Dan Strauss

Strauss announced his candidacy for the District 6 seat in February 2019, shortly before incumbent councilmember Mike O'Brien announced that he would not seek re-election.^[8] He finished first out of 13 candidates in the primary election, with 34 percent of the vote, and advanced to the general election alongside former city councilmember Heidi Wills.^[2] Strauss ran as a progressive in the race and was endorsed by the King County Labor Council and The Stranger.^[2][3] The election gained national attention after Amazon spent nearly $1.5 million on campaign contributions to Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, which spent more than $400,000 supporting Willis.^[9][10]

Strauss won with 55.65% of the vote and was sworn in on December 22, 2019, at a Ballard Centennial Bell Tower ceremony.^[11][12]

In February 2023, Strauss announced he would seek a second term in office.^[13] In the August primary, he face five challengers and came in first with 51.76% of the vote and Pete Hanning, executive director for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, came in second with 29.34%.^[14][15] In the general election, Strauss and Hanning disagreed on most issues, with Hanning running as more of a moderate compared to Strauss.^[7] Hanning criticized Strauss' for his support of defunding the Seattle Police Department budget by 50%, and for "flip-flopping" to then supporting SPD.^[16] Strauss distanced himself from defund rhetoric, and called his support "a mistake."^[16][17]

In the general election, Strauss defeated Hanning, 52.31% to 47.19%.^[18]

Strauss is the chair of the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee in his first term on the council.^[19] At the beginning of his term, he supported policies that reduced government regulations to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanding street cafes and suspending regulations on at-home businesses.^[20][21] During the George Floyd protests, Strauss supported cutting the Seattle Police budget by 50%, which he would later reverse, calling his support "a mistake."^[22]

During his second term, Strauss was the budget committee chair and had to oversee a severe budget shortfall.^[23] He would propose a "balanced package," which passed, sparring cuts to popular programs, like the Seattle Channel, but relied on pulling funds from the city's Jumpstart tax.^[24]