Joy Hollingsworth Elected Seattle City Council President In Unanimous Vote
Photo: Converge Media
By Mead Gill
The Seattle City Council held its first meeting of the new term on January 6, 2026, where Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth was elected as Council President for the 2026-2027 term in a 9-0 vote. Council President Pro Tem Dan Strauss nominated Hollingsworth, which was seconded with no opposing nominations.
Hollingsworth is the first Black woman to be elected president of the Seattle City Council.
In her first address as Council President, she committed to transparency and conduct.
"Everyone who walks through these doors will be treated with respect and kindness, no matter how they show up in their spirit, their attitude, or their words,” she said.
With no further nominations, the Council moved to discussion. Former Council President Deborah Juarez, who seconded the nomination, spoke on Hollingsworth’s authority.
"Joy has leadership that's collective. She understands how to share that leadership, and she will not be defined by a world that thinks because she's a Black woman she has to stay in this box,” she said.
Hollingsworth’s election makes history, as D1 Councilmember Rob Saka emphasized during discussion.
"It's past time for our city to have a Black council president and it's past time for our city to have its very first ever queer council president as well,” he said.
Several councilmembers, including Strauss, Saka, and D4 Councilmember Maritza Rivera, praised Hollingsworth’s leadership while chairing the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan for 2025. Joining the City Council in 2024, Hollingsworth represented D3, encompassing Capitol Hill, the Central District, Eastlake, Montlake, Madison Park, Madison Valley, First Hill, Portage Bay, Leschi, and Madrona.
Born and raised on 23rd Avenue in the Central District as a fourth-generation Seattleite, Hollingsworth’s connection to the city is undeniable. Her late grandmother, Dorothy Hollingsworth, was a civil rights and public education trailblazer, named the inaugural director of Seattle Public Schools’ Head Start program in 1965. Ten years later, Dorothy Hollingsworth became the first Black woman elected to the Seattle School Board and, in 1979, was elected board president, credited with helping to alleviate racial tensions in Seattle Public Schools. These deep ties to the city matter in a leader, said Position 9 Councilmember Dionne Foster.
As a councilmember, Joy Hollingsworth focused heavily on budget amendments, where she proposed redirecting $10 million in Participatory Budgeting funding to champion arts, youth, and housing initiatives last year. Her proposals included directing $4.685 million over five years through the Office of Arts and Culture to support arts, culture, history, or heritage in historically disadvantaged communities. Additionally, her proposals included $3 million for homeowner stabilization services and $1.5 million to upgrade Garfield Playfield in the 2025 budget.
Upon assuming the chair, Joy Hollingsworth left the council and the public with an intentional strategy.
"As a body, our shared responsibility is simple: bold basics, the fundamentals, measurable outcomes, accessibility to government, and…a hyper focus on local issues and transparency,” she said.
