UPDATE: Here’s who wants to be your next citywide Seattle City Councilmember

12:15 PM: The City Council has just gone public with the list of 72 “qualified applicants” for the citywide position vacated by Teresa Mosqueda‘s move to the King County Council. See it here, along with their application materials. The council meets tomorrow to choose finalists; the person they choose later this month will serve until someone is elected this fall to serve what will then be the final year of Mosqueda’s term. We’re still reading through the 642-page document, but an initial search for West Seattle references brought up some familiar names: Three-time City Council candidate Phil Tavel, West Seattle VFW commander (and Seattle Police Captain) Steve Strand, and former King Conservation District supervisor Chris Porter. Also identifying themselves as West Seattle residents – Cheyenne Baron, Chris Cody, and Nick Duda. We’ll add any other local names we find.

1:54 PM: Just finished scrolling through the entire document. Another former District 1 candidate from last year, Preston Anderson, is also among the applicants. And as mentioned in this story last night, Mark Solomon, another former candidate (not in D-1) who is currently handling SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator duties in the Southwest Precinct as well as South, has applied. Other former candidates from around the city are also among the applicants, as is a current Seattle School Board member, Vivian Song.

4:22 PM: The list is now online in short form, with links to each applicant’s background info.

9:33 PM: A reader tells us applicant Wesley Andersen is also a West Seattle resident.

Derek January 11, 2024 (12:24 pm)

Must be someone with similar politics as Mosqueda. No one who lost elections like Woo or Tavel.

Question Authority January 11, 2024 (4:02 pm)

Why would anyone vote for a clone of her? Now is the opportunity to bring forward momentum to the others elected who want to save the City, not destroy it more.
- WS Res January 11, 2024 (4:59 pm)
  
  Yes, we’re definitely living in a destroyed city. 🙄
Shanti January 11, 2024 (4:08 pm)

Definitely not. I voted for her once before and regretted it ever since! We need forward movement – not more of the same insane policies that got us into the mess we’re in now.

Darius January 11, 2024 (12:43 pm)

Preston Andersen, too. As well as Kate Martin, Ry Anderson, and Tanya Woo. A number of losers from this past election cycle looking for a free pass on to the council that they couldn’t win themselves.

WSB January 11, 2024 (2:05 pm)

Yes, I just added Preston Anderson, who didn’t come up on my initial quick search for West Seattle references. If anybody knows another of the 72 who is a West Seattle resident but not mentioned above, please let us know so we can add to the list! The addresses are all redacted so unless someone specifically self-identified themselves as a resident of West Seattle, District 1, or a specific WS neighborhood, there was no way to tell – TR

Jeff_P January 11, 2024 (12:57 pm)

Cheyenne Baron is a great choice!

Lucy January 11, 2024 (1:22 pm)

How about a true conservative? It would bring much needed diversity to the council.

Mr J January 11, 2024 (2:21 pm)

I don’t know what “true conservative” is. But there are no progressives on this council so that should make you happy.
Jeff January 11, 2024 (3:04 pm)

For better or worse (and I’m not always sure which it is, believe me) we don’t really have parliamentary style proportional representation in this country at any level. If a true conservative can’t win any of the council districts, they don’t belong on the council.
WS Guy January 11, 2024 (7:34 pm)

A true conservative would be a great idea even if only to give the activist someone to bark at while the council gets to work.
West Seattle Mad Sci Guy January 12, 2024 (9:41 am)

Our system doesn’t work that way. Some systems of government apportion sets by % vote toward a party, and the party sends their representative. That only works with much larger representative bodies. As for Seattle – having a council seat go to a ‘true’ conservative (which would have a different definition depending on the individual) would likely give over-representation to that viewpoint vs how many hold that viewpoint in the city of Seattle (given how few seats serve on the council). Would be nice if they could add this to an generally unpaid larger advisory panel the council holds discussions with. Don’t get me wrong – all political parties / representatives should have a thoughtful opposition to counter their crazy. We rarely get that these days as it is political spin room 6 word sound bite.

Horatio Alger January 11, 2024 (1:37 pm)

This will be the only way Tavel can become a councilmember, shouldn’t he be disqualified for not being able to be elected numerous times? The people have said no to Tavel already.

CarDriver January 11, 2024 (2:35 pm)

Horatio. I take it you want restrictions on who can and can’t run. Why? Surely you don’t believe because someone’s on a ballot you’d be forced to vote for them. Until democracy disappears we’re still a free country.

Voter January 11, 2024 (1:56 pm)

Tanya Woo from District 2 is also an applicant.

WSB January 11, 2024 (2:01 pm)

She is one of several former candidates I noted while scrolling (at least, people who identified themselves as having run previously), in addition to Phil Tavel and Preston Anderson, who ran in this district last year.

Actually Mike January 11, 2024 (2:26 pm)

I’ll wait to see which one Teresa Mosqueda endorses. Then at least I’ll know who not to vote for.

WS Voter January 11, 2024 (2:45 pm)

Phil Tavel permanently lost my vote the instant he joined the herd and endorsed Maren Costa. Next!

TBd January 11, 2024 (6:12 pm)

Totally agree. I would never support Tavel again. It was disgraceful what he did to Saka.

rb January 11, 2024 (3:09 pm)

to me Steve Strand is a strong choice. I don’t know him but he is the police captain who serves downtown and cap hill. I am thinking that someone who faces first hand problems due to rampant homelessness and criminality should know what we need the most right now.

TJ January 11, 2024 (3:10 pm)

Maybe Tavel shouldn’t, but certainly no one with similar politics as Mosqueda. What a disaster for the city she was. Let’s be honest, there won’t be a true conservative on this council, but more centrists are surely needed. You know, what once was a leftist liberal 20 years ago here would now be a centrist with the progressive politicians here who are borderline socialist. Those ideals have now proven they don’t work in a capitalist city.

Odd son January 11, 2024 (3:24 pm)

Based on personal experience, a big no to Strand and Solomon.

Odd son January 11, 2024 (4:55 pm)

Context- I was ignored or criticized when trying to get help with making our neighborhood a better, safer place. This was a few years ago but I have also been ignored recently.

Adam January 11, 2024 (3:35 pm)

Tavel got my vote, and the number of anti-Tavel folks in a town full of terrible representatives tells me I’m on the right track. Or we can just stick with the plan, Seattle. See how that goes, I guess.

Bill January 11, 2024 (4:41 pm)

Steve Strand is a good person and has been great for West Seattle when he was the lieutenant over here. I’ll be voting for him. Also, I believe he is still local to WS too.

937 January 11, 2024 (5:05 pm)

Used to be a HUGE supporter of Tavel …. No longer.

Phil? Just stop. You’re a multiple time loser and you turned my stomach with your mealy support of Costa. It is obvious you are not wanted – and certainly not needed.

K January 11, 2024 (5:56 pm)

If being concerned about an alternate candidate is all it took to turn you against him, you weren’t as “huge” of a Tavel supporter as you think you were.
- 937 January 11, 2024 (9:36 pm)
  
  Feel better for venting that?
  
  You don’t know me OR my decision making process.

WSB January 11, 2024 (5:40 pm)

Since there are references to voting: The only people who have a vote on this appointment are city councilmembers (though there will be a “public forum” next week, and you can certainly contact councilmembers to express your support of one or more candidates). The appointee can run this fall for the final year of the term if they choose to – or not – and conversely, people who want to run this fall (or next year, for the next full 4-year term) aren’t required to have applied for this appointment.

WS Vet January 11, 2024 (6:42 pm)

I’m a West Seattle resident and veteran and have attended a few VFW social events. I’ve met Steve Strand and can say he cares about the safety of this city. He definitely has my vote, bring back safety to Seattle.

JulNJer January 11, 2024 (8:25 pm)

Very very excited to see Captain Steve Strand’s name on the list. I’ve worked with him on the Chinatown Int’l District’s Public Safety Council over the last 3-4 yrs and he’s renewed my faith that there are good police officers with a strong code of ethics. Always listens and responds compassionately, focuses help where it’s most needed, and is a genuinely supportive, kind, and ‘can-do’ guy. Good man.

CAM January 11, 2024 (10:27 pm)

A whole lot of people with ZERO experience in government (policing doesn’t count). The most blatant factor missing from the council in its current make up is any kind of experience. If you don’t want to spend the next 18 months either 1) being bought by lobbyists or 2) getting absolutely nothing done while people learn on the job you better hope they choose someone who has some experience doing a similar job in the past.

Admiral Mom January 12, 2024 (3:15 pm)

School Board Directors have historically been unsuccessful in launching a political career after serving on the school board. I don’t think Vivian Song stands a chance unless she has connections and can be fast-tracked. We will see.

Scarlett January 13, 2024 (2:09 pm)

Can someone explain what a real conservative is and their understanding of this thing we call “capitalism?” Would it be uncritically worshipping a military industrial complex, a trillion dollar budget and congressionally unauthorized interventions around the world? Would it be pouring money into a prison industrial complex that houses some 2 million on the public dime? Would be an economy that is state managed through a variety monetary knobs and fiscal policies, an economy that is saturated with subsidies for industries that are not competitive on the world stage, a government that dishes out goodies to some and not to others? Nothing is as corrupted and perverted as the modern day conservative’s understanding of American “conservatism” and “capitalism.”

Sorry, comment time is over.