More than 70 people have applied to fill the Seattle City Council seat vacated by Teresa Mosqueda, with an appointment scheduled for later this month.
The applicants include Vivian Song, a Seattle School Board member; Ronald Kessler, a former King County Superior Court judge; Steve Strand, the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct captain; Tanya Woo, who was narrowly defeated by District 2 incumbent Councilmember Tammy Morales in November’s general election; and other past council candidates, such as Phil Tavel and Mark Solomon.
There are applicants with roots in local government, the nonprofit sector, real estate, social work and the tech world. The list includes a number of business leaders and attorneys, as well as a transit planner, mental health counselor, architect, sneaker store owner, bartender and ice cream worker.
The application deadline was Tuesday. Mosqueda left her Seattle position last week for a Metropolitan King County Council seat she won in November.
The position vacated by Mosqueda is one of the Seattle council’s two citywide seats, whereas the other seven positions represent geographic districts. The council’s eight existing members will vote Jan. 23 to choose Mosqueda’s replacement after hosting a public forum on a date not yet determined.
The council will hold a special meeting Friday to hear public comments and decide hosting duties for the public forum; Seattle CityClub and the Transit Riders Union have applied to host the forum, a news release said Thursday.
The appointment will last until a special election in November, and then the seat will be part of a regular election in 2025. In theory, up to three different people could serve over the next couple of years. Or the same person appointed this month could be elected this November and reelected in 2025.
The council members mulling the appointment could choose someone with more government experience than political ambition, seeking a “caretaker” to serve in the role until Seattle voters can weigh in directly. Or the council members could appoint someone with aspirations to retain the seat.
Also, they could appoint someone with similar politics to Mosqueda, a former labor organizer who helped lead the council’s progressive wing from 2017 on. Or they could appoint a more conservative applicant, in line with the results of November’s district races, which ushered in a strong centrist majority.
The council’s new president, Sara Nelson, has promised to prioritize basic services over activism and “break our reliance” on new taxes while improving relations with business owners, landlords and police officers.
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