Photo:
Kristin Leong
As a Seattle transplant, I’m always a little jealous of those who were born and raised here, who can remember attending Sonics games at the Kingdome and riding skateboards down a deserted California Ave. in West Seattle’s Alaska Junction as kids. Even the drastic changes that have taken place in the Emerald City over my 20-year tenure here are nothing in the grand scheme of Seattle’s evolution.
So when I started to dig into Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s background for this interview, I was pleasantly surprised, and maybe a little envious, to learn that he grew up here. He’s witnessed the area’s lengthy evolution firsthand and now, as the mayor, he’s leading it, informed by his lifetime of experiences. I had the opportunity to talk with the mayor about those formative years, leadership and his vision for the city’s future. Here’s what he had to say:
Being born and raised in Seattle, I’m sure you’ve seen tremendous change during that time. What important changes have you seen that have made Seattle the city it is today?
I was born and raised in the redlined Central District, an area that has undergone significant change and transformation over the years as Seattle continues to grow. Those changes have had both positive and adverse effects on our city — we’ve welcomed new neighbors living in Seattle, but also longtime communities have left the city as housing costs have increased.
Another area of positive change has been our focus on the environment. In my youth, I remember the conditions of some of our parks and signs along Lake Washington, warning people to not swim or eat the fish. This meant there were limited spaces for people to recreate and to cool off. There’s been a committed focus in our region to advocate for healthy air, clean water and a safe environment.
While the lake is safe and clean now, it’s remained a priority for me as an elected official to continue this effort to strengthen our parks, waterways and tree canopy — driving positive improvements for generations of kids, families, fish and all populations that live in our region in harmony with our environment.
You graduated from Garfield High and attended University of Washington on a football scholarship (foregoing Harvard) for undergrad and stayed there for law school. Can you tell me about an important educational experience that shaped your future?
The most important foundational educational experiences of my life were provided by teachers, coaches, and other mentors, who both gave me the tools and inspired me to learn, grow, and become the best version of myself. At Garfield, we were encouraged to explore and debate the issues of the time – from the Civil Rights movement to the Vietnam War, which gave me an enduring interest in current events and public policy.
During my time at the University of Washington, I volunteered with the Prisoner Counseling Program and helped tutor incarcerated individuals. This was a life-changing experience as a student who was interested in studying law, and it gave me a passion for advancing the rights and opportunities of those who are often left behind.
You had a notable career playing football for the Huskies in the ‘70s. Thinking back, what did you learn about leadership and being a leader through sports?
One important lesson I learned as a student athlete was that there is no substitute for hard work — something that coaches Don James and Jim Lambright would always tell us players to help build a culture of continuous improvement. As an athlete, that looked like putting in extra hours at the gym or analyzing game films to find where I could perform better. This mindset of self-optimization is one I’ve carried throughout my career as a public servant, putting in the time and effort to learn, grow and improve so I could drive positive change for my community and the people counting on me.
As Seattle’s mayor, many look to you for leadership. Who are leaders you admire and look to for guidance?
My wife, First Lady Joanne Harrell, is a supportive partner in everything I do. She worked for 20 years as an executive at Microsoft where she broke boundaries, often being the only Black woman in the room in an industry that is predominately male. She served as the CEO of United Way King County, on the Board of Regents at the University of Washington, and as the 2022 Frisky Endowed Leadership Chair at the Foster School of Business. Even with all her prestigious accolades, she remains humble, grounded, and continues to inspire me to bring my best self to my work every single day.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as mayor? What is the proudest moment of your tenure (so far)?
Downtowns across the country are facing numerous challenges adapting to the rise in remote work, an ever-evolving retail landscape, the need for more affordable housing and public safety. Downtown Seattle is the economic engine of our region and it runs on people, which is why I launched a comprehensive plan to activate this neighborhood with new small businesses, art installations and activities including a new pickleball court. The plan also includes new incentives for building more childcare and education facilities, recognizing how that is needed for families in a city.
Safety for all people in our city remains my top priority. I am proud of my office’s work to launch and expand Seattle’s third public safety department, the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department, which includes behavioral health responders to assist in emergency calls. We know people in crisis need compassionate care and support, and this new department is a milestone for our efforts to have a holistic public safety system.
How can you and other city leaders continue to make Seattle even more family friendly? Does your family play a role in how you imagine the future of Seattle?
Access to parks and recreational activities have always been important to me — whether as a kid playing baseball at Rainier Playfield or an adult watching my own children and grandchildren run and play. Seattle is lucky to have nearly 500 parks, playfields and community centers; we want them to remain welcoming areas for recreation, learning and healthy communities. I was proud to launch a program called Swim Seattle in our community centers, which offers affordable swim lessons for children to remove barriers to learning to swim and eradicate drownings. Last year, the city offered 3,350 free swim lessons to youth at our facilities, building a safer future for our kids in a city surrounded by water.
Seattle also continues to be a national leader in early childhood education with our Seattle Preschool Program. This award-winning program serves 2,500 young learners in our city with affordable, high-quality education, including many dual-language classrooms which uplift our city’s amazing diversity and teach our youth to be thoughtful problem solvers.
What is your favorite family-time activity in Washington state?
All our children and our two grandchildren participate in competitive activities, whether it be basketball, baseball, chess, baseball or equestrian. We love traveling to different parks, gyms, trails, and other recreational facilities to watch our family compete and, win or lose, enjoy the journey.
Any exciting news you can share with us about Seattle in 2025 and beyond?
I’m really excited to see our Waterfront Park completed next year, realizing our vision of a vibrant, world-class public space. The project continues to make exciting progress, including Overlook Walk which will connect Pike Place Market to other destinations such as the Seattle Aquarium. We want our waterfront to be a place not just for visitors and tourists, but also for residents and families to come and enjoy.
We are also hard at work preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be the equivalent of six Super Bowls played in Seattle over three weeks. It will bring soccer fans all over the world to our city, putting us on the international stage and showcasing what a great city Seattle is for sports.
