City of Seattle
Seattle is a charter city, with a mayor–council form of government. From 1911 to 2013, Seattle’s nine city councillors were elected at large, rather than by geographic subdivisions. For the 2015 election, this changed to a hybrid system of seven district members and two at-large members as a result of a ballot measure passed on November 5, 2013. The only other elected offices are the city attorney and Municipal Court judges. All city offices are officially non-partisan.
Like some other parts of the United States, government and laws are also run by a series of ballot initiatives (allowing citizens to pass or reject laws), referenda (allowing citizens to approve or reject legislation already passed), and propositions (allowing specific government agencies to propose new laws or tax increases directly to the people). Seattle City Council
Click on the images below for contact information and to learn more about each of our Seattle City Council Members.
The Rest of the Council
Visit the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods website to learn more about the rest of the City Council, and where the current Seattle City Council District borders are located.
Mayor of Seattle
The Mayor of Seattle is the head of the executive branch of the city government of Seattle, WA. The mayor is authorized by the city charter to enforce laws enacted by the Seattle City Council, as well as direct subordinate officers in city departments. The mayor serves a four-year term, without term limits, and is chosen in citywide, two-round elections between nonpartisan candidates.
Mayor Bruce Harrell was elected the 57th mayor of Seattle in 2021 and was sworn in as Seattle’s 54th mayor for an interim period in 2017. Learn more about his background and priorities.
Prior to becoming Mayor, Harrell served as a member of the Seattle City Council from 2008 to 2020, and represented District 2 from 2016 to 2020 after Seattle adopted an electoral district system.