(The Center Square) – Alexis Mercedes Rinck has won the race to serve on the Seattle City Council’s District 8 citywide position, having garnered 58% of votes as of Friday
Rinck will be the second progressive Democrat on the current Seattle City Council, alongside Councilmember Tammy Morales.
Prior to this year, the previous city council was considered more progressive in lieu of Rinck and Morales’ priorities. However, five new city council members were elected to represent their respective districts.
Rinck has previously worked for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, which has served as the organization responsible for coordinating funding and services for homeless across all of King County since 2019.
Rinck’s priorities have included exploring additional revenue options, from a local capital gains tax to a high payroll tax. Rinck expects the progressive taxes to generate enough revenue to fund vital city programs.
Rinck also wants to further fund programs such as the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and the Community Assisted Response and Engagement team, which features behavioral health specialists who have prior field experience and higher education credentials in behavioral health.
Rinck bested the incumbent Seattle City Councilmember Tanya Woo was appointed to the vacant citywide seat by the Seattle City Council at the beginning of the year. The seat was left vacant after Teresa Mosqueda resigned from the Seattle City Council on Jan. 2, to take a seat on the King County Council.
Notably, Woo lost to Morales by two percentage points for the District 2 seat in the 2023 general election. Both Morales and Mosqueda endorsed Rinck.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Woo spoke on her communities in the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon, without explicitly conceding the race.
“We will continue to fight for a place at the table and for our community voices to be heard,” Woo said in the post. “The fight is ongoing and there is always a lot of work to do.”
Rinck is joining the Seattle City Council at the age of 29. That ties former Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who was also 29 when he won his seat in 2019.
“Seattle, you have my heart – I am so proud to serve you,” Rinck said in a social media post. “Let’s show the world that this city – our city – is a beacon of what is possible when we lead with love, courage, and unity.”