Seattle Council lays out timeline, eligibility and forum rules to fill District 5 vacancy

The Seattle City Council on June 16 detailed the procedure and calendar it will use to fill the District 5 seat vacated by Councilmember Cathy Moore, whose last day will be July 7, creating a vacancy effective July 8.

Council legal counsel Lauren Henry told the council that under the Seattle City Charter the council must select a replacement “within 20 days” by ballot and that a successful appointment requires “the affirmative vote of a majority of all the members of the council.” Henry quoted the charter text: “Article 19, Section 6 requires that the City Council within 20 days proceed to select by ballot a person to fill a vacancy.”

The city clerk, Shereen Dudman, said the public application period will open Wednesday, July 2 at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. “Applications will begin to be received starting Wednesday, July 2 at 8AM,” Dudman said. She said required submission materials will include a cover letter, a resume and a financial interest statement form that will be posted on the vacancy web page.

Why it matters: the council’s appointment process is time-limited by the charter and governed by a city code procedure adopted in 2017. The schedule and rules determine which residents are eligible to apply and which applicants can be considered for appointment, shaping who may serve the remainder of the term.

Eligibility and verification: Henry summarized the charter’s six eligibility criteria for someone appointed to fill the seat: U.S. citizenship; qualified elector of Washington state; a registered voter of the city of Seattle; able to read and write English; registered and a city resident for at least 120 days prior to filing; and a resident of District 5 for at least 120 days prior to filing. Dudman added the city will partner with King County Elections to confirm active voter registration, noting that a voter can be listed as inactive if the county has reason to believe the registrant no longer lives at the address on file.

Forum, community participation and publication: Seattle Municipal Code requires the council to develop a public forum for interviewing applicants and to consult community entities that wish to help structure the forum and propose questions and accessibility accommodations. Henry said the city’s vacancy ordinance (Ordinance 125,479) requires the council to publish application procedures and, after the deadline, to publish all submissions that meet the application standards. Henry emphasized one code requirement: only applicants who both participate in the public forum and address the council at the public meeting will be eligible to be appointed.

Calendar and next steps: Dudman and staff outlined the proposed schedule the council will follow. Applications open July 2 and close July 9. The clerk’s office will process and redact personal information before publishing applications for council review. The council has blocked special meeting dates for public interviewing and comment: a public forum and applicant interviews are planned for the week of July 21–22, with a public meeting to receive comment and hear applicants; the council’s required ballot to appoint a replacement must occur by July 28. Henry reiterated that an appointee must receive at least five votes of the full nine-member council.

Procedural notes and history: Henry said the charter’s 20-day appointment requirement is intentionally expedited and that the Seattle Municipal Code procedure adopted in 2017 (Ordinance 125,479) fills in the details of application publication, community participation and forum structure. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about active voter status and whether the council could use ranked-choice voting internally; staff said the charter is silent on voting method and the council has interpreted ‘‘ballot’’ to mean a recorded vote by members.

What’s next: the city clerk said staff are preparing the vacancy web page and the financial interest form; staff asked community entities interested in helping design or host the forum to submit letters of interest during the same July 2–9 window. The council expects to hold interview forums and a public-comment meeting in the third week of July and to vote to appoint a replacement by July 28.