist councilmember wants to tax Amazon and other big companies to fund housing: Is that a good idea?" March 28, 2018
- ↑ Geekwire, "Amazon responds to tax vote: Seattle’s ‘hostile approach and rhetoric … forces us to question our growth here'," May 14, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Amazon Pauses Huge Development Plans in Seattle Over Tax Plan," May 2, 2018
- ↑ Seattle Chamber of Commerce, "Economic Implications of Taxing Employment," accessed June 12, 2018
- ↑ KUOW, "Off with the head tax: Seattle councilmembers back off controversial plan," June 11, 2018
- ↑ Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
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