Maron Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
Harrell was interviewed by the media after his speech (photo by George Liu)
The lights flickered, orange and green balloons were decorated, and the podium was empty for a while. Then, the candidate’s niece and his campaign manager, Monisha Harrell, took the stage and announced with tears that her uncle was coming.
“I’m very emotional,” said Bruce Harrell, who was declared a frontrunner in the early results of the Seattle mayoral campaign a few minutes ago. “My family and close friends are by my side.”
After thanking about 200 supporters for showing up on a damp, cold rainy night on November 2nd, he shouted: “So we want Seattle to unite again!”
Supporter of Bruce Harrell (Photo: George Liu)
Cheers rang around the hall. Supporters hug each other. After leaving the stage, Harrell was bombarded by the Blessed.
It would be great if it was so easy to govern. The challenge for Harrell is huge. Even on the night of celebration—all mailed ballots can take weeks to count—many of them are on display, even in the environment and atmosphere of his victory party.
Homelessness is a major theme, not only in Harrell’s remarks. Even around the party, its urgency is obvious.
Homeless people crowded the sidewalk near Block 41 where the party was held. They crossed the middle of the road and followed the reporter for half a block, asking for money. Outside the door, a burly security guard said that he had just come from Hawaii, with a top knot, carefully checking all the guests.
As in the rest of the speech, Harrell thanked his family, his team, and his supporters time and time again for solving major problems in the city with the theme of inclusiveness.
Bruce Harrell, behind his family, puts his arms around Norm Rice, the former mayor of Seattle, to thank his supporters. (Photo by Marlon Meyer)
“We can actually solve the homelessness problem, but only by working together can we solve the problem,” he said.
The same goes for the police. Harrell said that any changes made by the police department must include dialogue.
“I understand the racism and unfairness of our police department, but I want my children to be safe,” he said.
Since 2012, the Seattle Police Department has been subject to a federal consent decree, which is rare in West Coast cities due to violence and possible racist policing.
In addition to the dilemma of the department, during last year’s “Black People’s Fate” protests, police officers were often filmed on video, violently assaulting protesters, using tear gas and assaulting crowds.
Since then, the Seattle City Council has repeatedly called for the cancellation of police funding, and hundreds of police officers have resigned or traveled to neighboring cities.
Some reports stated that the response time for 911 calls was more than an hour.
Harrell has vowed not to allocate funds to the police and has been leading the polls for several weeks.
But before and after the announcement of the results, there were signs of tension, which may indicate that Harrell is facing challenges through the goal of unity and governance.
By 7:30 in the evening, as the party reached its climax, half an hour before Harar arrived, the atmosphere seemed to be completely out of touch with the problems on the street.
When the results were announced at 8:10 in the evening, there was an uproar. The screen in front of the lobby shows that Harrell leads with 84,975 votes, while González leads with 46,046 votes, leading by 64.63% and 35.02%.
Some supporters put their drinks on a mobile tray. At the same time, the noisy shouts erupted and were quickly replaced by a low voice: “Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!”
At 8:15 in the evening, after Harrell came to power, he repeatedly returned to the theme of unity. He compared the challenges ahead with his campaign.
“I didn’t do it alone, I have a team.”
He said that people support what he represents, which is why so many people come with a common faith.
“They believe in me, they believe in our message.”
But even a joke he made afterwards may have masked the fear of the unity he sought.
He glanced at the crowd and added: “Except for a few people I saw, I want to know how they got in?”
In the end, Harrell became serious and enthusiastic. It was as if he felt that he was now speaking to a group of people he had to persuade. Some people’s faces have begun to show signs of fatigue. Some people moved staggeringly.
“This city has great potential. When we talk about social justice,” he paused.
“I just want to ask everyone to raise their hands-how many people here are half Japanese and half black?”
Harrell, who is both black and Japanese-American, laughed at himself. But then he became serious again.
“The key is that when I grow up, when we talk about race and personality, it is very difficult. I always have to work hard to find out who I am.”
He promised a “new dialogue” on homelessness and other issues facing Seattle.
Noam Rice, the first black mayor of Seattle, stood beside him. The two men hug each other. Rice finally said, “I have tears in my eyes, and my heart is full of joy, because we can’t find a better person.”
Someone shouted: “We have a new mayor!”
Harrell’s opponent Gonzalez said in a statement that she has not conceded. She pointed out the late ballots, “In fact, many of our voters often vote at the end and are not counted. This means that we may not know who the next mayor will be until this weekend or next week? Will.”
You can contact Mahlon in the following ways info@nwasianweekly.com.
In other competitions where AAPI candidates have participated, King County executive Dow Constantine seems to be holding his seat and defeating Joe Nguyen.
In the campaign for the Port of Seattle Commissioner, Toshiko Hasegawa and Peter Steinbruck went hand in hand, each winning 50% of the vote.
AAPI candidates also lead in the following competitions:
City of Bellevue, No. 2 Council Position
√ Conrad Lee 56%
Dexter Bob 44%East Bellevue Community Municipal Corporation, Board of Directors No. 5 Position
√ Lai Zhihao 56%City of Clyde Hill, No. 3 Council Position
√ 93% of room principalCity of Issaquah, Council No. 5
√ Russell Joe 63%City of Kent, No. 2 Council Position
√ Satwinder Kaur 97%Lake Forest Park City, Council No. 5 Position
√ Furuya Tracy 56%City of Newcastle, Council Position No. 5
Prati Mara Kotia 53%City of Newcastle, Council Position No. 9
√ Frank Erigan 52%Samamish City, No. 1 Parliamentary Position
√ Lin Meiling 51%School
Bellevue School District No. 405, Director District No. 3
√ Joyce Shui 68%
Yang Fei 32%Bellevue School District No. 405, District Director 5
Jane Arras 63%Highline School District No. 401, Director District No. 3
√ Joe from 83%Lake Washington School District No. 414, Director School District No. 3
√ Cai Liya 54%Seattle School District 4, District Director 4
√ Victoria Song 68%*These are figures from the first round of election reports released shortly after 8pm on November 2. Other results are usually published daily. The Secretary of State will certify the results by December 2.
If we miss any AAPI candidates, please let us know editor@nwasianweekly.com.
