Will Bruce Harrell Be Seattle's New Mayor?

SEATTLE, WA - Council President Bruce Harrell, who represents District 2, is first in line to become acting mayor when Ed Murray officially resigns Wednesday at 5 p.m. But under city law, Harrell has five days to decide if he wants to remain acting mayor until a new one gets elected in November.

Some have speculated that Harrell doesn't want the job, but the councilman didn't really say one way or another in a statement he released Tuesday afternoon. He said he'll make a decision within the five days allotted under the City Charter whether to remain acting mayor.

"I have a plan in place for a seamless transition in order for city operations to continue at the highest standard," he said. "Seattlites deserve a government that holds their full confidence and trust."

If not, the City Council can select one of its own members to take the job instead. So, by this time next week, Seattle's acting mayor might be Tim Burgess or Kshama Sawant. The bad news: a city spokesman told The Stranger Tuesday that if a councilmember takes the mayor's seat, they lose their Council seat.

Who exactly is Bruce Harrell?

If you don't know him you either just moved here or have never set foot south of I-90. Harrell was first elected to the Council in 2008. When the Council switched to a district-representative system, Harrell took District 2, which is roughly bound by the Duwamish River, Lake Washington, and I-90. Harrell was reelected in 2015, beating challenger Tammy Morales (who has been asking for Murray to resign for months).

Harrell has been Council president since his new term began in 2016. In almost 10 years on City Council, Harrell's biggest accomplishment is likely the city's ban-the-box law, which says employers can't automatically reject a job candidate over a criminal conviction. He sponsored the law in 2013, which the Council later passed unanimously.

Harrell is also the wealthiest member of City Council, according to city records. In 2016, Harrell filed a disclosure stating that he has a net worth of $10.2 million. The next-richest was Queen Anne Councilwoman Sally Bagshaw at just over $7 million.

Harrell's net worth comes from a variety of sources: his salary as a Councilman; stock in companies like Google and Microsoft; and two properties he owns - one overlooking Lake Washington near Seward Park in Seattle, the other an apartment in downtown Bellevue.

Before City Council, Harrell worked as an attorney, but was active in city politics dating back to the 1970s, when he worked for former Councilman Paul Kraabel.

Image via City of Seattle