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Bruce Harrell conceded the mayoral race to Katie Wilson this afternoon. And he finally said her name in public.
In a packed room full of aides, campaign staff, city council members, and supporters, Harrell announced that he’d already congratulated Katie Wilson on her win, and offered his administration’s support in the transition. He put on his best face.
“I feel very good about the future,” he said. “I’ve said repeatedly that this job does not belong to one person. It certainly didn’t belong to me. I simply borrowed the title of The Mayor to enjoy the wonderful opportunity to serve the public, and it’s been my absolute honor, the honor of my lifetime, to serve in this role.”
He was conciliatory, hopeful, and genuinely kind of funny (he didn’t pull out a basketball, but he did announce his rapper name-to-be: Master B Rucie, watch out Stereogum).
Harrell’s scripted speech acknowledged that this election may have been decided by the thousands of new young voters that jumped into this election. He said we have to be open to “new ideas,” from young voters and from Wilson herself.
Harrell touted his record, highlighting how many cops he’d hired, and the levies he’d passed. He also insisted that he’d been an advocate for LGBTQ people, but didn’t say how. He certainly didn’t show that with Denny Blaine.
He said that he had faith that he and Wilson ultimately have the same set of values, but clearly not enough to fully step back.
“Seattle will be fine. I’ll make sure of that. I’m not retired. I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
His tone changed when a KIRO 7 reporter asked if he “adequately understood how much people were struggling with affordability in Seattle”—the central issue of Wilson’s campaign.
Harrell put his arm around his wife, called the question offensive, and insisted that he knew the plight of poor people. “You don’t know the scars I had” from growing up with two parents that weren’t college educated, in a house with siblings and only one bathroom, he told the reporter. He and his wife both struggled, he said, and they’d dedicated their lives to serving “the poor.” This was not an answer.
Harrell then abruptly ended the speech with thanks to his supporters.
“For the last time, you’re going to hear me say this: One Seattle.”
What a relief.
An hour later, Wilson stood in front of a makeshift podium (with nowhere to put her many, many sheets of paper) in the lobby of the Labor Temple in Georgetown for her first speech as the official Mayor Elect.
“Hello, Seattle,” she said. “I am so happy to be here on this quintessentially Seattle day, a rainy day in November, to say to all of the people of Seattle: this is your city, and I am delighted, beyond delighted to be your next mayor.”
She didn’t offer many details about her transition into the mayor’s office, saying most of those would come next week. “I look forward to working with the mayor’s team to ensure a smooth transition over the next two months, and I look forward to working with every member of the city council next year to make progress on our various challenges together,” she said.
She listed what she wanted to accomplish in this city: universal child care, K-8 summer care, “world class” transit, safe public spaces, affordable housing, and social housing, to name a few.
“I want a city where everyone has the basics of a dignified life, including healthy food, access to healthcare and supportive communities,” she said. “I want a city where your health and your life expectancy and your children’s future doesn’t depend on your zip code or your race. I believe that I will be stepping into office with a strong mandate to pursue this vision.”
She also echoed her speech on election night: that her supporters’ involvement doesn’t end with this win. “I am a community organizer, and I will not stop being a community organizer when I step into the mayor’s office,” she said. “To the people of Seattle, I say, what I am able to actually accomplish in office will depend on you. It will depend on the support and the pressure and the people power that you all are able to build in the most of the years ahead. It’s your work and your initiative that will continue to drive our city and our society forward.”