Council Vacancy

Why is There a Vacancy on the Seattle City Council?

Council President Bruce Harrell (District 2, South Seattle) announced a proposed process, outlined below, to fill the vacancy left by Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle). Johnson, who made his resignation known publicly on March 21, 2019, served in his elected capacity through Friday, April 5.

The City Charter gives the City Council 20 calendar days to fill a vacant Council position. This period begins April 6, 2019, the day following Johnson’s official resignation, and ends on April 25, 2019. As such, the last regular business day to make the decision within the 20-day period would be April 25, 2019.

From the date of the appointment, the newly appointed Councilmember who will be filling the vacancy will serve until November 26, 2019, the date all election results are certified by King County Elections, and the newly elected Councilmember representing District 4 takes the oath of office.

From Council President Harrell’s memo:

“...I believe we can have an open and expeditious process to appoint a new member within the 20-day period called for in the Charter. As stated in Article IV and Article XIX of the Charter, applicants shall ‘possess the qualifications required for election to such office’ and ‘a district member shall be a resident of the district represented for at least one hundred twenty (120) days.’ It would also be practical to seek a new Councilmember that would be qualified to chair the Planning, Land Use and Zoning committee vacated by Councilmember Johnson. Given the need for our new Councilmember to ‘hit the ground running’ and this fall’s election seven months away, I believe we should appoint an experienced ‘caretaker’ who agrees not to seek election to the Council this year.”

Latest News Releases for the Council Vacancy Process

• April 22, 2019: Council Selects Abel Pacheco Jr. for Vacancy Appointment
• April 10, 2019: Council Vacancy Candidate Forum Rescheduled for Monday
• April 8, 2019: Council Vacancy Process Update
• March 21, 2019: President Harrell Announces Process to Fill Council Vacancy

Process for Filling the Council Vacancy

The Council will follow the process outlined below:

In the event the Council fails to fill the vacant position by the end of that 20-day period (April 25), the Council must meet every business day, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, thereafter and beginning on April 26 until the vacancy is filled (Charter Article XIX, Section 6).

List of Applicants

The following is a list of eligible applicants. The City has verified the applicants' eligibility as outlined in the City Charter. Their applications are viewable below:

Candidates who have withdrawn their applications are crossed off from the above list.

How Can the Public Provide Feedback on the Applicants?

Applicants' materials have been posted online for public review. Members of the public may provide feedback about the eligible applicants in multiple ways:

• Emailing all Councilmembers at council@seattle.gov
• Attending the community forum:
  • Monday, April 15, 2019 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
    City Hall — Bertha Knight Landes Room (Floor 1)
    600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
• Providing comment at the following City Council meetings:
  • City Council meeting on Monday, April 15, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. in Council Chambers
  • Special City Council Meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers
  • City Council meeting on Monday, April 22, 2019, 2:00 p.m. in Council Chambers

Community Organization Questions

The Council, in consultation with the community, worked to convene a Public Forum on April 15, 2019. Fifteen community organizations submitted 68 questions. Fourteen community organizations confirmed participation at the forum or expressed interest in participating.

All applicants were emailed the questions submitted from the community organizations. Applicants have the option to submit answers to the questions by emailing council@seattle.gov and responses will be posted in this section.

Applicants written responses:

• Brooke Brod

At the Public Forum on Monday, the moderator asked all applicants 3 questions from the compiled list of community questions. Community organizations in attendance also had the opportunity to ask the applicants questions.

Watch the video of the Public Forum

How Long Will the Council Appointee Hold Office?

Because the vacant seat is up for election, the appointee will serve until the election results are certified on November 26, 2019, at which point the newly elected Councilmember for District 4 will be sworn in and immediately take office.