I wouldn't want a council of nine Sara Nelsons, and I wouldn't want a council of nine Kshama Sawants. Nelson would bring some balance to the council, especially as this is Tim Burgess' seat.

Totally agree with your assessment. She sounds like she would be the adult in the room.

She'd be perfectly fine, I expect. I'm voting for Teresa, but should Nelson and the anti-housing faux lefty Jon Grant make it through the primary, supporting Nelson is a no-brainer.

She has the gall to compare herself to Lisa Herbold? She supported and contributed to Herbold's opponent.

A refreshingly honest appeal to voters--hopefully this is a sign of things to come at Council.

Only in Seattle would someone so qualified and well-spoken feel the need to defend herself against criticism. I wish her luck.

@5 Nelson and Herbold both worked at the city council for years. It's a strength for both of them, and seems like a fair comparison to me. Also, Herbold's opponent was a long-time legislative aid to King County Councilmember Joe McDermott. The more ladies with first-hand legislative experience the merrier!

Hipster cafes, weed emporiæ, and beardy micro breweries do not a progressive City make.

We can toke up on all the warm fuzzies we like, but Seattle is really only as progressive as its police force and its tax structures, not necessarily in that order.

@9, cont'd:

...and its homeless shelters...

"As senior policy advisor to former City Councilmember Richard Conlin, I worked for over a decade on a wide range of issues, from transportation to economic development to social justice."

So I assume you supported the tunnel project like Conlin did? If so, how do you reconcile building a $4 billion, four lane highway instead of adding public transit and other alternative modes of transportation with also being a "green" candidate?

@11: Maybe because you're not the sole arbiter of what is "green" and what isn't.

Great, you're a small business candidate. Whoopee. That will appeal to the corporate Clintonista branch of the Democratic Party, but the far lefty Democratic Socialist branch kinda wants to know what your plans would be for affordable housing, reversing the regressive tax structure, relations with the police, and other pressing matters that seem, right now at least, far more pressing than your "go small business sustainability" platform.

@13 thankfully nobody gives a shit what your branch thinks, as you rarely vote. Fremont Brewing is great and she's got my vote.

@12: There's nothing "green" about the tunnel, dummy.

Please, can we elect one sensible person to the city council? Just one grownup?

Sara "Seattle Establishment" Nelson: "I'm hip! I'm with it!" (cue Dr Evil doing the Macarena).

@9/10 Preach.
I don't care about all the god damn words of support for good projects. I care about actual dedication to protecting the homeless of Seattle, and solid action to fight the increasing rent in Seattle.

This race is between three candidates as far as I am concerned; Grant, Secrest and Mosqueda. Anyone else is just taking attention from what matters.

Starting a successful, ethically managed business needs no apology. Nor does having worked for Richard Conlin. Sara Nelson deserves respect for running in a tough race against several highly qualified candidates. It speaks well of Seattle that we have such a choice, that so many of our citizens put their time, money, and effort into offering their services. As for Sara, not being on the hard left is not (yet) a crime in Seattle. She clearly does care about homelessness, transportation, and myriad other issues. Those who don't like her positions or political alliances shouldn't vote for her. No problem. Personally, I respect her throwing her hat in the ring. She offers a valuable small-business-owner perspective and seems genuinely ethical, not simply a stick-figure stereotype of greedy business people. I think some are threatened by principled business people. Some on the left root for business people to appear greedy and sleazy to justify their disdain for capitalism generally, and a person like Sara Nelson threatens to expose how unfair that bias often is. Good for you, Sara. I haven't decided whom I will vote for in your race, but I respect your and the other candidates' willingness to run.