The last time the city council appointed a new member was in 2024, when they filled the outgoing Teresa Mosqueda’s city-wide seat by appointing Tanya Woo. This appointment came right after Woo's unsuccessful challenge against Tammy Morales. Despite District 2 constituents clearly rejecting Woo as their representative, the council appointed her anyway.

 This time, District 2 residents are hoping for more influence in the selection process. On Monday, after a 20-day review, the council will appoint District 2’s next representative from a pool of six nominees chosen just over a week ago.

The problem is that District 2 residents haven’t had a chance to get to know the candidates, let alone form opinions about them. When I reached out to notable community members, many declined to comment, saying they hadn’t “kept up with the D2 seat” or felt they didn’t have anything meaningful to contribute.

After several unanswered calls, I decided to learn more about the candidates by reaching out to their supporters. Here’s what District 2 supporters had to say about Adonis Ducksworth, Chukundi Salisbury, Eddie Lin, and Hong Chhuor. Unfortunately, though I tried my damndest, I did not connect with anyone from Mark Solomon’s or Thaddeus Gregory’s camp—sorry!

Ducksworth

Willie C. Seals, pastor at the Christ Spirit Church, on Beacon Hill formed a working relationship with Adonis Ducksworth, Mayor Bruce’s Harrell’s transportation operations and policy manager, when Ducksworth did outreach for a Seattle Department of Transportation project on 23rd Avenue. 

“He met with the pastors,” Seals said. He appreciated how Ducksworth listened to him and other “elders” in the community. 

That wasn’t the first time Seals met Ducksworth. 

“I’ve known him ever since he’s been in the world,” Seals said. “His mom and dad and I went to school together.” 

From Seals’ perspective, Ducksworth has always been a standup guy with “character and integrity always intact,” Seals said. 

Seals’ biggest concern for the district centers around public safety, especially as the community’s relationship with law enforcement is concerned. He wants police to have a better, closer relationship with District 2. In last week’s community forum, Ducksworth said he wanted to make that happen, though that may be outside his purview as a council member. 

Regardless, Seals sees Duckworth as someone who can bring his community’s needs into City Hall. 

“If Adonis gets in there I’m gonna wear him out,” Seals laughed. 

Salisbury

Dominique Davis from Community Passageways is throwing his support behind Chukundi Salisbury, long-time Parks and Recreation manager and community figure. 

“I want to support him in that seat because he grew up in that community that’s been marginalized, disenfranchised, and underserved,” Davis said. “He knows the needs of the community because he is the community.”

This isn’t Salisbury’s first attempt to represent this district in public office. In 2020, he ran against Kirsten Harris-Talley for the 37th Legislative District representative seat but received only 33% of the vote. However, Salisbury has stated that if he is appointed to represent District 2, he won’t run for election when the seat’s term is up. Instead, he views it as a caretaking position. 

“The biggest issues I care about on a 30,000-foot level is institutional racism,” Davis said. “Then on the next level is gun violence, unemployment, housing, and stability. I feel like [Salisbury] would be a strong advocate to address those issues to the best of his ability.”

At a time when Donald Trump is invalidating hard-fought diversity and inclusion measures on a national level, Davis sees Salisbury, who is Black, as an important pick for representation. 

“Sometimes that voice needs to be heard in those back hall meetings,” Davis said. Having Salisbury on the council would make it so they couldn’t be “totally racist,” he explained.

Lin

Cameron, a Rainier Vista resident who preferred not to use his last name, is backing Eddie Lin, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office veteran. Cameron said Lin lives down the street from him and the two have worked together in the past. 

“Eddie is a great neighbor and a great friend,” Cameron said. “District 2 right now is both great and also has its challenges. I think Eddie is someone who understands multiple truths can exist.”

Cameron explained that Lin can see  a “challenge” like what’s happening on 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street in Little Saigon, where violent crime has spiked in recent months, takes nuance to address.

“He can take into account the needs and concerns of business owners, residents, and those being preyed upon,” Cameron said. “He is someone who genuinely understands there’s many facets of life and there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.”

Not only that, but Cameron believes Lin’s work in the city as well his passion for city issues will be a good fit for District 2. His primary concerns for the district are affordability and pedestrian safety.

“[Lin] has the temperament and in-depth knowledge of how the city works, and the human side, to address those issues,” Cameron said. 

Chhuor

Huy Pham, the executive director of the non-profit Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP), commented on his friend and fellow Friends of Little Saigon board member and small business owner, Hong Chhuor, via email. 

“Hong’s leadership stands out because he doesn’t just understand the challenges facing District 2—he’s lived them,” Pham wrote. “As a refugee, LGBTQ+ community member, and legacy business owner, he knows what it takes to overcome systemic barriers while lifting others along the way.”

Pham believes Chhuor’s “incredible ability to connect with people” will be indispensable on city council.

“He balances this warmth with the expertise of someone who has successfully built support and raised millions for vital social service organizations, ensuring they can thrive and meet the needs of our community,” Pham wrote. “It’s a rare combination, and it’s exactly what we need in City Hall.”

No one

Local comedian Brett Hamil was the only one of those original unaffiliated resident calls who picked up the phone and dished about the council’s impending appointment.

“I don’t like any candidate that this city council supermajority would choose and I don’t think anyone they do choose would win on their own merits in an election,” Hamil said. 

He believes the nominees are "further to the right" than the actual politics of the District 2 electorate. 

One thing he feels strongly about is not appointing a nominee who has already lost an election in this district. That means, by Hamil’s metrics, Salisbury and Mark Solomon, the Seattle Police Department crime prevention coordinator, who lost handily against Tammy Morales in 2019, shouldn’t be considered.

“Why do we have these big time losers sniffing around for a free seat? It’s gross, it’s unseemly, it’s not how the system should work,” Hamil said. 

Regardless, he doesn’t have much faith in the system as established by the current council. 

“I’m hard-pressed to pick a favorite [of the nominees] because I know the council is just going to find the next Tanya Woo,” he said. 

The council will appoint the next council member to run District 2 on Monday at 9:30 am.