| Sara Nelson | |
| Term Start: | January 2, 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Debora Juarez |
| Office1: | Member of the Seattle City Council for Position 9 |
| Term Start1: | January 1, 2022 |
| Predecessor1: | Lorena González |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | University of California, Santa Barbara (BA) University of Washington (PhD) |
Sara E. Nelson is an American businesswoman and politician serving as a Seattle City Council member from Position 9. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Nikkita Oliver in the 2021 election. On January 2, 2024, the city council voted unanimously to appoint her City Council President upon the retirement of Debora Juarez.
Nelson grew up "really poor" in Sacramento to a family of McGovern supporting Democrats.[1] [2] Her parents divorced when she was 12, her mother struggling to raise her as a single mom, her father an alcoholic.[3] She received a BA degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington.[1]
After receiving her PhD, Nelson worked as a policy staff member for then-councilmember Richard Conlin from 2002 to 2013.[2] Nelson was bitter after Conlin's loss to Socialist Kshama Sawant, stating that the council is responding to activist voices.[3]
In 2009, Nelson, along with her husband Matt Lincecum, founded Fremont Brewing in the namesake neighborhood of Fremont, earning the King County Business of the Year award in 2014.[2]
In 2017, Nelson ran for Seattle City Council position 8, portraying herself as a business-friendly candidate who maintained progressive bona fides.[2] [4] In the August primary, Nelson came in third with 21.48%, with labor activist Teresa Mosqueda and tenant advocate Jon Grant advancing to the general election.[5]
In 2021, Nelson again attempted to run for the city council, this time running for the position 9 office being vacated by Lorena Gonzalez who ran for Mayor of Seattle.[6] In the August primary, seven candidates ran for the open seat, with Nelson and activist Nikkita Oliver advancing to the general election, with 39.47% and 40.18%, respectively.[7]
Nelson was the more moderate choice in the election, with issues such as policing, homelessness, and pandemic recovery coming to the forefront.[6] [8] One of the most drastic differences between the candidates was their approach to policing and police funding.[8] Oliver, a police abolitionist, called for a 50% cut to the budget of the Seattle Police Department, arguing the funds could be better used to address root causes of crime.[1] [8] Nelson argued that the police budget should not be cut at all and that reforming the department would be the best solution.[1]
Throughout the election, Nelson claimed to have not laid off employees during the COVID pandemic, but a report showed that seven full-time and part-time employees were let go before Thanksgiving 2020.[9] [10] Nelson dismissed the claims, saying "The employees you mention were part-time and/or seasonal hires, and the busy season — as much as there was a 'busy season' in 2020 — ended. We kept on every full-time employee who was on payroll when the pandemic hit..."[10]
In the general election, Nelson won with 53.84% of the vote to Oliver's 45.99%.[11] [12]
In her first two years in office, Nelson was a minority in the city council as a moderate, with the majority of the council being progressive.[13] She pushed for increased public safety measures, like police hiring bonuses and an ordinance criminalizing drug possession.[14]
In the 2023 election, the council experienced the largest changeover since 1911, with five new council members who campaigned on a moderate platform taking office.[15] In January 2024, Nelson was elected to council president by a unanimous vote from her fellow council members.[16] She stated her focus as council president would be on public safety and government accountability, especially with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.[14] [17] As council president, Nelson oversaw the passage of police hiring bonuses and the creation of controversial exclusionary zones, known as the Stay Out of Drug Areas and Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution.[18] [19]
Nelson met her husband at World Trade Organization protests.[3] She and her family live in the Green Hill neighborhood.[3] Nelson is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober since September 2020.[3] [20]