Many Seattleites could have been blissfully unaware that Mayor Bruce Harrell delivered his annual State of the Metropolis tackle at present. Hopefully, most have been having fun with the moody, blustery climate in a park someplace relatively than sitting by the occasion at Benaroya Corridor alongside metropolis corridor staffers, rigorously vetted neighborhood leaders, random excessive schoolers, and different elected officers compelled to partake within the proceedings.
For individuals who have been in any other case occupied with jobs, lives, and extra necessary issues, was there something from the speech price figuring out? Form of. And a few issues neglected is perhaps simply as notable.
First on the checklist: the Mayor is testing out a brand new slogan. As soon as a staple of each speech, the ever-present #OneSeattle made solely two appearances, each referencing pre-existing applications. Now, the message is all about rising. Seattle is on the rise. “We’ll rise” is in; #OneSeattle is out, get with it.
One other notable little bit of branding: the Downtown Activation Plan (DAP) is, in truth, pronounced as a phrase, which the Mayor did throughout his speech. Harrell seems desirous to “dap up” downtown, an effort that lands someplace between enthusiastic and “How do you do, fellow youngsters?”
Then, there’s the matter of sports activities references. In his 60-minute speech, Harrell squeezed in at the least 5. One included prop comedy—teasing an NBA announcement when he pulled a basketball out from behind his again earlier than laughing: “Simply kidding” (Supersonics perpetually.) In one other, he tried to check Seattle’s challenges to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, who have been blown out on this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl. “I don’t see defeat when a champion is on the sphere,” he declared, elevating questions on his eyesight. The staff was down 24 to zip at halftime, earlier than dropping 40 to 22 ( Go Birds ).
As for coverage issues—housing, public security, homelessness— properly, that is an election 12 months for him, so naturally, every little thing goes nice. In response to Harrell, 2024 was a banner 12 months for Seattle: crime charges down, parks restored, downtown bustling. He provided some numbers to help the narrative: a 35 % discount in tents counted by metropolis employees from 2023 to 2024, 1,800 shelter referrals made to homeless people, and 33,000 new models of housing coming on-line.
Nevertheless, the true questions stay unanswered. Has homelessness really decreased total? What number of of these new housing models are market fee versus inexpensive? Are they totally occupied, or are they sitting half-empty like so a lot of Seattle’s latest developments? And what about hire costs? Go fish, I assume. No solutions have been offered.
One evident omission from the speech: the $50 million per 12 months in tax income voters simply allotted to the Seattle Social Housing Developer (SSHD) through Proposition 1A. On condition that Harrell’s face was plastered throughout mailers for the business-backed various, Prop 1B, designed to water down SSHD’s authentic funding ask, his silence is predictable. The resounding 63-37 % victory for 1A was, in some ways, a referendum on his administration. Avoiding the subject altogether is perhaps a smart alternative.
As a substitute, he principally caught to the center-right, institution Democrat playbook: ignore challenges from the left, wield the correct as a boogyman, and confuse listeners with a bunch of empty platitudes and massive phrases about progress, variety, and imaginative and prescient. His speech opened with a broad warning in regards to the Trump administration’s all-out assault on federal funding, native autonomy, the rule of regulation, and no matter else stays of small-d democracy on this nation.
We’re glad to listen to that plans to defend our LGBTQ+ neighborhood from discrimination, is suing the Trump administration over their bullying of sanctuary cities, and has instructed the Seattle Police Division to not take part in any immigration enforcement. Particularly as establishments are caving to Trump’s intimidation left and proper. However since November is coming, we also needs to do not forget that anybody to the left of him goes to do all of that and maybe extra.
Past politics, Harrell additionally took time to hype up Seattle’s waterfront—or, as he examined stay on stage, the “Emerald Metropolis Coast.” The brand new branding try landed with all of the grace of his suggestion that everybody would wish a drink after his “lengthy ass speech.” Which is to say, crickets.
Anyway, as Dan Savage as soon as informed me I needed to do when writing restaurant evaluations, I ought to discover one good factor to say. So right here’s my favourite factor about our present Mayor: I recognize that, as a comic, he’s not afraid to fail. He’ll simply rise up there and check out new materials with no concern.
You’ve additionally acquired handy it to him that he’s getting fairly rabid about permits. He needs to chop crimson tape for everybody: builders, small enterprise homeowners, even Sound Transit. Certainly, he pledged {that a} new metropolis workplace would deal with streamlining mild rail growth to West Seattle and Ballard, transferring the timelines up by as a lot as a 12 months. Will surely be good.
Additionally within the huge guarantees division, he publicly dedicated to closing Pike Place Market to automobiles—a transfer lengthy overdue. Unhappy that it took a tragic automobile assault in New Orleans to push it throughout the end line, however I’m not trying a pedestrianized avenue reward horse within the mouth. Reaching this aim, in response to the Mayor, would require “ingenuity and admittedly widespread sense,” although most likely a handful of retractable bollards and a few political braveness would do.
However sufficient, already. The speech is over, town stays in flux, and for individuals who missed it, the highlights—or lack thereof—can now be absorbed with out sacrificing a day (you’re welcome). In the meantime, for these nonetheless awaiting real progress on affordability, homelessness, and public security, the message stays clear: maintain ready.
