Mayor Bruce Harrell Reflects on His Term on ‘The Big O Show’

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell recently joined "The Big O Show" to reflect on his term, the challenges he faced in office, and his vision for the city in light of the upcoming shift in power in January. 

Mayor Harrell said his administration led with the concept of One Seattle, striving for a working unity on key priorities despite contrasting ideas.

“One Seattle is a concept by which we could have political disagreements, we could have political discourse, but by and large the main things we're trying to accomplish… that we are one enough to move forward," he said.

Harrell cited the successful passage of several large levies as evidence of this unity: a $970 million housing levy, a $1.55 billion transportation levy, and a $1.3 billion education levy.

"That is One Seattle—us coming together in unprecedented numbers. These are numbers that had never been done before," he said. 

Reflecting on the continued issues facing the city’s downtown quarter, the Mayor identified two major challenges despite his administration's efforts to revitalize the neighborhood.

"Number one is you still see visibly people hurting themselves, harming themselves. You see the drug use, the standing around and just loitering with no real positive direction to go and you see people that... are just hurting and need help," he said. 

He also pointed out the persistent economic issues.

"Number two, you still see plywood and boarded up stores where there's no economic vibrancy," he said.

The Mayor said he believed his administration steered Seattle toward recovery through programs like Seattle Restored, various economic development strategies, the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), zoning plans, and police recruiting strategies. "We put the foundation for it to be there," he said.

Harrell touched on the city's approach to public safety, specifically the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and the city's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department. He defended the work of CARE, affirming that it has the potential to be a national model for public safety strategy. 

He also spoke on the personal toll of his role as "consoler-in-chief," particularly when dealing with gun violence, an issue that hit close to home when his son's friend was killed. "I put my heart and soul into this job and into this city," he said.

Reflecting on his re-election loss, Harrell shared a key lesson for future leaders: effective communication is vital, notably addressing criticism directly rather than letting it fester. 

“There are some people that just live for the criticism,” he said. ​​"I have zero appetite for dealing with people like that in my personal life...because usually these people are very miserable and they're really not building something positive that I'm trying to build."

Looking ahead, Harrell affirmed the importance of accountability.

"When you hold someone accountable, it doesn't mean that you're sitting back just judging. Means that you're helping,” he said, reiterating that he will hold the Wilson administration accountable. “They should be held accountable as I was held accountable," he said. 

Check out “The Big O Show” here and on all Converge streaming platforms.