District 3 City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth is making history as the first Black woman to serve as the council’s president. She won a unanimous vote at the council meeting that just wrapped up, succeeding Sara Nelson, who lost her reelection bid in November. Hollingsworth is midway through her first term on the council, representing a district that includes the Central District, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Eastlake, Montlake, Madison Park, Madison Valley, Portage Bay, Leschi, and Madrona. Also at the meeting, the new citywide councilmember who defeated Nelson in November, Dionne Foster, was sworn in, with her son administering the oath:
The council’s other citywide rep, Alexis Mercedes Rinck – elected to her first full four-year term – was sworn in this afternoon too.
One other council note – as first reported by Publicola, two members of District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka‘s staff have departed, and Saka has replaced one with a man who once ran for the council job. Saka chief of staff Elaine Ikoma Ko confirms to WSB that Saka staffers Ian Griswold – “to return back to school for his Ph.D.” – and Logan Duling – “desiring a full-time position and found one with the City of Redmond closer to his home” – have left. She also confirms that Saka’s new policy adviser is Brendan Kolding, the former Seattle Police lieutenant who finished third in the primary for the District 1 seat in 2019 (and ran for State Legislature in 2016). Saka’s district director Erik Schmidt is still on staff, and Ikoma Ko says, “We are recruiting for a new (legislative assistant).”
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