We first should recognize and thank the outstanding efforts of many Seattle residents (including many Change Washington followers) who worked tirelessly during the 2023 campaign.

Together we brought historic change to the Seattle City Council. This is a remarkable accomplishment considering the depths from which the city has come in just a couple of years.  The results of the 2023 elections mean there will soon be seven new members on the council since the dark days of 2020 and 2021.

These new councilmembers bring the promise that those who propose responsible and commonsense solutions will be heard and that the days of extremism are behind us.

You can feel the change walking downtown and in Seattle’s neighborhoods. Optimism has returned as more residents believe their the new city council will bring more practical solutions to the city’s problems.

With just a few dozen ballots left to count, it appears the following individuals will makeup of the 2024-2025 council:

• At-Large – Sara Nelson (Elected 2021)
• At-Large – Replacement for Teresa Mosqueda (New)
• District 1 – Rob Saka (New)
• District 2 – Tammy Morales
• District 3 – Joy Hollingsworth (New)
• District 4 — Maritza Rivera (New)
• District 5 — Cathy Moore (New)
• District 6 – Dan Strauss
• District 7 – Bob Kettle (New)

This is certainly a vast improvement from the extreme city council which passed reckless anti-police measures, drove small and big employers out of the city, allowed encampments to spring up in sidewalks and parks across the city, aimlessly raised taxes, and significantly increased the size and cost of city government.

Those who closely follow city hall activities seem to agree that the new council will be closely split between extreme progressives and moderates on some major issues. Much will rest on who replaces At-Large Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who will resign her seat on the city council to represent West Seattle/Burien/Tukwila on the King County Council.

Unless progressives choose to disrespect the voters and play political games, the selection of a new councilmember should be one of the first acts the new city council performs after they are sworn in at the start of the new year.

According to the Seattle City Charter, Mosqueda’s resignation begins a 20-day clock for the remaining eight members to collect applications, hold public hearings where applicants can state their qualifications for the position, and then vote on the replacement. If at the end of 20 days a replacement has not received a majority of votes, then the council must meet every day until an applicant is approved.

Since Councilmember Mosqueda’s position is city wide, the applicant can reside anywhere within the City of Seattle. The city code simply states that a councilmember must be a registered voter who has resided in the city for at least 120 days.

In less than a week after the election, all sides are already pushing their favorite candidates to replace Councilmember Mosqueda for this crucial seat.

Much will take place between now and the final selection of a new member. We can certainly expect the extreme progressives, upset that the voters rejected their failed policies, will put pressure on councilmembers to select a candidate who they can count on to pass more anti-police, anti-employer, and bigger government policies.

Those of us who have fought for the city to move away from the failed extreme policies will need to match the progressive’s pressure. We will need to make sure the appointed councilmember reflects the practical moderate views expressed by the voters, not reckless extreme policies which clearly have been rejected by the voters.

Change Washington will obviously keep you informed as the council performs this task. It will be the first of many the new council will need to perform as many of us hope that the reckless and failed policies of the extremists are replaced with basic commonsense governance.