Politics and Government

Shoreline-Seattle Boundary

Dubicki: Do Not Make Seattle Its Own County

Seattle’s boundaries are ridiculous. In the north, the city is separated from its neighbors by the width of a street. In the south, the...

Mayor Murray critiques Council’s microhousing legislation, threatens veto

Mayor Ed Murray sent a strong letter addressed to the Seattle City Council yesterday. In it, he dropped a big critique on Council's approach to...

The Urbanist Elections Committee Endorses Initiative 135 to Advance Social Housing

Seattle voters may have a unique opportunity this November to support a new model of providing affordable housing, and they should take it. Initiative...

Op-Ed: Bruce Harrell Is a Failed Mayor on Homelessness 

This fall voters will decide whether to give Bruce Harrell another term as Seattle Mayor. In the third article in a series, Ron Davis argues that Harrell's current term has been a failure on the issue of homelessness.

2018 Endorsement Questionnaire: Dan Satterberg

As part of our endorsement process at The Urbanist, we ask candidates to complete a standard questionnaire to better understand and evaluate their positions....
Councilmember Nelson talked a TV reporter at a Westlake Park press conference in summer 2023.

Why Reactionary Conservatives Get a Free Pass from Local Press

“You gaslight yourself by being crazy.” - Judy Gemstone This week’s sequence of congressional slap fights scraped the edge of a devastating government shutdown and...
Mayor Jenny Durkan gave soon-to-retire Police Chief Carmen Best some flowers to express her gratitude during a press conference about blocking police budget cuts in the Norm Rice room at City Hall. (Seattle Channel)

Durkan Destroys 10 Months of Text Messages in Apparent Coverup

It was well known that Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is running a secretive administration, but a whistleblower complaint last week revealed a bombshell revelation...
A photo of people sitting in a city council chamber.

Bill to Sunset Community Councils Holds Big Stakes for Kirkland and Bellevue

Update - the Washington State Senate passed HB 1769 without any amendments, so the legislation will advance for Governor Jay Inslee's signature. Read on...