by Jack Russillo

Blocks away from where he was raised in the Central District, beside the high school where he was valedictorian and earned a football scholarship to the University of Washington, Bruce Harrell announced his campaign for mayor of Seattle.

Harrell, a former Seattle City Council president and longtime community leader, spoke to a small gathering of family members, supporters, and members of the media on Tuesday, March 16 as he made his announcement near the Medgar Evers Pool at Garfield High School. 

“It seems very fitting that, during the coming of spring, when we think about a rebirth, a revitalization, a resurrection if you will, that’s when I announce my candidacy for mayor,” said Harrell at the press conference. “This is not the Seattle where I was born. This is not the Seattle where my Black grandparents came from to escape the Jim Crow laws of the South for opportunity and hope. This is not the Seattle where my Japanese parents left their small village in Kumamoto, Japan to seek refuge and build a community for themselves and engage in hope and love. This is not the Seattle that was the basis of their dreams … My candidacy is going to be about bringing about effective leaders and letting their brilliance shine.”