FOLLOWUP: Alexis Mercedes Rinck now officially in office as citywide Seattle Councilmember

After defeating appointed incumbent Tanya Woo with 58 percent of the vote last month, Alexis Mercedes Rinck is now officially on the Seattle City Council. She’s had two swearings-in, including a ceremonial event as part of today’s City Council meeting. She will serve the final year of the unexpired term that Teresa Mosqueda gave up to run for King County Council, and then a full four-year term for citywide Position 8 will be on next year’s ballot, along with citywide Position 9, currently held by council president Sara Nelson. From the news release announcing Councilmember Mercedes Rinck’s swearing-in:

… “I am honored to join the Council and look forward to working with them to tackle our city’s most pressing challenges to create a Seattle that works for everyone,” said Councilmember Rinck. “The stakes for our city are high, and we must stand firm in defending the rights of women, LGBTQIA2S+ communities, immigrants, and workers against both federal threats and local challenges. Together, we can build a strong, healthy, and inclusive community.” …

Councilmember Rinck is committed to progressive revenue solutions, affordable housing, worker protections, public safety, and climate action. She has a clear plan to tackle Seattle’s budget crisis, expand housing supply to meet the city’s growing needs, and protect workers’ rights. Her public-safety approach focuses on building alternative responses and preventative measures as well as community engagement, while her climate action plan prioritizes equity and sustainability. ….

The new councilmember will serve as chair of the Sustainability, City Light, Arts & Culture committee and as vice-chair of the Libraries, Education & Neighborhoods committee. She will also be on the Housing and Human Services, Land Use, and Transportation committees. You can find her contact info here.

38 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Alexis Mercedes Rinck now officially in office as citywide Seattle Councilmember"

  • HTB December 3, 2024 (4:41 pm)

    progressive revenue solutions” = tax increases on the middle class

    • jack December 3, 2024 (5:53 pm)

      X2.

    • Mike December 3, 2024 (7:02 pm)

      You forgot to add: “with no benefit conferred to said middle class taxpayers”

      • Derek December 3, 2024 (8:41 pm)

        Progressive MANDATE this election. We voted for what we wanted, despite minority naysayers. And there’s no evidence Rinck is taxing or responsible for any legislation taxing middle class. Stop lying.

        • WS Resident December 3, 2024 (11:18 pm)

          The “we” may be a majority but isn’t everyone.I personally don’t care for progressive policies.It’s the “tolerance” that is resulting in continued crime in my neighborhood.Among other societal ills that it promotes…

  • How long before she turns into Saka 2.0? December 3, 2024 (4:52 pm)

    My bet’s on 2 months. 

    • Derek December 3, 2024 (5:34 pm)

      Not sure how you can remotely compare to Saka in any good faith. She’s not part of the business owner/elite Harrell puppet class like the rest of the council. 

      • Tony G December 3, 2024 (9:52 pm)

        Is there something wrong with being a business owner? 

        • Jort December 4, 2024 (10:37 pm)

          Is there something inherently “right” about being a business owner?

    • K December 3, 2024 (6:33 pm)

      Not sure this comparison makes sense? They are very different and ran very different campaigns with different ethics. Excited for Rinck!

    • MacJ December 4, 2024 (10:27 am)

      She’s not a corporate lawyer, for one thing.

    • walkerws December 4, 2024 (12:41 pm)

      I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt that she isn’t a self-dealing, profoundly unintelligent huckster like Saka is.

  • Derek December 3, 2024 (4:58 pm)

    Love her! Finally some working class representation on council! And a transit rider to boot! 

  • Conan December 3, 2024 (5:19 pm)

    Let’s see how much damage she can add in one year.

  • Marcus December 3, 2024 (5:53 pm)

    Progressives have not brought much good to Seattle, bring back the ole true Democrats that do favor the middle class rather than just yak about. Next stop new tax increase for their pet programs just like Saka.

    • Jason December 4, 2024 (8:46 am)

      That’s just your opinion. I think it’s the elites and big biz guys doing the most harm.

    • Jort December 4, 2024 (10:35 pm)

      Who was on the council during the highest increase in property valuation and the growth of one of the most valuable companies on earth? Republicans?

  • snowskier December 3, 2024 (5:54 pm)

    So I guess Morales will get more than 1 vote in favor of her resolutions for the next year.  Progressive revenue solutions = lack of spending accountability.   

    • Sw December 3, 2024 (8:12 pm)

      100% 

    • Conan December 4, 2024 (11:41 am)

      Morales just announced she’s resigning.  Good riddance.

      • snowskier December 4, 2024 (12:08 pm)

        It’s going to be a long, lonely year for Rinck

      • jason December 4, 2024 (12:43 pm)

        Good riddance how? she was outnumbered always and even voted against many times in previous term

  • Skipalapondo December 3, 2024 (9:04 pm)

    I’ll admit, I’m a little surprised at the misinterpretation expressed by a few comments claiming progressive taxation targets the middle class. I believe y’all are missing the actual definition of progressive taxation, which is increasing the tax rate as income increases, and decreases the tax rate for those making less. The opposite, regressive taxation, charges the middle class more, and the poor the most, while having little effect on the wealthy. A flat tax is a classic regressive tax: by charging everyone a set percent of their income, those with the least disposable income face tough choices of paying for food or lights this week, while those with the most keep an enormous amount of disposable income and then inject that back into earning even more money, driving up inflation. So many of our problems can be traced back to the fact that Washington State relies heavily on the regressive sales tax (fixed percent of sales price) and has no progressive state income tax, inflating the wealth of the multimillionaires and impoverishing low-wage workers. On top of that, multimillionaires with more disposable income buy even more expensive houses, pushing mere millionaires into condos and everyone else down the housing ladder towards homelessness as the market caters increasingly to the biggest fish- you can make more selling Jeff Bezos a single shed than an entire block of affordable single-family homes to working-class families. And wealth itself is a kind of addiction, as there is always someone who has more money than you to envy, and any loss of wealth (or failure to increase it faster than the rate of inflation) feels as bad as being broke psychologically, so these people literally can’t help themselves from acquiring ever more wealth. It’s up to us to help them put down the needle by taxing them more based on their ability to pay, and use that money to pay for all of the things Seattle desperately needs to solve our combined housing/mental health/drug addiction crisis. You can’t provide social services to the neediest with regressive taxation that hits them the hardest, it’s the classic “robbing Peter to pay Paul” gag. I for one am glad to have a common-sense council member ready to make the case for progressive taxation.

    • Sw December 3, 2024 (9:48 pm)

      What? I’m sure that will Solve everything 

      • bill December 4, 2024 (6:58 am)

        In the 1950s-’60s it went a long way toward those goals.

  • Admiral-2009 December 3, 2024 (10:36 pm)

    City tax revenues have significantly outpaced inflation, population and employment growth for years.  What is  needed is belt tightening at City Hall not more revenue!  City taxpayers have payed more than their fair share of taxes for regional challenges for years.  It’s past time other City and County residents step to the plate and pay their fair share and stop burdening Seattle taxpayers with having to pay more and more taxes!

  • millie December 3, 2024 (11:24 pm)

    Actions taken by progressive Council members in the past actually due result in inflation increase.  For example:  business owner now needs to pay employee $15.00/per hour wage, food supplier also increases wage, both employers need to increase cost of their services to cover the cost of labor, supplies, rent, etc., etc., etc. etc.  The truth is “money really does not grow on trees”.

    • Raincity December 4, 2024 (6:30 am)

      Seattle started $15 minimum wage ten years ago. How is this related to Rinck?

    • bill December 4, 2024 (7:03 am)

      So minimum-wage slaves should be grateful for the morsels that trickle their way in our prosperous city.

    • k December 4, 2024 (12:11 pm)

      Yeah, minimum wage increases did not make your Big Mac more expensive.  It’s very close to the same cost here as it is in other nearby markets with lower wages.  What DOES increase inflation is when oil prices go up (thanks Russian invasion of Ukraine!) because so much food is trucked in from elsewhere.  The Avian Flu epidemic decimated poultry stocks, leading to scarcity and higher prices.  Resource scarcity will always cost more than your neighbor making enough money to live in a small apartment with a roommate.  Wages are not what’s taking money out of your pocket, global factors are.

    • Jort December 4, 2024 (10:36 pm)

      How inflated were your property values in the last 10 years? Is that the council’s “fault?”

  • Jason December 4, 2024 (9:18 am)

    Morales resigns…

    • k December 4, 2024 (12:17 pm)

      It’s sad, but it’s hard to blame her.  She’s been singled out and treated differently by the other members of the council.  It’s hard to get work done when you’re being kneecapped by your own team.  It’s sad to lose someone with actual experience in governing.  I swear city council meetings now are just Government 101 classes, with councilmembers constantly asking basic procedural questions and trying to understand programs that have existed for a long time and are foundational to so much of what the city does.  Goodbye experience, hello more city debt and pet project spending.

      • walkerws December 4, 2024 (12:43 pm)

        If you watch Council meetings, you’ll see that Saka is especially guilty of this. He’s like a child who shows up to class every day without having ever done his reading or homework. It would be funny if he didn’t have actual power.

        • k December 4, 2024 (1:33 pm)

          Tanya Woo was also really, really not understanding what the job of a councilmember was, or how anything worked.  It was painful.  You may not have liked the policies of some of the prior councilmembers, but at least they knew how to do their jobs.

      • K December 4, 2024 (3:15 pm)

        You nailed it. This whole thing is so disappointing.

      • JP December 4, 2024 (10:14 pm)

        Council members asking earnest questions to understand how things work…. this is exactly what we need more of. 

  • Scarlett December 5, 2024 (1:20 pm)

    What’s important for me in any politician or person is having the courage to say not what is expected from them, but what they believe to be true, regardless of the fallout.    

Sorry, comment time is over.