MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell unveils transition team led by former Obama cabinet secretary

Nov 16, 2021, 4:31 PM | Updated: Nov 17, 2021, 7:56 am

Bruce Harrell, eviction moratorium...

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell announced his transition team on Tuesday evening, which will be led by former Obama administration Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, among others.

Bruce Harrell lays out plans to be ‘a change agent’ as Seattle’s next mayor

Also serving as chairs on Harrell’s transition team will be Equal Opportunity Schools interim CEO Eddie Lincoln, Uwajimaya CEO Denise Moriguchi, and Sea Mar CEO Rogelio Riojas. The team will be broken up into a handful of sub-groups tackling a range of areas, including arts and culture, education, climate and environment, homelessness, labor, and more.

“In this transition team, the Mayor-elect is setting the tone for an administration that is inclusive, dynamic, and diligent,” Jewell said in a Tuesday press release. “The members of this team are policy experts and government leaders, CEOs and workers, Seattleites with real lived and professional experience addressing the issues facing our City.”

Other notable names serving on Harrell’s transition team include King County Regional Homelessness Authority CEO Marc Dones, 2021 mayoral candidate and former state Rep. Jessyn Farrell, Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, former Councilmember Tim Burgess, state Rep. Nicole Macri, and Seattle Storm co-owner Dawn Trudeau.

Harrell: City needs ‘sense of urgency’ to address homeless crisis

“After a very long – and, at times, very divisive – campaign season, the most important thing we can do to get off on the right foot is demonstrate our commitment to bringing our City together,” Harrell said. “We cannot accomplish the big ideas or lead the innovations I envision without guidance from a wide array of community members and stakeholders.”

Harrell defeated challenger Lorena Gonzalez by a 59% to 41% margin in the November general election, and will take office at the start of the new year. Fifteen candidates originally vied for Seattle’s mayoral seat in the August primary, after sitting Mayor Jenny Durkan opted not to run for reelection.

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Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell unveils transition team led by former Obama cabinet secretary