Seattle Subway Primary Endorsements 2023

Introduction

We are excited to share our 2023 primary endorsements for Seattle City Council and King County Council. Seattle Subway has been endorsing local races since 2015 and our methodology has changed slightly over the years.

For the primary this year we're endorsing candidates that are most aligned with our vision and interests in a vacuum, thinking first and foremost about rail expansion, then about who is best for working cities. We use every source of information available to us to make endorsements starting with our candidate questionnaires, the MASS candidate forums, and including local candidate coverage and statements candidates make.

In the general election, we start over. If the candidates we endorse in the primary don't make it to the general election, or if we did not endorse in our far more idealistic process of the primary, we will completely reconsider the options for our endorsement in the general election.

A huge thank you to all of the candidates who responded to our questionnaires, engaged in the MASS forums, and want to make the city and county a better place to live. Without further ado, here are our endorsements:

Seattle City Council District 1: Maren Costa
Seattle City Council District 2: No Primary Endorsement
Seattle City Council District 3: Efrain Hudnell & Alex Hudson
Seattle City Council District 4: Ron Davis
Seattle City Council District 5: Nilu Jenks
Seattle City Council District 6: Dan Strauss
Seattle City Council District 7: Andrew Lewis

King County Council District 2*: Girmay Zahilay
King County Council District 4: Sarah Reyneveld
King County Council District 6*: Claudia Balducci
King County Council District 8: Teresa Mosqueda

*There will not be primary elections in King County Council Districts 2 and 6.

Seattle City CouncilSeattle City Council District 1: Maren Costa

An open seat always presents an interesting challenge. How do we get enough information about a candidate with no voting history? We find that focusing on a candidate's values often is a good indicator of where they will land on issues we care about. As an environmentalist and organizer, it's hard to argue with Maren Costa's values. We appreciate that she specifically supports Option 6" on the comp plan to bring more housing to Seattle, faster. She supports the Center City Connector and retaining all the stations we voted for in ST3. Our only quibble is that we would like to see more concrete/actionable plans to improve transit, but based on her values we feel confident that she'll be on transit's side and pushing to make it better.

Vote for Maren Costa for Seattle City Council.

Seattle City Council District 2: No Primary Endorsement

Tammy Morales has had one term under her belt representing District 2. During that time she has been a vocal advocate for progressive issues, especially improved safety in South Seattle for those walking and rolling, an issue deserving of much attention and improvement; and for Comprehensive Plan Alternative 6.

We therefore find it sad to be unable to endorse her in this race. As a transit advocacy group, we know that a rapid transit system with a comprehensive network is one of the absolute best equity investments a community can make. We therefore were troubled and alarmed by CM Morales' opposition to a core principle of good transit-an integrated transit hub in CID under 4th Avenue between Union Station and King Street Station. A station in CID that saves transit riders' time and creates a safe, connected environment for transit users and drives economic activity for adjacent CID and Pioneer Square businesses.

We hope that Morales comes around and supports transit in her district that puts riders as well as people walking/rolling first. Transit that a majority of CID residents already support. A transit hub that over 80% of CID residents voted for. Arguments for moving the station out of CID ultimately read like post-hoc justifications to maintain car dominance, and Morales has already shown that she can do better than that. We don't think all is lost on this front but can't endorse at this time.

No Primary Endorsement.

Seattle City Council District 3: Efrian Hudnell & Alex Hudson

The only tragedy in this year's election is that there are two of the most effective transit advocates in the state running in the same race. We should all be so lucky to see them square off in November.

As a former Executive Director of Seattle Subway and a key force behind the success of SB 5528 (local funding for subways) becoming law, Efrain Hudnell knows perhaps better than anyone up for election this year how we're going to make leaps forward in progress towards the vision of a city and region fully connected by subway-quality high-capacity transit. Efrain has a deep understanding of the intersection between state, regional, and local law to implement both the transit and land use policies we desperately need. And beyond his transit vision, he doesn't think HB 1110 (legalizing missing middle housing) goes far enough. He has concrete ideas on how to make sure that housing gets produced as quickly as possible such as suspending design review for residential and mixed use developments until we hit our goal of creating 200K units of housing. As a candidate he has used his platform to make it clear how necessary Subway-quality connections between neighborhoods are and to fight back against ideas that hurt transit riders and could further delay ST3 construction.

Vote for Efrain Hudnell for Seattle City Council.

As a former leader of the First Hill Improvement Association where she developed her community activist chops and translated vision into policy and funding from a grassroots level, we trust Alex Hudson. She brought those activist bonafides to her leadership as Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, which came at a pivotal time in state policy-making as the state transportation package and SB 5528 (local funding for subways) were both passed. She promises to champion funding for a city-wide Link plan through the Move Seattle Levy, which is a pivotal first step to more subway-quality transit. It's also worth noting that she is a leader and champion in the Streetcar Coalition that took up the fight for funding and construction of the Center City Connector (CCC) after Seattle Subway successfully ensured the CCC was designed to be fast and reliable with its own lanes through downtown. Most recently, she has been a leading force against bad ideas at Sound Transit's Board to delete the ST3 Midtown station serving the Madison corridor.

Vote for Alex Hudson for Seattle City Council.

Seattle City Council District 4: Ron Davis

As a recent board member at Seattle Subway, Ron is clearly dedicated to the transit quality and expansion and his responses to our questionnaire show a deep practical understanding of the subject. When talking about speeding up ST3 he talks about leveraging Seattle's Sound Transit board seat and focusing on permitting and supplemental funding to make sure Seattle gets a quality system. He thinks a long-term vision for grade-separated transit should be a required part of our transportation and land use planning, built into the comprehensive plan and the transportation plan. He doesn't just support HB 1110 (legalizing missing middle housing), he has concrete ideas on how to make sure that housing gets produced as quickly as possible such as pre-approval standard of four and 2-6-plex plans and builders remedy (!!!) after six months in process.

Coming into this election we knew Ron was going to be a solid candidate to get our endorsement, what we didn't expect was how weak the field he's in is. He was the only candidate from D4 to answer our questionnaire or agree to attend a District 4 MASS forum. He's the only D4 candidate who seems to have any answers when it comes to transportation and housing.

Vote for Ron Davis for Seattle City Council.

Seattle City Council District 5: Nilu Jenks

D5 is blessed with a field of candidates with their hearts in the right place, whom we would have been happy to endorse. However, Nilu Jenks stands above the competition when it comes to policy specifics and concrete action plans. Her questionnaire responses wowed us with their fervor in support of protecting the ST3 voters approved, and laying out a vision for ST4, particularly in North Seattle. She recognizes the need for greater east/west connection throughout Seattle, and the impact that our current north/south priorities have on transit feasibility throughout the region. We also appreciate that as a environmentally-minded candidate, Nilu does not make the mistake of believing that electrifying single-occupancy vehicles is a viable replacement for a robust public transportation network. Her vision for housing density goes beyond the comp plan's Alternative 5, and she recognizes the equity impact that corridor-based development has on our city. We are pleased to be able to so throatily endorse her, and look forward to her work on behalf of the people of Seattle.

Vote for Nilu Jenks for Seattle City Council.

Seattle City Council District 6: Dan Strauss

Dan Strauss has been one of the best advocates for better transit in the City of Seattle. In his capacity as vice chair of the transportation committee, Strauss was one of the few local elected officials making an appearance on the record supporting SB 5528 (local funding for subways) at the state legislature. Locally, he sponsored a 2023 city council statement of legislative intent and was a key supporter of a 2022 budget proviso, both efforts to create a city-wide link expansion plan beyond the existing Sound Transit Long Range Plan. He has supported capital improvements for bus speed and reliability, he was instrumental in cafe streets, and he has been a longtime advocate of protected bike lanes and additional bus rapid transit service. Strauss has clearly shown up for better transit throughout the city, while he touts his efforts to be highly available and listen to constituents in his district.

Vote for Dan Strauss for Seattle City Council.

Seattle City Council District 7: Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis's responses to our questionnaire demonstrates strong support when it comes to transit and land use, though he is hesitant to make promises. In his own words, he envisions a comprehensive network of grade-separated rail connecting to neighborhood hubs, with buses supplementing for comprehensive service." Yet when asked how he will help enact ST3 and future expansions, he assigns primary responsibility to the Sound Transit board, of which he is not a member. Though a bit non-committal about how he plans to update the Seattle Comprehensive Plan, he supports HB 1110 and has a more inspiring vision for how to use a renewed Move Seattle Levy. Councilmember Lewis is far and away the best choice in District 7. He has been vocal about supporting transit expansion, pedestrianization, upzoning, and his voting record in his first term backs it up. Should he win a second term, we hope he follows up on his progressive vision.

Vote Andrew Lewis for Seattle City Council.

King County CouncilKing County Council District 2*: Girmay Zahilay

There will be no primary for KCC District 2, as Girmay Zahilay has advanced to the general election unopposed. Councilmember Zahilay has impressed in his first term, leading progressive efforts on transit, housing, and public health such as with the Free Youth Fare program, a residential road safety program in unincorporated King County, building crisis care centers, and tenant protections. In his second term, we hope he continues to leverage his position to improve the King County Metro Transit Department and pressure Sound Transit to deliver on ST3.

Vote for Girmay Zahilay for King County Council.*

King County Council District 4: Sarah Reyneveld

Voters are tasked with a difficult choice in District 4 between 3 good candidates whose values we align with. We'd like to specifically call out how impressed we are with Jorge Baron's support for finding additional sources of progressive revenue at the county level, and proven effort in this regard with his recent advocacy for increasing the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services levy. He is a clear transit supporter. However, transit riders would be best served with Sarah Reyneveld as their councilmember. Sarah's responses to our questionnaire had the clarity and specificity belied by her years as a Ballard transit advocate. Her support for a King County Transportation Benefit District demonstrates her understanding of the urgency of King County Metro's funding issues, and convinced us that she would fight for more than band-aids. We appreciate her vocal opposition to the current direction of ST3, and join her in condemning the deletion of the 4th Avenue, Midtown, and Harrison stations. We believe her when she says she'll seek assignment to the Sound Transit board to be an advocate for riders, and hope that she and others would be able to join Councilmember Balducci in her tireless work pushing Sound Transit to build the regional transit system voters deserve. And even if she is not appointed to the Sound Transit Board, her being on the board" (King County Council) of the King County Metro Transit Department would be welcome.

Vote Sarah Reyneveld for King County Council.

King County Council District 6*: Claudia Balducci

Claudia Balducci is one of the most informed, effective, and visionary transit leaders in Washington State. We are lucky enough to have her on our King County Council and Sound Transit Board. As a member of the county's Transportation, Economy and Environment committee, she has overseen one of the best transit agencies in the country in King County Metro.

As an appointee to the Sound Transit board representing King County and chair of the agency's System Expansion Committee, Claudia has often been the sole voice of reason at an agency-under-resourced for delivery of projects this size--that seems to be meandering through the wilderness. She's been visionary, trying to build solutions that preserve transit best practices and will surely deliver high ridership. She has sought to drag the agency, kicking and screaming, to be transparent about its recommendations and reasons for making them (the agency, as noted by the TAG, often fails to disclose what it should or come to decisions in a timely manner).

The truth is, if we could be endorsing Claudia for Governor, Mayor of Seattle, or King County Executive, we would. Unfortunately, those races aren't up for election this year and Claudia isn't a resident of Seattle. So we have to recommend the next best thing.

Vote Claudia Balducci for King County Council.*

King County Council District 8: Teresa Mosqueda

Teresa Mosqueda has proven us right time and again. She is an ardent advocate for transit and solutions to Seattle's housing crisis. Seattle Subway believes Teresa Mosqueda deserves the chance to bring her fresh, forward-thinking vision to the King County Council. Our only regret is that we will sorely miss her as Seattle City Council budget chair. We look forward to her work on the board of the King County Metro Transit Department, which just so happens to be called King County Council.

Vote Teresa Mosqueda for King County Council.

*There will not be primary elections in King County Council Districts 2 and 6.