Another experienced voice at City Hall might go quiet as Teresa Mosqueda, one of two citywide representatives on the Seattle City Council, has announced her campaign for the District 8 seat on the King County Council representing West Seattle, downtown, First Hill and portions of Capitol Hill. UPDATE: Thanks to Ryan in the comments for the reminder of District 8’s vast borders.

“District 8 is my home, where my husband and I are raising our three-year-old daughter in the North Delridge neighborhood, our pediatrician is in Burien, and our favorite parks span the shoreline of the district from Seahurst to Jack Block,” she said in the campaign announcement. “Our neighborhood is surrounded by working families, play areas and parks, nearby public beaches, bustling small businesses, bike lanes and trails, community centers and childcare, and multiple lines of transit – this is the kind of welcoming and accessible community I hope for all District 8 residents. I will work with urgency, and in collaboration with community and local leaders, to expand economic opportunities and improve the health of every King County neighbor.”

Mosqueda makes the announcement as incumbent Joe McDermott announced he will not seek reelection after 13 years on the county council.

McDermott is part of a trend of Seattle incumbents deciding they have had enough and moving onto new challenges. Here in the Seattle City Council’s District 3, representative Kshama Sawant announced last month her political group Socialist Alternative has decided not to mount another district campaign to free up resources — and Sawant — for a push to create a new national party.

Not all are stepping aside. Wednesday, Tammy Morales announced she will seek re-election representing South Seattle’s District 2.

Mosqueda joined the council along with fellow Latina and citywide representative M. Lorena González. The two citywide members became arguably the two highest profile members of the council as it forged compromises with then-Mayor Jenny Durkan. Sawant also formed an uneasy alliance with the more moderate duo in her 2019 reelection battle against gobs of Amazon and pro-business cash. Gonzalez opted not to run for her seat in 2021, instead squaring off against Bruce Harrell in an unsuccessful bid for the mayor’s office.

As a citywide city council representative, Mosqueda did not face a reelection battle this year but now will find herself in a new political race while continuing to work at City Hall where she has served since 2017. The popular former labor lobbyist considered a run for mayor but in 2021 decided to continue her run on the council where she has led the body through its annual budget process. If she succeeds in the new county race, 2023’s Seattle budget battle could be Mosqueda’s final act.

Meanwhile, supporters of a Capitol Hill Superblock concept that would create a pedestrian and bike-focused, no car core might lose a key ally at City Hall while gaining new support for the concept at the county level.

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