NEW // Join Us for The Urbanist January Socials and North Sound Election Debrief Events: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/05/j...

CM Joy Hollingsworth will head the Seattle City Council following a progressive wave election, and will be tasked with managing several distinct factions. Her first task was navigating committee assignments, where comity was prioritized. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/06/j...

Also Kelli Curtis will continue serving as Kirkland's mayor for another two years. Neal Black will be deputy mayor.

NEW STORY // Joy Hollingsworth Takes Helm in Seattle Council Shakeup Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/06/j...

NEW // Op-Ed: Why Kitsap County Can’t Stop Sprawling Op-ed by Travis Merrigan via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/06/o...

Bothell Mayor Mason Thompson @masonthompson.bsky.social was just elected to another two year term as mayor. Now serving as deputy mayor will be Jenne Alderks @jennealderks.bsky.social.

Bellevue Councilmember Mo Malakoutian will serve as the city's next mayor, after a unanimous vote just now.

We have to talk about Alexis Mercedes Rinck's speech today.

"Our neighbors want to be able to raise their families here, and have access to good schools and safe neighborhoods. Our neighbors want the buses to come on time. Our neighbors want to build the damn trains. Our neighbors want to feel safe crossing the street." -Seattle CM Dionne Foster

🚨 A new prefiled bill for the 2026 session of the Washington State Legislature would refer a constitutional amendment to the People to allow the legislature to redistrict congressional districts mid-decade by simple majority vote if another state gerrymanders its congressional districts mid-decade.

-Parks, Civil Rights: Juarez -Public Safety: Kettle -Transportation, Waterfront, Seattle Center: Saka

2026-2027 Seattle Council Committee Chairs are as follows: -Finance, Native Communities, Tribal Gov: Strauss -Governance, Utilities: Hollingsworth -Housing, Arts, Civil Rights: Foster -Human Services, Labor, Econ Dev: Rinck -Land Use, Sustainability: Lin -Libraries, Education, Neighborhoods: Rivera

It's official: Hollingsworth replaces Sara Nelson as Seattle City Council president.

Okay, online hivemind: What are the lowest hanging fruit for quick fixes for safe streets in Seattle?

Things happening today: -Incoming Seattle Councilmember Dionne Foster is getting sworn in -Alexis Mercedes Rinck is getting sworn in for a full four-year term -The Seattle Council is voting for a new President (probably Joy Hollingsworth) -New committee assignments are getting adopted

A proposal to gradually add dedicated transit lanes and separated bike lanes on a stretch of SR 99 in Lynnwood and unincorporated Snohomish County is one of the biggest moves to come out of Washington's 2021 Complete Streets mandate so far. www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/06/w...

NEW STORY // WSDOT Eyes Major Transformation for SR 99 in Snohomish County Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/06/w...

After becoming infamous in the Washington state senate as a backstop against progressive legislation from 2012 to 2024, Mark Mullet is now Issaquah's mayor.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is again focused on cuts to close a state budget shortfall, estimated at $2.3 billion for 2026. While he did signal support for an income tax on millionaires, his proposal would not begin collecting revenue until 2029. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/05/f...

Police chief Shon Barnes just appointed Sarah Smith, a top public safety advisor to former mayor Bruce Harrell (and a deputy of Harrell's public safety director Natalie Walton-Anderson) as his Chief Operating Officer, replacing Brian Maxey.

Of course Mayor Wilson is spending her first Monday in office cleaning up a media mess created by SPOG and Solan. What a shock.

The 2019 library levy promised an extension of open hours to 9pm at most branches four days a week, but we never got there.

👏 👏

I'm back at work! In this piece I analyze Governor Ferguson's proposed 2026 supplemental budget, which is balanced with cuts cuts cuts and a little help from the state's emergency fund and climate dollars.

More good news: Sales at Pike Place Market were up 7.2% in October! Or to quote the PDA's own words the market has had "exceptional sales performance of our tenants." (pikeplacemarket.community.highbond.com/document/fd1...) 📈 So far every month of the pedestrianization pilot sales have been up!

HB 2100 would prevent these deep cuts to healthcare and higher education; and last week I confirmed with Washington’s Employment Security Department that it could be implemented as soon as 2026. We can’t wait.

NEW STORY // Ferguson’s 2026 Budget Queues Steep Cuts, Pushes Millionaires Tax to 2029 Story by Amy Sundberg via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/05/f...

NEW // Sunday Video: The 15 Million Home Vacancy Conspiracy Theory Debunked Sunday video: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/04/s...

NEW // Sunday Video: The 15 Million Home Vacancy Conspiracy Theory Debunked Sunday video: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/04/s...

My writeup on yesterday: Katie Wilson Takes Office as Seattle’s Unabashed Urbanist Mayor www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/03/k...

NEW STORY // Katie Wilson Takes Office as Seattle’s Unabashed Urbanist Mayor Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/03/k...

Most of the costs of operating the streetcar network are now hidden inside the Seattle Transit Measure, and it will fall to Katie Wilson to decide whether to keep it that way. Or use that funding for other transit projects.

It's wild that the First Hill Streetcar was a consolation prize for losing a light rail station but Sound Transit only agreed to pitch in on the cost of operating it for less than a full decade.

“Tacoma is eyeing impact fees to pay for portions of long-planned street upgrades that would have a big impact on the ability for city residents and visitors to get around without a car, including pedestrian and bicycle upgrades…”

This is your city — that means that you belong here, you have a right to be here and to live a dignified life, whatever your background and whatever your income. wilson.seattle.gov/2026/01/02/m...

Tacoma's new impact fee regime will charge developers based on expected generation of car trips. Despite work to delicately calibrate the new fees, the proposal still drew criticism when it comes to adding costs to needed housing development. Story: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/02/t...

"A city that values the pursuits that create beauty and community, whether or not they ever turn into careers. A city that thinks you should have time to read a book and lay on the grass looking up at the clouds." -Katie Wilson

"The thing about cities is that there is never just one story to be told about them." - @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social

Katie B. Wilson has just taken her oath of office and been sworn in as Seattle’s 58th mayor.

a Somali PhD student and transit activist is the first speaker ahead of mayor @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social inauguration — beautiful stuff

You can join online for the livestream swearing-in ceremony of Seattle Mayor Katie B. Wilson. Livestream link: youtube.com/watch?v=NC98EINot1k&pp=uAQw

Good morning from Seattle City Hall, where we're just over an hour away from Katie Wilson being sworn in as the city's mayor.

The Mayor of Seattle website cutover seems to have been completed. It now shows Katie Wilson as mayor. seattle.gov/mayor

NEW STORY // Tacoma Turns to Builder Impact Fees to Bolster Transportation Funding Story by Ryan Packer via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/02/t...

If you can't make it down to City Hall, you can watch live here starting at 10am: seattlechannel.org/watch-live

Who'll be administering the oath of office today? Pauline Van Senus, also known as Seattle's Transit Fairy.

Zohran is singlehandedly killing left-NIMBYism we love to see it

The Urbanist covered a lot of ground in 2025 from high-speed rail advancement and new shared street laws to housing growth appeals and parking mandates reform. Doug Trumm runs through our most popular stories of the year. 2025 in review: www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/01/t...

NEW STORY // The Urbanist’s Most Popular Stories of 2025 Story by Doug Trumm via @theurbanist.org // 🔗 www.theurbanist.org/2026/01/01/t...

Seattle is not mayorless; Katie Wilson officially took office automatically at midnight, but her ceremonial swearing-in isn't until tomorrow morning so this is a weird liminal time.