Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released summary reports detailing his administration’s achievements in 2025 and accomplishments over the last four years in office to enact his One Seattle vision of a safe, equitable, and thriving city.
“When I took office four years ago, we were in the depths of a global pandemic, police staffing was at a historic low, encampments and open-air drug use made our parks and public spaces feel unsafe, and Downtown’s economy and spirit were depleted,” said Mayor Harrell. “Today, our police department has reached record hiring of new recruits and crime is trending down across the city; we’ve seen promising decreases in overdose deaths through our innovative public health interventions and made record referrals to shelter to bring vulnerable people indoors; and Downtown is bustling again with new businesses, arts and cultural events, and the new world-class Waterfront Park. Together, as City staff, community leaders, and neighbors, we took a vision for One Seattle and turned it into a reality.”
READ: Building One Seattle: the Harrell Administration 2022-2025
READ: Building One Seattle: Year Four – 2025
During his four years in office, Mayor Harrell attended 1065 community events throughout all Council districts, hearing directly from constituents and community leaders about their top priorities. He attended 364 press and media engagements, demonstrating a commitment to open communication, transparency, and accountability.
Working to restore faith in local government, Mayor Harrell maintained an effective working relationship with the City Council. During his tenure, the Harrell Administration transmitted 639 pieces of legislation that were passed by the City Council, over 90% (578 bills) were unanimously approved by the Council, and none were voted down. Mayor Harrell appointed 29 department directors that were approved by Council, putting diverse, community-focused leaders at over half of the City’s 40 departments.
Over the course of four years, the Harrell Administration created, preserved, and funded 8,200 affordable homes; reduced unauthorized tent encampments in public spaces by 80%; hired over 350 police officers while reducing crime, including a 42% decline in homicides in 2025; and established and made permanent the CARE Department’s unarmed behavioral health responders – now a national model. Read more about the Harrell Administration’s record here.
In 2025 alone, Mayor Harrell attended 270 community engagements across Seattle to hear from residents, attended 95 press events, passed 182 bills, confirmed 4 department directors, and proposed and signed the City’s 2026 budget.
Building on 2022, 2023, and 2024 highlights, select accomplishments of the Harrell Administration in 2025 include:
Historic investments in housing: Housing affordability remained a top priority for Mayor Harrell, and his 2026 budget made a record $349.5 million investment affordable housing – the largest investment in City history. The investments are focused on building new affordable rental housing, permanent supportive housing for people exiting homelessness, and homeownership opportunities throughout the city.
Record progress on police hiring: With nationally recognized law enforcement leader Shon Barnes at the helm, SPD has set new records for officer hiring and made significant progress to address the long-standing staffing crisis. Over 150 officers were hired in 2025 and another 200 candidates are in backgrounding. The police department also successfully exited the federal consent decree after 13 years, returning local control and oversight.
Diversifying emergency response options: Created by Mayor Harrell in 2023 as the City’s third public safety department, the CARE department reached a significant milestone as a new contract negotiated under Mayor Harrell’s leadership will allow for unlimited expansion and direct dispatch of crisis responder teams. CARE’s crisis responders answered over 6,500 calls for service in 2025, helping people in need and ensuring police and fire resources can go where they are needed most.
Addressing the fentanyl crisis: Mayor Harrell continued to advance innovative, evidence-based public health strategies to prevent overdoses, connect people to services, and save lives, leading to a 23% decrease in overdoses in 2025. The mayor’s 2026 budget invests $7.4 million to expand the Health 99 post-overdose unit and access to detox beds and an additional $1.8 million towards the reopening of the Thunderbird Treatment Center.
Protecting Seattle’s people and values: In response to the Trump administration’s attacks on LGBTQ+ residents, Mayor Harrell proposed and signed legislation that adds new local protections for people seeking gender-affirming care or reproductive healthcare services in Seattle. The mayor also initiated a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s withholding of federal funds to Seattle because of efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and support for LGBTQ+ communities. A preliminary injunction was granted and will save millions of federal dollars the benefit all communities in the city.
Defending immigrants and refugees: Recognizing the important contributions of immigrant and refugee communities to Seattle’s economy and culture, Mayor Harrell’s 2026 budget increased funding for the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs by 70% to support legal services, Know Your Rights trainings, and workforce development. He also announced legislation to ban the use of face coverings by law enforcement and require all officers to have visible emblems identifying their agency to bring transparency and accountability to federal law enforcement actions.
Coordinated federal response: After President Trump unilaterally sent National Guard troops to Portland and other American cities, Mayor Harrell quickly issued an Executive Order to safeguard Seattle communities from federal overreach, with a focus on preparedness, coordination, and preserving local control over law enforcement resources. When SNAP benefits lapsed during the Trump-driven government shutdown, Mayor Harrell swiftly declared a civil emergency and directed $8 million to local food banks to keep families fed.
Transformative education levy: Mayor Harrell announced the Every Child Ready initiative, which included his bold proposal to renew the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy. The levy was overwhelmingly passed by Seattle voters in November and will double access to affordable childcare, expand mental health supports in schools, and provide up to two years of tuition-free college for graduates at Seattle Colleges.
Creating world-class public spaces: Mayor Harrell’s office partnered with Pike Place Market’s leadership and the Seattle Department of Transportation to launch a limited vehicle access pilot, making the landmark a more welcoming place to visit, walk, shop, and dine. Mayor Harrell also joined community and civic leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the Waterfront Park after over two decades of design, planning, and construction.
Supporting small businesses: Mayor Harrell championed a proposal to lower Business and Occupation (B&O) taxes for 90% of small and medium-sized business in Seattle, which was passed by the voters. B&O tax relief has been highlighted by small business leaders as a way to support Seattle’s economy, make the city more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions, and help small businesses thrive. In the Chinatown-International District, Mayor Harrell helped launch the new neighborhood ambassador program to support the economic revitalization of the historic neighborhood.
Revitalizing downtown: Mayor Harrell helped break ground on the Memorial Stadium redevelopment project, which will serve as a new hub for athletics, arts, culture, and community events in Seattle Center. Mayor Harrell also helped launch the Climate Innovation Hub and AI House, to support these growing industries and bring more job opportunities downtown.
Cutting red tape: Mayor Harrell advanced new efficiencies to make it easier and faster to build needed housing or open small businesses, including reforming the design review process and launching the Permitting and Customer Trust (PACT) Team to reduce permitting timelines. To support faster expansion of light rail to Seattle communities, Mayor Harrell proposed legislation to streamline Sound Transit permitting.
Building healthy communities: Responding to the rise in food insecurity, the mayor’s 2026 budget made a $52 million investment in food access programs, including doubling the successful Fresh Bucks program and serving everyone on the 4,000+ person waitlist. Supporting cleaner buildings and the implementation of his landmark Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) policy, Mayor Harrell announced nearly $5 million in awards to reduce climate pollution from community, non-profit, and affordable housing building.
Preventing displacement: To promote equitable growth and increase access to opportunity, Mayor Harrell announced a $27.8 million investment in community-led projects through the Equitable Development Initiative. The mayor also led new efforts to keep longtime communities rooted in place, signing an Executive Order to strengthen anti-displacement programs and passing legislation to ban predatory homebuying practices.
Better government: Reflecting his commitment to make government work better for residents, Mayor Harrell announced a new Responsible AI policy to use the technology intentionally and positioning Seattle as a leader in AI. Additionally, the CiviForm platform, launched by Mayor Harrell to help residents sign up for City discount programs, was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025 and received over 20,000 applications.