Seattle Council President Bruce Harrell Won't Run In 2019

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle City Council President and former mayor Bruce Harrell won't run for reelection in 2019, he announced via a press release on Tuesday.

Harrell represents District 2 in South Seattle and was first elected in 2007. He also served as mayor for a few days in 2017 after Ed Murray stepped down.

"For the rest of 2019, I remain concerned about the misalignment of local governmental strategies and the social responsibility efforts advanced by corporate entities. Whether the issue is homelessness, transportation, public safety or education, we have yet to develop a coordinated strategy or a forum by which one can be created. This will be my focus," he said in a statement.

Community activist Tammy Morales on Monday announced she would run for Harrell's seat, and she has already been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal. Two other candidates, Ari Hoffman and Matthew Perkins, have filed to run in District 2.

Morales ran against Harrell in 2015, losing the election by a few hundred votes.

Harrell is the third incumbent to step out of the 2019 election. Council members Sally Bagshaw and Rob Johnson said they would not seek reelection in 2018.

Harrell is probably best known for his 2013 "ban the box" legislation. That law prevents employers from asking job applicants if they've ever been arrested or convicted of a crime; it also prevents employers from advertising jobs as for people with no criminal record. He also helped create the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.

Harrell has been a close ally of Mayor Jenny Durkan. He voted against the head tax, and then for its repeal; helped shepherd Durkan's first budget through Council; and for the plan to renovate Key Arena.

Durkan highlighted her close relationship with Harrell on Tuesday, saying that they had been friends for some 30 years.

"As mayor, I have sought his advice and partnered with him to deliver on our shared priorities, like free ORCA passes for youth, two years of free college for Seattle Public Schools high school students, and new gun safety legislation.

"We will miss having Bruce at City Hall. But I know his contributions to our communities will continue for years to come," Durkan said in a statement.

Caption: Harrell with City Attorney Pete Holmes at a 2018 press conference at the Rainier Community Center in Columbia City.

Neal McNamara/Patch file photo