Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell announces first group of major appointments

With three weeks to go until Bruce Harrell is inaugurated as mayor January 4th, he’s announced his first major appointments. Only one is a department head – an interim budget director – but the others include deputy mayors (including one focused on housing/homelessness), a chief equity officer, and a director of strategic initiatives. The appointees include past and present city officials as well as people from non-city backgrounds. See the full announcement here. (Photo from seattle.gov)

Adam December 13, 2021 (3:45 pm)

Huh, one of them is his niece. I sure don’t like seeing nepotism in senior appointments, especially when the press release makes no mention of it.

Derek December 13, 2021 (3:49 pm)

What is this Durkan clone going to do differrent? Been on council for years and hasn’t done much to change Seattle. Seattle is the doing of guys like him… I never supported Harrell and wish we got Echohawk instead.

HarborIslandworker December 13, 2021 (5:48 pm)

Well I assume you got your chance to vote just like everyone else did.
- Adam December 14, 2021 (7:10 am)
  
  Ahahahahaha! Ziiiiing!
  - Pessoa December 16, 2021 (12:27 pm)
    
    Where is the “ziiiing,” as you so triumphantly put it? Someone simply expressed the wish that Echohawk had been elected instead of Harrell. Not exactly a Defcon 1 moment on the WSB.

CarDriver December 13, 2021 (4:18 pm)

Here’s hoping there’s a complete house cleaning at SDOT. Can’t wait for that announcement!

MWest December 13, 2021 (10:41 pm)

Agreed! The same people who got us into this mess in charge of “solving” it??? And when are the useless “stay healthy streets” gonna go away?

Jort December 13, 2021 (4:36 pm)

Oh good! The person who led the city’s division dedicated to homeless response until 2019 is going to be in charge of the homeless response. Again! Gosh how shocking that the career centrist politician is relying on old political cronies (Tim Friggin’ Burgess) to keep the failure train running. I have nothing but absolute pity for those of you who were somehow convinced that career politician Bruce Harrell is going to radically shake up the status quo of homeless response in this city. Nice to see his niece get a job, too, super cool and totally not nepotism at all, super cool.

Villagegreen December 13, 2021 (6:42 pm)

Ha. I have no pity whatsoever. Antipathy? Possibly.
Wseattleite December 14, 2021 (9:57 am)

And yet, Bruce is apparently still the better of the two final candidates of the last election according to most voters. As you have said before Jort, the people have spoken.

Brian December 13, 2021 (5:10 pm)

That’s a real power move appointing your own niece as a deputy mayor.

Auntie December 13, 2021 (5:20 pm)

Isn’t Monisha Harrell his niece? I guess nepotism is alive and well in politics.

Kadoo December 13, 2021 (6:17 pm)

Thank heavens Harrell won and he’s tapped Tim Burgess for a role. I’ve missed Burgess’ voice.

CarDriver December 13, 2021 (7:12 pm)

Jort,Brian,Auntie. Here in the real world do you really believe any other candidate would never hire a “cronie/insider/family member”??? So what’s the beef???

Blbl December 13, 2021 (8:21 pm)

Trump is the only one I can think of who has that amount of gall.
Brian December 13, 2021 (9:42 pm)

You’re talking about a hypothetical and I’m talking about observed reality. Give it a shot some time.
Auntie December 14, 2021 (10:26 am)

Yes, I guess it happens all the time, but I think it needs to be called out. I’m sure there are plenty of other people who would be qualified for this position.

CeeBee December 13, 2021 (9:30 pm)

I had the same reaction – are they related? So a quick search on her qualifications – I might give her a chance before calling foul: Monisha Harrell (she/her), a Seattle native, is Board Chair for Equal
Rights Washington and chairs the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.
Monisha has served as a fellow for Lifelong AIDS Alliance, co-chair of
the Capitol Hill LGBTQ Public Safety Task Force, an appointee to the
City of Seattle’s 2017 search committee for the new Director of Police
Accountability, and co-chair for the De-Escalate Washington campaign
committee (I-940) requiring de-escalation training for all law
enforcement officers in Washington State in 2018. The Stranger named
Monisha one of “The Smartest People in Seattle Politics” in 2013, and
she was most recently honored as the Greater Seattle Business
Association’s Community Leader of the Year for 2018. As Chair of Equal
Rights Washington, Monisha has helped lead work to ban conversion
therapy for minors in Washington State, pass an updated Uniform
Parentage Act to support LGBTQ families, and ban trans panic and gay
panic as legal defenses for violence against the LGBTQ community.
Harrell was recently appointed (July 2020) by Governor Jay Inslee to
serve on a task force to provide recommendations for legislation on
independent investigations involving police use of force, and recently
completed work (June 2020) as a member of Washington State Attorney
General Bob Ferguson’s Hate Crime Advisory Working Group. In 2019,
Monisha participated in a leadership exchange program with the American
Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) supporting LGBTQ community
advancement in both Thailand and Malaysia. Monisha owns and operates a
small marketing firm, Rule Seven, focused on community-driven outreach
and engagement. She has an undergraduate degree from Columbia
University, and an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School
of Business. In 2017, Monisha was named The University of Washington
Consulting and Business Development Center’s Alumni of the Year.

wssz December 13, 2021 (10:38 pm)

CeeBee: Thanks for posting her background. She absolutely sounds qualified. Very impressive background.
- flimflam December 14, 2021 (6:42 am)
  
  I don’t know, jort doesn’t think it’s a good idea soooo….
wscommuter December 14, 2021 (9:52 am)

@CEEBEE … shame on you for injecting facts into the hysterical screeds from those who are politically opposed to Mr. Harrell and his more moderate politics. You are trampling on their ability to berate and tear down through any means, which apparently should include cries of “nepotism”. I suppose you’re also going to tell us that birds really are real and not government-created robots.
- CeeBee December 14, 2021 (11:13 am)
  
  I thought the most interesting part was that she was named by the Stranger as one of “The Smartest People in Seattle Politics” in 2013. Now I’m watching the Stranger to see if they acknowledge it – so far it’s the nepotism angle all the way.
Melissa December 14, 2021 (10:00 am)

Yes. All of that is true, but I was appalled by her choice to pull her uncle out of the debate that had been scheduled with Erica Barnett as the moderator. She’d been scheduled as the moderator for months, but Monisha Harrell decided that they would issue an ultimatum at the last moment, presumably because Barnett had reported on the contrast between Harrell and Gonzalez’s donors (big developers vs small donors) and on the fact the Harrell hosted a maskless gathering at China Harbor. In my view that’s both unethical and a silencing of the press. For that reason, I simply don’t trust Monisha Harrell and I sure as shooting don’t trust her uncle for hiring her.
- RDD December 14, 2021 (10:44 am)
  
  Thank you! Her behavior, in my opinion, makes her an appalling choice for senior deputy mayor, even if she wasn’t Bruce’s niece. Most of Monisha’s appointments were during her uncle’s term as a city councilmember it seems, so I don’t think that resume exactly rules out nepotism.
- JenT December 15, 2021 (9:09 am)
  
  Agree, 100% to all of this. This situation smells like Javanka.
  - Pessoa December 15, 2021 (2:57 pm)
    
    Jort: Let’s give Hunter Biden an honorable mention, too. This financial genius wayward son has been riding his dad’s coattails to places all over the world.
Blbl December 14, 2021 (1:33 pm)

There are plenty of extremely qualified people who aren’t related to him. Nepotism damages credibility, introduces questions of favoritism and biased treatment, and reduces trust. Go see House of Gucci. Or the Trump administration.

WTF December 14, 2021 (6:14 am)

Regardless of her abilities, hiring his niece was just bad form.

Millie December 14, 2021 (9:52 pm)

Although, I voted for Mayor-Elect Harrell, I am in agreement with others, it sends a wrong message from the very beginning to appoint one’s family member to the executive office. From her biography she appears to be well-qualified and could/would be instrumental in his administration. But does he want this to identify his time in office from day one? In respect to SDOT, this department definitely needs a re-organization. Since S. Kubley’s time as SDOT director, budget over-expenditures, construction deadlines not met, maintenance almost “not existent” (city’s bridges/roadways). There needs to be better accountability to the taxpayers and users.

Derek James Ross December 15, 2021 (9:51 am)

Harrell off to a bad start as expected. Nepotism and media silence! Disgusting…

momosmom December 15, 2021 (10:48 am)

OMG how many of you out there don’t work for a company that doesn’t have a family member also working for them? I work for a company that is owned by 2 brothers and a best friend and I can’t count on both my hands how many of “their” family members and other co-workers family members also work there. It is only normal that you are going to hire someone you know that will do a good job and also trust so if Mayor elect Bruce Harrell put his niece into executive office then he must see something in her to do so. So let’s give them both GOOD LUCK and hope she and Mayor elect do the job well and get Seattle back onto their feet!

JenT December 15, 2021 (12:39 pm)

Sounds like you work for a family business. What Harrell is doing isn’t remotely “normal” in any other kind of entity: government, corporate, academic, or nonprofit. Nepotism policies exist for a reason, but unfortunately “nieces” don’t fall under the policy in Seattle. These policies are a basic tenet of ethics, which he felt free to run right over. Just because he’s allowed to make this hire doesn’t make it right. He’s showing poor judgment right off the bat.
- momosmom December 15, 2021 (4:33 pm)
  
  Jent- Yes it is a family owned business and the majority of the top paid people are family but they all do deserve it. They are all good, nice, and hardworking people and this is a multi-million dollar business.And just ask you know…I did not vote for Harrell or should I say could not vote, I do not live in the City limits to do so.

CarDriver December 15, 2021 (2:00 pm)

Jent. As a Boeing worker i can tell you it was “normal” for managers to get friends and family jobs. I saw a LOT of that in my 40 years. Saw an awful lot of promotions go to friends & family. While i’m sure there are ethical businesses out there there are a LOT fewer than you think there are. While i’m sure there are nepotism policy’s out there they’re adhered to a LOT less than should be.