By Carolyn Bick
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Courtesy: X/WilsonforMayor
In her mayor-elect acceptance speech on Nov. 13, Katie Wilson graciously thanked outgoing Mayor Bruce Harrell both for a congratulatory phone call that morning and for his service.
“I think it’s safe to say that our political visions differ in some significant ways,” Wilson said. “But I believe that both of us ultimately want the same thing and that is the very best for Seattle and all of its diverse communities, opportunities for our young people, and a great quality of life for all.”
Wilson, who pulled ahead of Harrell by fewer than 2,000 votes, admitted that “no one saw us coming,” particularly because “wealthy interests poured nearly $2 million into a political action committee to prevent my election.”
“Because for some people in our city, the status quo is working exactly as intended,” Wilson said. “It may look like an affordability crisis to working poor people, but to others it simply looks like business as usual.”
Wilson emphasized collaborating with the community and relying on input from some of City Hall’s more seasoned veterans. She also promised to work with Gov. Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown to protect Seattleites from federal overreach.
While she didn’t outline any particular initiatives, Wilson did highlight that she isn’t afraid to take a look at what isn’t working in the City budget, and pursue progressive revenue sources, particularly since she has inherited a significant budget deficit.
“I am very committed to making sure that we’re using our existing resources as effectively and efficiently as possible,” Wilson said. “We’re going to be reviewing the ways that the city is spending money and I think we’re going to have to do that given the size of the budget deficit. I am not averse to ending spending on programs that were maybe well-intentioned when they were first implemented, but aren’t fulfilling their goals.”
She said that she and her team would be looking at a timeline to implement progressive revenue legislation.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell held a news conference on Nov. 13, 2025 to concede. Screen capture from Seattle Channel
In his concession speech earlier in the day, Harrell laid out his 16 years of public service and his accomplishments as Seattle’s mayor. Among other things, he highlighted a 25% reduction in fatal overdoses, a successful $1 billion housing levy, and giving Seattle’s small-and medium-sized businesses tax breaks. He attributed all of these successes to the people of Seattle and the way they voted.
“This is the work that you all did,” Harrell said. “It was not about me, and it has never been about me.”
Later, in the course of addressing Seattle’s future, Harrell remarked that even though he won’t be mayor anymore, the city “will be fine. I will make sure of that. I’m not retired. I’m not going anywhere.”
In response to a question about what he would have done differently as mayor, Harrell replied, “I can’t say I should have implemented a policy or made a decision that I would have changed. … I don’t walk through life that way. I’m sure it’s good for political fodder to think about that.”
Harrell didn’t give any specifics about his future plans, and said that he feels “very good about the future for … this city.”
Later, he said that he hopes Wilson carries on his administration’s education and economic development initiatives. He said that neither he nor any other mayor would be able to downscale the price of a $1.2 million house in Seattle and bring it down to $400,000.
“That’s out of the pay grade, so what we have to do is do everything possible to get it down through permit processes, through money and investments, and build aggressively,” he said. “At the same time, there has to be economic development. There has to be jobs for everybody. We cannot lose jobs here in Seattle, and [Wilson and her team] have to understand that. … They say, ‘Well, he likes business.’ I like jobs is what I like. … We cannot take economic development for granted.”
He also said he hoped Wilson’s administration would carry on his public safety initiatives.
“I want everyone to feel safe, even the person that could be harming themselves. I want them to get help if they’re killing themselves with drugs. I want people committing crime and threatening others to be arrested. It’s as simple as that,” Harrell said. “I want [Wilson and her team] to continue emphasizing keeping people safe.”
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