A city sanctioned tent and tiny house encampment in Ballard.
A city sanctioned tent and tiny house encampment in Ballard. Mayor Ed Murray has hired a new cabinet member to head up the city's response to homelessness. Kelly O

Mayor Ed Murray announced today he will hire a new cabinet member to oversee the city's work on homelessness. George Scarola is a former teacher and education lobbyist who will now "be responsible for leading the City’s homelessness efforts across departments," according to the mayor's office.

Scarola's (limited) relevant experience dates back to the 1990s, when he led a project converting a naval air station into housing for homeless people, according to the mayor's announcement about his hire. Scarola also worked on a school bonding measure in 1995 that "helped turn the tide for public support for Seattle schools" and was "followed by subsequent successful campaigns to fund Seattle schools and affordable housing for adults, seniors, and families," according to the mayor's office.

Scarola will start tomorrow and make $137,500 a year.

As legislative director for Washington League of Education Voters, Scarola lobbied lawmakers in Olympia to spend more on schools and was reportedly close to Democratic House Speaker Frank Chopp. (Murray has repeatedly called on the state to step up funding for homelessness.)

When Scarola left the League of Education Voters in 2012, Publicola reported that he left in order to take a "sabbatical in China to study Mandarin." Scarola has a history of donating to Democratic candidates and has given to Murray, including a $250 gift during his 2013 campaign for mayor.

According to the latest count, about 3,000 people sleep on the streets of Seattle each night. Murray announced a state of emergency on homelessness in November. While his administration has dedicated extra money to homelessness since then, Murray has also faced ongoing controversy about how he addresses the problem. The city continues controversial evictions of tent encampments and Murray once threatened to decrease police enforcement if council members pushed a more outreach-heavy approach to the encampments under I-5 known as the Jungle.

Several homeless advocates and city council offices I spoke to today said they were not consulted on Scarola's hire. "I don't know anything more than you do," said Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, adding later, "But we need all hands on deck."