Exit Poll: Who'd You Vote for in the Seattle Mayor's Race? (Capitol Hill Edition)

We asked 10 people at the Broadway and Howell Street dropbox to tell us who they picked for mayor. Charlie James was the first. ES





Charlie James, 66

Longtime community activist and apartment building manager

Capitol Hill

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Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Mike McGinn

Why? Mike McGinn has a good understanding of the problems of the African-American community, and I've developed a very warm and candid relationship with him.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? It's experience, and I'll tell you why: the unfortunate thing about new mayors is it takes about six months to figure out what to do and how to do it—or to even know where the bathrooms are. (James added that he was particularly impressed by McGinn's plans for addressing gun violence in south Seattle.)

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Roxanne Sticks, 31

Central District



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Nikkita Oliver

Why? I feel really excited about having a woman of color in office. I feel really excited about her background as an organizer. And, yeah, I think that, like, the possibility or prospect of actually having a radical person in office would be wonderful.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? I don't think there's one thing that feels most important to me. But I think, up there is police violence, homelessness, and affordable housing.





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Irena Kulik, 61

Seattle Central College employee

West Seattle



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Bob Hasegawa.

Why? I like the way that he presented himself, and I think that he will be the best.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? To help the homeless. I think this is the most important—and transportation.





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Ryan Ross, 32

Small business owner

Capitol Hill



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Jenny Durkan

Why? I like the fact that she has very progressive policies. She's got a good outline for the city, she's experienced, and she's also—I don't want to say, like, pro-business—but she understands that business is vital to the community moving forward and needs to be a part of the community—both small and large. I thought that was really important.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? I don't know if there's really a single most important issue. I think the three most pressing things we have going on would definitely be housing, homelessness, and traffic. I don't think any of them are going to have a short-term solution, so I don't know if that mayor's necessarily the biggest impact on that.





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Frannie Pridgeon, 19

Cook at Oddfellows Cafe, student at Seattle Central College

Central District



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Nikkita Oliver

Why? She seems like the realest person. I just have seen so many videos of her saying so many smart things. She answered this question about bikes, and all the other candidates gave this really bland answer and they all kinda were the same, and she was talking about integrating bikes into education, getting young kids used to them—and that's so much, like, a better answer. I think she's just, like, for the people—actually.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? Probably homelessness. Because I've lived here for almost my whole life—I moved here when I was six—and it's just so sad and messed up and homeless people have become a permanent fixture in our city. And it used to not be like that, you know? And it doesn't have to be this way. We can do things! And you see all these new apartment buildings going up that are butt ugly and they're charing people a lot of money, and the people that move in, you know, work for Amazon, and they all have cars, too. And the city's putting money into that, but it's like, you know—we can't build a homeless shelter? Or, like, a safe needle place? Well, I guess they're doing that now, but I just feel like Nikkita would work on issues like that.





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Tyler Stuart, 27

Freelance artist

Capitol Hill



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Molly Moon—I mean, Cary Moon.

Why? I was split between Nikkita Oliver and Cary Moon in the first place, but after, like, looking at them and seeing their, like, styles, I kinda felt Moon had a little more—what's the word?—grit under her belt. I feel like she's there to vote for the people and move things along. And she has policy. She has, like, ideas and she looks like she can follow through with them. And I believe in her for that reason.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? It's split between transportation and affordable housing.





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John Millward, 55

Retired

First Hill



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Bob Hasegawa

Why? I like his idea about the bank—the city-owned bank. And I also think politics in Seattle, especially, should be more moderate.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? Basic city services—clean streets, repaired sidewalks. And the homeless problem.





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Karyn Schwartz, 50

Owner, Sugar Pill

Capitol Hill



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Nikkita Oliver

Why? Because she's talking to me, and she's talking to people I care about, and she's talking to people that nobody else is talking to in this city, and I feel like a city needs to hold on to people who are not being represented. I'm one of many people that's on the edge of being driven out of here, too. And she's the one person that I feel like is thinking about the issues that are important to me.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? There isn't a single one. I think there's a convergence of issues around equality and access and resource. I think that the wholesale gentrification of this city if affecting, obviously, certain populations more than others, and it's changing this city, and it's destroying communities, and it's shoving people out of their homes.





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Hugh Kenny, 55

Makes mounts for art objects

Duwamish Industrial Area



Who'd you pick for Seattle mayor? Cary Moon

Why? I did some research, and also I consulted the Stranger voting guide and they seemed to have a lot of good points in favor of her.

As you vote for a new mayor, what's the most important issue on your mind? Skyrocketing rents and poorer people getting priced out of the city.