Committee previews confirmation hearing for Ali Panucci as Seattle budget director

Seattle — The Finance, Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee on Feb. 3 held an introductory session for Ali Panucci, Mayor Wilson's nominee to lead the City Budget Office, with members pressing her on transparency, the city's structural deficit and funding priorities for city assets such as Seattle Center.

Panucci, introduced by Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt, framed her approach to the office around transparency and process improvement, saying, "the budget is really where we put values into action." She told the committee she will distribute written answers to members' submitted questions next week and return for a fuller Q&A and a possible confirmation vote on Feb. 17.

Why it matters: The budget director prepares the city's annual spending plan and the analyses that inform council decisions. Committee members emphasized that the next budget cycle will require hard choices to close a structural deficit and to prioritize investments across competing needs, including deferred maintenance at major city assets.

Panucci summarized her professional path and relevant experience for the role. She said she began as a land-use analyst on central staff, served as budget manager and deputy director for central staff, and spent the past year-and-a-half as a deputy executive at Whatcom County, where she worked on finance, human resources and operations. Panucci told the committee the Whatcom County budget was about $330,000,000 and that her office helped shrink that county's structural deficit by about 60 percent during her tenure.

Committee members used the session to probe how the budget director would balance mayoral priorities and council oversight. Council President Hollingsworth asked how Panucci would work with the council and the budget chair; Panucci said regular, candid communication and public briefings on levy capacity and bond risks would be priorities. Chair Dan Strauss asked for clarity about variable assumptions driving the city's projected structural deficit and said he wants disagreements between central staff and the City Budget Office to be documented and available to the public.

Members also raised Seattle Center's deferred-maintenance backlog and potential financing tools, with Council Member Saka describing options including public-private partnerships, philanthropy, bonding and levy measures. Panucci said she would develop options and financial analyses to help council weigh trade-offs.

Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt praised Panucci's experience working across executive and legislative roles and said the administration expects to collaborate closely with the council. Several members—including Vice Chair Rivera—offered personal endorsements of Panucci's diligence and integrity.

Next steps: Panucci will submit written answers to the committee's questions for distribution the week of Feb. 9. The committee plans a fuller question-and-answer session and a possible confirmation vote on Feb. 17.

Credits: The presentation and Q&A were led by Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt and Ali Panucci; Chair Dan Strauss presided.