Seattle – On the one year anniversary of his inauguration, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released a summary report detailing his administration’s shared accomplishments in 2022 and committing to further progress in 2023. Entering office at the height of the Omicron wave, the mayor’s first year of building One Seattle was defined by urgent action addressing homelessness, public safety, and the pandemic; a ‘back to basics’ commitment to core City services; and forward-looking efforts to create a thriving Seattle for all neighbors.
“This new year presents a new opportunity to reflect and chart our path forward,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “2022 was a busy year – we brought in new directors to lead our Executive Team and departments, created new systems to address Seattle’s most challenging problems, and embraced a new spirit of collaboration and united effort to put our city on the right track. While there are signs of early progress to build on, we know there is much more work to do to create a safer city, address the homelessness crisis, support neighbors and residents, and build a vibrant One Seattle for all.”
READ: Building One Seattle: Mayor Bruce Harrell, Year One – 2022
With a focus on neighborhood outreach and bringing communities together, Mayor Harrell joined and held nearly 300 community events across Seattle in 2022, meeting directly with residents to understand their needs and priorities. The mayor delivered on a pledge to forge effective working relationships with the City Council, passing over 135 bills, confirming 12 department directors, and approving the City’s first biennial budget since the pandemic.
Additional highlights from the mayor’s first year in office include:
- Coordinated law enforcement efforts, like Operation New Day, have led to meaningful felony arrests of offenders causing harm
- Development of the comprehensive recruitment and retention plan and secured funding from the City Council to fund the marketing needed to hire more officers
- Formation of the Unified Care Team, bringing together all departments working on the issue of homelessness to deliver over 1600 referrals to shelter, significantly improved access to parks and public spaces, and reduced silos within government and with the community
- Investment of nearly $250 million in affordable housing – the largest investment of its kind in City history – to address the housing crisis and root causes of homelessness
- Safely reopened the West Seattle Bridge after over two years of a difficult closure to reconnect the West Seattle community with the rest of the city
- Advanced equitable economic recovery efforts that uplift small businesses, provides meaningful financial support to business owners, and supports the revitalization of the downtown core through the expansion of the Seattle Restored program to repurpose and activate vacant storefronts with retail, arts, and businesses
- A recommitment to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable transportation options and a Vision Zero agenda to get to get people where they need to go across the city with ease, comfort, and security
- Investments in the renovation, safety, and essential maintenance of Seattle’s nearly 500 parks, including a commitment to keep restrooms open year-round and reestablish the Parks Ranger program
- Action on climate change to build resilience to events like extreme heat and smoke in the most-impacted communities, foster a just transition away from fossil fuels, and protect the city’s urban forest and tree canopies
- Steps to increase access to opportunity across all communities, including passing historic cannabis equity legislation, expanding the city’s preschool program, and increasing mental health support for Seattle students
- Establishing new beautification efforts including a graffiti strategy to address the surge in vandalism and tagging, increasing public art and murals around the city, and support for outdoor dining and retail opportunities
- Organized the One Seattle Day of Service uniting more than 4000 volunteers in shared action and service to support neighbors in need and create a cleaner, more beautiful city
These accomplishments lay the foundation for Mayor Harrell’s top priorities for 2023, which include ensuring effective long-term public safety, advancing sustainable solutions to the region’s homelessness and housing crises, and continuing to support a full recovery for downtown and neighborhoods across Seattle from the impacts of the pandemic.
“Seattle communities are seeing early results from efforts to move forward in a new direction, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to build the systems, relationships, teams, and trust necessary to enact our One Seattle vision,” said Mayor Harrell. “I look forward to continuing to build the Seattle we want to see in 2023.”