Bruce Allen Harrell (born October 10, 1958)[1] is an American politician and attorney serving as the 57th and current mayor of Seattle, Washington.

Harrell unsuccessfully introduced amendments that would have delayed the upzoning indefinitely for further study and reduced the amount of housing that could be constructed near the public transit station.

[26] Harrell appointed Gino Bettis, the former assistant state's attorney for Cook County, Illinois, as director of the Office of Police Accountability on August 1, 2022.

In explaining Harrell's attempt to limit density and new housing construction, his spokesperson cited concerns over gentrification and displacement.

[33] In July 2022, the Pacific Northwest experienced a historic heat wave that brought dangerously high temperatures to Seattle.

The move resulted in the cancellation of 200,000 parking tickets that had been issued by the Department of Transportation, with Seattle vowing to refund nearly $5 million to those who had paid fines.

In September 2022, Harrell signed Green New Deal legislation in Seattle allocating $6.5 million for climate projects in the city, including funding towards efforts to get city-owned buildings off fossil fuels by 2035.

[38] In attendance were political figures including former Washington Governor Gary Locke, Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta, and candidate for Port of Seattle Commission Hamdi Mohamad.

The event, which had around 270 attendees, had many COVID-19 restrictions in place by the restaurant, including requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and for eventgoers to wear a mask when not eating, drinking or sitting at their table.

[38] This drew criticism, including from Seattle journalist Erica Barnett, who shared the photos on Twitter and called the event a "giant, unmasked fundraiser".

[38] In a statement two days later, Harrell said, "even though I only removed my mask for dining and brief intervals for photographs with friends and community leaders, I understand that people in public life will and should be held to high standards".

Barnett, who publicly criticized the event, was also set to be moderator for a forum hosted by the Queen Anne Community Council between Harrell and other mayoral candidates.

This drew a round of criticism, with Gonzalez saying at that forum, "It's my understanding this journalist was one of the first to report on my opponent's decision to host a very large maskless indoor fundraiser in violation of King County's public health mandate".

[40] First-term City Councilmember Andrew Lewis noted that he did not believe the comments meant there would be any substantive changes with the mayor and the council, and that he had no concerns over the remarks.

The organization honored him and fellow mayors Aftab Pureval and Michelle Wu as having made the "most impact" in the field of advocacy and policy.