Styling himself a progressive rather than a moderate, Mayor Bruce Harrell promised to enact a bold agenda and pledged to listen and work with self-proclaimed progressives in an inaugural address Tuesday morning.
“In our administration we are not going play small ball,” Harrell said. “This is not the time for small ball. This is the time to be creative and bold.”
In his speech, Harrell sought to back up that claim with initiatives like a health care for all plan to close the gaps in health care insurance coverage among Seattle residents. He also highlighted mentorship program for kids and increased programming at community centers. Branding his vision as “One Seattle,” Harrell said love, kindness, and collaboration would prevail over fear, mean tweets, and division, allowing the city to accomplish big things.
“In One Seattle, we’ll have affordable housing for all,” Harrell said. “We’ll support our seniors and those on fixed income and vulnerable people. That’s why I’ll be issuing an executive order demanding a full review of the approval process, policies, and implementation to expedite construction of affordable housing.”
Some of this work was already taken up and completed this past spring by the Seattle City Council via Councilmember Andrew Lewis’s legislation which streamlined permitting and code requirements for permanent supportive housing. Harrell’s full review could well find ways to expedite affordable housing production further and perhaps cast a wider net and fast track more types of affordable housing, not just the below 50% area median income projects under the purview of the Council’s ordinance.
