Seattle council confirms Dan Eder as permanent city budget director

The Seattle City Council confirmed Dan Eder as director of the City Budget Office in a 7-0 vote on July 8 during its regularly scheduled meeting.

Council President Sarah Nelson opened the confirmation roll call after committee recommendation and public remarks; the council voted unanimously to confirm Eder. Council members praised his responsiveness, institutional knowledge and attention to detail during a period of fiscal constraint.

Council member Kettle said Eder had “brought great credit upon himself and the administration” during the last 18 months. Council member Hollingsworth noted Eder’s knowledge and “meticulous attention to detail.” Council member Rivera said she appreciated Eder’s responsiveness and said the budget office’s engagement with the legislative department would be critical during upcoming budget deliberations.

Eder, introduced as interim director, thanked the council and Mayor Bruce Harrell for the nomination and thanked staff and his family. He told the council, “I look forward to continuing to work with you and support your decision making in the months and years to come.” He said the city faces revenue shortfalls and federal rollbacks and that the administration will need to “find innovative ways to deliver critical municipal services.” Eder added, “There will simply never be enough funding to pay for all the things we want to pay for.”

Council members referenced a pending carry-forward appropriation from 2024 and asked staff for a revised transmission to avoid budget imbalances. Nelson said central staff had requested revised legislation to prevent overages or underages from the carry-forward request.

The council’s vote completed the confirmation following a finance committee recommendation. There were no recorded dissents.

City budget director Dan Eder is expected to lead the office during the fall budget review and work with council members and departments on program evaluation and prioritization.