A Message from Bruce

A trademark of an excellent city is how well it provides opportunities for its people to succeed. Public safety, transportation, education and affordability are all components of an ecosystem to provide opportunities to succeed, whether in work or play.

To excel, we must adopt a culture of compassion and understanding, and there must be a sense of urgency to gain this understanding. We cannot have an Executive so enamored with prejudged solutions that they ostracize others around them who are likely trying to achieve the same goals. Our Executive must be generous with inspiration and slow to cast blame. Our Executive must exemplify a unique ability to understand the needs of all — the employer as well as the employee, the homeowner as well as the homeless, the police officer as well as the accused. The voice of the transit rider, the vehicle driver, the bike rider and the pedestrian must all resonate with this kind of Executive. The Executive must be authentic and consistent in their approach. I am that Executive. This is how I lead.

We must resurrect the spirit in Seattle that made it uniquely wonderful — a magnet for good people and good businesses; a collaborative city that once took pride in its ability to provide opportunity to all of its residents. The culture of our city demanded that we worked hard to understand the needs of others, and to find creative solutions that brought us closer together rather than further apart.

Seattle must be a city of opportunity; a city of hope; a city of respect. As Mayor, my legacy will be to make all residents feel like they matter. That legacy will echo in all our neighborhoods and organizations. My administration’s ability to listen and provide “honest straight talk” will distinguish it from all others.

Our authenticity will inspire others to be better, to be bolder. I have demonstrated the courage to identify our City’s frailties as well as the boldness to propose novel solutions. That is what having a passion for an excellent city is about. My success as an attorney, a mentor, a coach and a two term City Councilmember is a result of my passion to build opportunities and systems for excellence around me. Under my leadership, Seattle will be jumpstarted because it will embrace my energy and commitment to excellence. In fact, it will be defined by them. We will address our public safety challenges, shortcomings in education, housing affordability, transportation issues and environmental sustainability because our culture will be transformed into building excellence in how we treat each other and how we work with one another.