Candidate Profile: Bruce Harrell For Seattle Mayor

SEATTLE — Voting is underway and the 2021 primary election is heating up in King County ahead of Election Day, Aug. 3. Nearly 650 candidates are seeking various offices in 2021, beating the previous record set in 2017. Out of that total, more than 200 candidates appear in the primary, which features all the races with three or more people seeking the same office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles leading up to Election Day.

Candidate

Bruce Harrell

Age (as of Election Day)

62

Position Sought

Seattle Mayor

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

I grew up in a redlined Central District house, the son of a Black father and a Japanese mother. My dad’s family escaped the Jim Crow South, he became a union member and one of the first Black linemen at Seattle City Light. My mom’s family immigrated from Japan, only to face incarceration by the US government. Their experiences – and their values – taught me to work hard and to stand up for community and your beliefs.

My wife Joanne and I live in South Seattle and raised three adult children. We are now proud grandparents.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

I proudly attended Seattle Public Schools and graduated as valedictorian from Garfield High School. I then attended the University of Washington, where I played linebacker on the football team and won a Rose Bowl, in my spare time volunteering with UW’s Prisoner Counseling Program tutoring inmates. I then attended and graduated from UW Law School.

Occupation

As an attorney, I worked in technology and telecommunications, later representing working people and supporting small businesses helping minority entrepreneurs pursue their dreams before serving on the City Council.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I served three terms on the Seattle City Council from 2007 through 2019, serving both citywide and representing my home neighborhood of Southeast Seattle. I was twice elected Council President by my peers.

Campaign website

BruceForSeattle.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I’m running to unite Seattle and bring our communities together to solve the challenges we face and move our city forward by embracing our progressive values. With a collection of crises – COVID-19, housing and homelessness, a racial reckoning, climate change, and economic inequality – Seattle needs a proven leader who can work with others to achieve real progress. These crises have created historic opportunities to recover and rebuild with equity at the forefront – we cannot squander this chance.

We need a Mayor to meet this moment of unprecedented challenge and opportunity, a Mayor with the lived experience to tackle big issues; a decisive leader fully committed to productive dialogue, planning and execution. We must rebuild the fundamental trust between city government and the people it serves. We need the highest standard of collaboration and vision.

My experience as a lifelong member of the Seattle community, longtime leader on police reform, and former City Council President, along with my proven record of unifying disparate interests, make me the right candidate to lead Seattle at this moment. I’ve proposed a bold set of priorities that build on my record on the City Council and respond to the challenges of today.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The homelessness crisis must be our first priority. The inaction, finger-pointing, and passing the buck must end – we need a mayor committed to action and accountability – and I will be that mayor.

Under my administration, there will be a new urgency to getting people housed, safely off the streets and out of parks, and connected with services they need. In my first year, I am pledging to commit at least $140 million in existing city resources, state resources, philanthropic money, and the majority of federal ARPA funding to purchase and rent thousands of units of housing, with services on site, for those in need.

We will embrace evidence-based solutions like housing first, personalized case management, and long-term care and treatment, along with pathways for those who have been chronically homeless to get back on their feet like access to career support, resume building, and more. Working with regional partners, we will ensure a regional approach that allows neighboring cities to do their part, demonstrates Seattle is a dependable, forward-thinking leader on this issue, and gets results.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

For one, I’ve served in this position before, albeit briefly, and understand firsthand the significance and weight of the office. I’m prepared to come in on day one, draw on my experience from serving on the City Council, and immediately get to work with a real agenda for action.

I’m proud of the unmatched community support and endorsements I’ve received – longtime neighbors and leaders who know me, know what I stand for, and know how I work. I’ve proposed some truly unique ideas like “Healthy Seattle” universal healthcare, a Seattle Jobs Center, and the Race and Data Initiative. Another differentiator is my ability to deliver straight talk on the issues, including racial equity; reforming, not defunding, the police; homelessness; and more.

Ultimately, the biggest difference between my opponents and I is that I am a committed uniter. I believe that we can achieve more when we work together and collaborate. Instead of casting blame and alienating, I want to bring our city together to solve the challenges in front of us – that’s how we’ll make real progress.

Are you for or against the proposed "Compassion Seattle" charter amendment? Please explain your priorities for addressing homelessness.

In Compassion Seattle, I’m pleased to see broad agreement between leading human service providers, advocates for the unsheltered, and local business leaders on a path forward. I will pursue a similar approach – bringing all stakeholders to agree on one plan: massive investment in emergency housing, individualized services, and helping people out of tents and into housing as units come online.

Homelessness is the major challenge of the day, and people cannot get healthy without having a safe, permanent place to call home, which is why we must work to house every unsheltered neighbor. Regardless of whether Compassion Seattle passes, I know we must urgently invest in thousands of new units of supportive housing and shelter.

How should Seattle proceed with changes to policing? What does an acceptable police contract look like?

As Mayor, I’ll take an uncompromising approach to eliminating police bias and brutality. I will advocate for serious culture change, the kind necessary to ensure these broader reforms are both implemented and effective. I’m the only candidate promising to change the way officers approach this effort, working with leaders within the department to expunge racism, champion de-escalation, and fire bad cops who can’t get with the program.

This is not a new issue for me – I was a dogged supporter of body cameras for all SPD officers and I led efforts to pass Seattle’s bias-free policing law, prohibiting racial profiling and collecting data to track bias in SPD’s approach. As Mayor, I’ll never lose sight of the goal: a Seattle police department that is responsive to community needs, that protects all people and neighborhoods without bias.

As for the police contract, I’m the candidate who will bring to this process a long record of successful advocacy, lived experience of good and bad interactions with the police, and proven negotiating skill to demand – and deliver – better outcomes. Like I did on body cameras, I won’t compromise on the necessary reforms our department needs, and I’ll work to address standing issues in the contract like the 180-day rule, which limits our ability to conduct comprehensive investigations.

What needs to improve about the city's preparations and responses to extreme weather events, including heat waves and wildfire smoke?

This is a two-pronged challenge: One, addressing the immediate needs of our communities as our climate changes and events like wildfires and heatwaves threaten our community health. Two, taking the necessary action to prevent the worst outcomes of climate change and setting a national example for local climate leadership.

Under my administration, we will plan in advance climate mitigation strategies and resources to help those in need escape the heat and unhealthy air. Seattle’s public buildings can offer accessible clean air, cool temperatures, and other supports as needed – and we need to be well organized so we can deploy these resources rapidly when events occur. Drawing on the work of the Legislature passing the HEAL Act, environmental justice and equity must be core to these efforts as well, using mapping to see who is in close proximity to these resources, and who need additional help.

Second, during the pandemic, we followed the science. The climate crisis demands the same approach to prevent even more of these extreme weather events. As Mayor, I’ll be the city’s top recruiter, bringing in and elevating the experts – scientists, climate specialists, environmental justice leaders, so we can lead the nation on climate action. I passed Seattle’s Climate Action Plan and Green New Deal – let’s act now to create a localized clean energy economy with new union jobs, 100% clean buildings, great parks and expanded tree canopy and shade, and an Emerald City for generations to come.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The region’s public health response to the pandemic has been admirable, and helped ensure the health of many in our community. While there are always areas that could be improved, I think the most important thing to change would be our assistance to small businesses. Having worked directly with small businesses during the pandemic, I believe the city – and the federal government – could have done more to support our local businesses, too many of which have closed or are on life support.

I’m inspired by stories of creativity and perseverance during the pandemic, but the most important lesson has been that in order for a recovery to work, we must keep our smallest businesses from slipping through the cracks and protect workers. We need leadership and an open door in City Hall. I’ve called for use of federal recovery funds to go toward small business recovery efforts, increased access to capital and resources, and new “business to business” partnerships to ensure that smaller businesses and BIPOC entrepreneurs enjoy the ancillary revenues and success of many larger businesses.

I have a long history of assisting small, local, and BIPOC-owned businesses get off the ground and turned into thriving job creators and community pillars. As mayor, I’ll be a trusted partner, delivering an equitable recovery with dedicated resources to help businesses get back on their feet and expand to take advantage of opportunities ahead. I’m also committed to preserving and revitalizing arts, culture, and nightlife – some of Seattle’s hardest hit businesses and creatives.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Some other key issues include:

Gun Violence: The rise in gun violence is deeply troubling. Gun violence is a preventable public health crisis and we can make a difference with the right policies, leadership, and advocacy. I’m proposing specific initiatives: an executive level position to coordinate outreach and prevention, investments in community-led organizations and solutions, new technology like Automatic Gunfire Locator Systems, diversion programs for youth and young adults. I’ll take on the NRA and demand stronger gun laws at the state and federal level.

Transportation and Infrastructure: Seattle residents deserve a clean, safe, integrated transportation system connecting people to places they need to go and living up to our city’s commitment to climate action. Expanding transit is critical to equitable and sustainable mobility; we must accelerate light rail construction. We need safe streets and walkable, bikeable communities. We must refurbish the West Seattle, Magnolia, and University bridges, address pedestrian and traffic safety priorities, and lead the nation in electric vehicle infrastructure.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’m proud of my record of accomplishment from the City Council, demonstrating my values and priorities. These include:
- Championing body cameras and sponsoring Seattle’s first bias-free policing law
- Negotiating and passing Seattle’s $15 minimum wage
- Building out the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, requiring every policy to be reviewed through a race and social justice lens
- Passing ‘Ban the Box’ to prevent discrimination in housing and employment for formerly prosecuted individuals
- Creating the pilot program that later became the Seattle Promise, guaranteeing every Seattle student access to free community college
- Developed The Great Student Initiative which helped provide 20,000 Seattle Public School students access to computers and high-speed internet, after tutoring students in the Central - District and using data to analyze disparities in technology access
- Passed Seattle’s Climate Action Plan and Green New Deal
- Expanded affordable housing and transit access

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always seek to understand first, rather than to be understood. Everyone wants to be understood. I can accomplish great things with others if I first examine the messages we tell ourselves that are limiting our creativity, commitment and pursuit of excellence and then remove those messages with positive, creative reinforcing thoughts and ideas that govern our actions. We will always act consistent with our dominant belief system and systemic change will only come from completely changing one’s belief system to unlock the powers from within and above.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Dysfunction and finger pointing at City Hall must stop. We need a mayor dedicated to accountability and collaboration, who listens to community voices and rebuilds trust. I have a proven record bringing people together to solve problems. At this crossroads of addressing racial bias and hate, I’ll be Seattle’s first AAPI and only second Black mayor. In a time of unprecedented challenge – and opportunity – I’m prepared to lead our city forward.