The last year has been a transitional one as the city works hard to get back to a pre-pandemic normal. Mayor Bruce Harell wants the public know that he is working hard. He has been focusing on neighborhood outreach and bringing communities together. Mayor Harrell joined and/or held nearly 300 community events across Seattle in 2022.
Seattle’s Mayor Bruce Harrell released a summary report on the one year anniversary of his inauguration. It details his administration’s shared accomplishments in 2022 and committing to further progress in 2023. The mayor’s first year of building his themed One Seattle plan was paid attention to addressing homelessness, public safety, and the pandemic.
“This new year presents a new opportunity to reflect and chart our path forward,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “2022 was a busy year – we brought in new directors to lead our Executive Team and departments, created new systems to address Seattle’s most challenging problems, and embraced a new spirit of collaboration and united effort to put our city on the right track. While there are signs of early progress to build on, we know there is much more work to do to create a safer city, address the homelessness crisis, support neighbors and residents, and build a vibrant One Seattle for all.”
The mayor delivered on a pledge to forge effective working relationships with the City Council, passing over 135 bills, confirming 12 department directors, and approving the City’s first biennial budget since the pandemic.
Additional highlights from the mayor’s first year in office include:
- Of Seattle’s nearly 500 parks, including a commitment to keep restrooms open year-round and reestablish the Parks Ranger program
- Action on climate change to build resilience to events like extreme heat and smoke in the most-impacted communities, foster a just transition away from fossil fuels, and protect the city’s urban forest and tree canopies
- Steps to increase access to opportunity across all communities, including passing historic cannabis equity legislation, expanding the city’s preschool program, and increasing mental health support for Seattle students
- Establishing new beautification efforts including a graffiti strategy to address the surge in vandalism and tagging, increasing public art and murals around the city, and support for outdoor dining and retail opportunities
- Organized the One Seattle Day of Service uniting more than 4000 volunteers in shared action and service to support neighbors in need and create a cleaner, more beautiful city
The mayor wants to make sure the next election doesn’t creep up and the city not know what he has done. “Seattle communities are seeing early results from efforts to move forward in a new direction, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to build the systems, relationships, teams, and trust necessary to enact our One Seattle vision,” said Mayor Harrell. “I look forward to continuing to build the Seattle we want to see in 2023.”
