Council incumbents lead primary voting

Last week’s primary election was a temperature gauge about how voters are feeling in Seattle.

The turnout was rather low. Only about 30% of the registered voters in King County turned in their ballots.

Proposition 1 for the Crisis Care Centers Levy passed by an overwhelming 71% majority. And the City Council incumbents all led in their races.

City Council

Due to last year’s redistricting, Magnolia and Queen Anne will no longer be represented by the same City Councilmember, but the incumbents topped the vote in both Districts 6 and 7. Dan Strauss is the Ballard incumbent that led the District 6 vote for the Magnolia side. And Andrew Lewis is the current councilmember for Queen Anne and Magnolia who will be seeking reelection on the Queen Anne side of District 7.

Lewis said he was “very gratified to have the support of my neighbors to serve another term on the Seattle City Council” and that he hoped to carry the momentum of this grassroots campaign into the general election. His opponent Bob Kettle says that the current City Council is out of balance and that he would bring a “pragmatic vision for a thriving, vibrant Seattle” while taking on the issues of public safety, public health, and homelessness.

Strauss said he felt very good about the results because sometimes it’s hard to tell if the people see the work that he’s been doing. “I work really hard for the district,” and he credits his accessible office at the Ballard Library for helping interact with the community. “There’s no better transparency than an office with three glass walls,” he said.

Pete Hanning, the Executive Director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, came in second in D6 and will also be on the ballot in November. According to his website, he is a lifelong resident of Seattle and “will always champion the small businesses throughout Seattle.”       

Jon Lisbon, president of Seattle Fair Growth, is one of the D6 candidates that is not advancing to the general election but still had a lot to say. He wasn’t actually planning to run for city council this year but was unhappy with the lack of support for the tree canopy and felt compelled at the last minute. He believes that protecting the large existing trees is the best thing to protect the city environment. “It’s stressful and emotional. And you just don’t know until you do it,” he said. Lisbon counts several of the other candidates among his friends and said that Dan Strauss even delivered a vintage election sign to his yard.

King County Council

Jeanne Kohl-Welles has represented King County Council District 4 since 2016 and decided not to seek reelection. This district encompasses a large part of the city, including Queen Anne, Magnolia, Belltown, Fremont, Ballard, Green Lake, Blue Ridge, and Bitter Lake. Jorge Baron, the retired director of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, garnered over 50% of the vote and will face off against Assistant Attorney General Sarah Reyneveld in the general election. Also of note was Becka Johnson Poppe, King County’s current Budget & Policy Manager. She offered “sincere congratulations and appreciation to Jorge and Sarah for their dedication to our community” and said she will support the community taking on urgent issues like climate justice.

Reyneveld aims to share her vision for King County and increasing turnout for the general election. She says her campaign “will continue to be focused on regional solutions to address homelessness, improve public safety and behavioral health, and expand access to reliable public transit” and believes the turnout will be much higher for the general election. Her campaign appreciated all of the volunteers but was particularly touched by the support of Jim McDermott, Queen Anne resident and 14 term U.S. Congressman. McDermott said he was excited to support Reyneveld because “she has all of the qualifications to make an excellent public servant” and agreed that it is imperative to encourage more people to vote. “A vote is the most important tool that an American has,” he said, “and if you don’t vote, I don’t think you are participating in democracy.”

Baron earned an impressive list of endorsements but remained focused on the voters that shared their hopes for King County and said, “It is an honor to be able to run for public office.”

Seattle School Board

The Seattle School Board is made up of seven directors and oversees the largest school district in the state. Four of those positions are on the ballot this year and the other three will be up for election again in 2025. In the primary election, voters only vote for the candidate that resides in their zone of the city. And in the general election, all registered voters can vote for a candidate in each of the zones.

Queen Anne is in District 4 and is not on the ballot this year. Magnolia and Interbay were part of D4 in the last election but are now located in the newly redistricted District 2. But D2 incumbent Lisa Rivera Smith and former SPS Principal Christina Posten are headed straight to the general because there were only two candidates in their race.

Gina Topp dominated the District 6 ballots with over 70% of the vote. Maryanne Wood, a mother and grandmother who says “NO to the planned school closures”, will also appear on the ballot. The third candidate was Rosie McCarter, a neurodivergent mom of three who had planned to uplift low-income families and students with disabilities.

District 3 includes the U District, Wallingford, Ravenna, Meridian, and had the most contested race. With no incumbent, it looked like Christie Robertson, Ben Gitenstein, and Evan Briggs would split the vote. Robertson has a Ph.D. in neurobiology, a mind for numbers, and a passion for inclusive education, but did not make it through the primary. Gitenstein is a tech guy that is very unhappy with the current state of the district and Briggs is a filmmaker.

North Seattle residents in District 1 selected incumbent Liza Rankin and Debbie Carlson, out of the field of four. Both are moms with PTA experience, one wanting to continue the current direction of the district and one looking to “bring a new generation to the school board.”

General election

The General election is Tuesday, Nov. 7; all ballots are due by 8 p.m. You can also check your registration or register to vote at voter.votewa.gov.