Harrell defends record on crime, homelessness as mayoral election nears

With the mayoral election days away, incumbent Bruce Harrell joined “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio to address the key issues of struggling businesses, homelessness, and crime.

When asked about the economic challenges facing Seattle’s small business community, especially rising commercial rents and the ongoing post-pandemic recovery, Harrell highlighted his personal background and connection to the issue.

“You’re talking to a person who owned a small business for many years in downtown Seattle,” Harrell said. “Also, an attorney who represented literally close to 100 small businesses in my career.”

He emphasized that his staff plans on bringing back the Storefront Repair Fund to help business owners better recover from robberies and vandalism.

“Our storefront reform fund is coming back to, and that is critical,” Harrell shared. “That’s when there’s a broken window or a broken door that we actually give grants to these people experiencing this kind of senseless crime.”

To address those challenges, his administration has proposed reforms to the city’s business and occupation tax aimed at easing the tax burden on many smaller enterprises. Harrell pointed to the revival of the city’s Storefront Repair Fund, which provides grants to businesses impacted by property damage, including vandalism and break-ins.

Harrell stresses action on homelessness and crime

In response to concerns over a visible rise in homelessness and a reported decline in available shelter beds, Harrell offered a firm defense of his administration’s approach.

“I have removed under our leadership, 80% of the encampments in areas where people cannot get past sidewalks, and some of the areas where we don’t think encampments are appropriate, always complying with the rule, always offering shelter first,” Harrell said.

On the issue of housing affordability, Harrell cited recent investments and the voter-approved Proposition 1 — a $970 million levy dedicated to expanding access to affordable housing.

“If you look at our administration, we’ve put over a billion dollars in affordable housing,” Harrell remarked. “We’ve built over 33,000 units, 6000 of which are affordable. The voters were gracious to pass a $970 million levy for affordable housing.”

Harrell addresses public safety

With five shootings this week alone and many of those targeted attacks, Harrell said the city is taking every step possible to stop gun-related violence.

The mayor said with more than 100 new officers joining the Seattle Police Department (SPD) this year, SPD will be better able to cover the city and reduce crime.

“We have a hundred new officers this year, and that’s huge,” Harrell shared. “If you look at the number of applications we’re getting, the number of officers we’re hiring, this is unprecedented in terms of the trajectory we’re on. So that will help as well, having more feet on the ground in terms of police.”

Addressing public safety, Harrell responded to the recent spike in gun violence by emphasizing the city’s efforts to remove illegal firearms and rebuild police staffing. 

“You’re getting almost five and a half guns off the streets a day, thousands of guns per year. We are very aggressive in trying to keep people safe,” Harrell said.

Finally, when asked about criticism that his administration is long on promises but short on action, Harrell called on voters to consider the broader context of the challenges he inherited.

“I remind people, they have to look at what we had four years ago. Just remember the condition of the city. Remember, I lost over 300 police officers, almost 1/5 of the police staff,” Harrell said. 

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.