Midweek Roundup: 2025 Primary

Elections Headlines:

• Michael Westgaard, candidate for Renton City Council Position 1, made transit improvements a central pillar of his campaign (The Urbanist). Westgaard will proceed to general election.
• Tacoma Faces Pivotal Moment in Crowded Primary Election (The Urbanist)
• Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) helped Zohran Mamdani win a decisive victory in the recent NYC Mayoral primary election (New York Times, gift link). RCV will be implemented in some Seattle primary elections in 2027.
• Select results at end of roundup. Coverage by The Seattle Times ($), The Urbanist, and KUOW.

Transit & Streets:

• New WA foot ferries envisioned for San Juans, Everett, Bellingham (The Seattle Times, $).
• Community Transit shares more details on upcoming Gold Line (The Everett Herald, $)
• Seattle is suing the Trump administration over funding threats including roughly $370 million, mostly in transportation grants" (The Seattle Times, $).
• Washington's new work zone speed cameras cite 7K drivers in first 90 days (KUOW).

Land Use & Housing:

• Seattle Growth Plan Amendments Would Shrink Neighborhood Centers, Expand Density Incentives (The Urbanist). Additional coverage by The Seattle Times ($).
• Medina Clinging to Semi-rural' Streets While Vying for Complete Streets Dollars (The Urbanist).

Commentary & Miscellaneous:

• How One Bad Project Can Poison the Entire Mode (Pedestrian Observations).
• How the Week Without Driving' helps elected officials and other leaders understand the importance of infrastructure for non-drivers (Anna Zivarts, Streetsblog USA). The next Week Without Driving is September 29-October 5.
• Amateurbanists" use these free tools to advocate for better cities (Fast Company)
• Take a Ride on New York City's Future Train Line, the BQX IBX (New York Times, gift link)
• Many places in the USA (including Seattle) are making it easier to build housing on irregular and long-overlooked lots (The New York Times, gift link).
• The Italian port city of Trieste is working toward building a 2.6-mile, 4-station gondola line (Seilbahnen Intl. Magazine).

Selected election results (1st drop; 8pm, Aug. 5):

• King County Executive: Girmay Zahilay (40.4%) and Claudia Balducci (30.3%)
• Seattle Mayor: Katie Wilson (46.2%) and Bruce Harrell (44.9%)
• Seattle Council Pos.2: Eddie Lin (45.7%) and Adonis Ducksworth (30.6%)
• Seattle Council Pos.8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck (75.2%)
• Seattle Council Pos.9: Dionne Foster (53.7%), Sara Nelson (39.1%)

This is an Open Thread.