As the New Year’s fireworks display began at the Space Needle, Seattle’s leadership changed hands. Mayor Katie Wilson, City Attorney Erika Evans, and Councilmember Dionne Foster assumed their new positions.
At her ceremonial swearing-in on January 2, Mayor Wilson delivered her inaugural address, declaring that “this is your city.” In her speech, the new Mayor did not lay out a series of new programs or even commitments on issues like public safety and homelessness. Instead, she called on the people of Seattle to join her effort to make the city a better place to live and work.
Mayor Wilson was also somewhat introspective, talking about the transition she must make.
“I’m a rabble-rouser. I campaigned on affordability, on homelessness, on taxing the rich. I’ve spent my career organizing with the people who get left out of those official narratives.
But now I’m the mayor. It’s my job to channel excitement for major projects, and not just that, I have to genuinely care about them enough to exercise good judgment and make the best decisions possible for our city.
Can I do that? Can I be the mayor of the waterfront and the World Cup and the stadiums and the Seattle Center and the convention center and any other centers that we might decide to build?
Well. Good news for our city: Yes, yes, I can. I’ll do it in my own way, but yes, I can do that.”
She discussed the need to build trust in her leadership and in city government by getting results.
“That means listening and responding, solving problems, and getting results. That means making true, tangible progress on problems like homelessness, where progress has eluded our city for many years. That means paying attention to the details.”
She closed by asking the people of Seattle to each play their own role in building a better Seattle.
“With all of you is where the real power lies. And that is why I intend to govern in a way that creates space for organizers and ordinary people to do the work of pushing our city and our society forward, towards realizing our highest and best aspirations. Because I know that what I am able to accomplish in office will depend on what you’re able to build on the outside.”
