Seattle mayor responds first time publicly to bombshell allegations of sexism in his office
Mar 19, 2025, 2:20 PM | Updated: 6:05 pm
A photo of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. (Photo: Mat Hayward, Getty Images)
(Photo: Mat Hayward, Getty Images)
For the first time publicly, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell responded to bombshell allegations of sexism and running a toxic office where sexism was the apparent norm. Former Seattle Deputy Mayor and Harrell’s niece, Monisha Harrell, first reported those accusations to KUOW, but since then, Harrell has not publicly commented.
On Wednesday afternoon, moments after a press conference at the Delridge Community Center for an unrelated story, KIRO Newsradio reporter Luke Duecy walked alongside the mayor and asked if he was prepared to answer questions about whether the allegations of sexism are true and Harrell replied, “I’m not going to take that right now. I don’t really comment on, you know, former employees.”
Before Duecy could ask follow-up questions, a plain-clothed Seattle police officer working security for the mayor and a member of the mayor’s communications team escorted Harrell into a doorway and motioned Duecy not to follow them inside.
While Harrell said he wouldn’t comment on former employees, Harrell’s director of communications, Jamie Housen, did speak for Mayor Harrell about the former employee in question to KUOW.
Housen said, “Mayor Harrell is proud to have appointed the first Black lesbian senior deputy mayor in the city of Seattle’s history and is grateful for her contributions to our administration. He is also proud to be her uncle and continues to love her and remain proud of her many accomplishments.”
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Previous coverage
In a bombshell report, former Seattle Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell accused Mayor Bruce Harrell of sexism and running a toxic office where sexism was the apparent norm. Monisha is the mayor’s niece.
Monisha Harrell claims Mayor Bruce Harrell and his male advisors referred to her as “SDM Nazi,” where “SDM” (Senior Deputy Mayor) was an inside joke meaning “So Damn Mad” or “So Damn Mean.” She also tells KUOW, the outlet that broke the story, that the mayor’s office was a cutthroat environment where white male advisors competed for influence, marginalized women, and overrode female staffers’ decisions.
The former deputy mayor also claims her uncle often ignored her and other women, frequently overturning their decisions and instead prioritizing his white male advisors’ input. Meanwhile, she claims the mayor was more interested in the title than working on the day-to-day duties.
“I was holding the purse strings pretty tight,” she told KUOW, arguing that she was being mistreated because she demanded the city watch its spending.
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Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office denies
A spokesperson for the mayor denied Monisha Harrell’s claims of mistreatment and sexism. While he admitted that the “SDM” nickname arose “during the course of friendly banter,” he denied remembering what it stood for.
The mayor’s team pointed to the fact that several women and people of color hold key positions in his administration, including three current deputy mayors, and maintained that Monisha’s exit was amicable, with Harrell still being “proud” of her and loving her as his niece.
“Mayor Harrell is proud to have appointed the first Black lesbian senior deputy mayor in the City of Seattle’s history and is grateful for her contributions to our administration. He is also proud to be her uncle and continues to love her and remain proud of her many accomplishments,” spokesperson Jamie Housen told KUOW.
The outlet says that it received unprompted criticisms of Monisha Harrell from five current and former staffers as it prepared the report, suggesting the mayor’s office coordinated a campaign to disparage the former deputy mayor.
“The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH previously reported on the tension between Monisha Harrell and the mayor’s staff, driven by growing mutual distrust. Monisha Harrell frequently clashed with senior staff before eventually being sidelined from key conversations and meetings.
This story was originally published on March 17. It has been updated and republished since then.
Contributing: Luke Duecy, KIRO Newsradio
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