City Councilmembers Dionne Foster and Alexis Mercedes Rinck were sworn in and Joy Hollingsworth unanimously appointed council president Tuesday in a packed council chambers at City Hall. 

Electeds like Mayor Katie Wilson, City Attorney Erika Evans, and House Representative Brianna Thomas were among the crowd showing up in support of the new councilmembers. People cheered and clapped with equal enthusiasm during the councilmembers’ speeches. Someone behind me kept saying, “We are so back.”

Hollingsworth, who has represented District 3 since 2023, is the first Black woman to serve as council president in Seattle history. She’s a middle-of-the-road kind of councilmember, taking a more moderate approach to the office—a contrast to the new, progressive coalition now stepping into local government.

“This council is not one voice—it’s many voices, many perspectives, and many ideas, and I respect each and every one of you,” Hollingsworth said after her appointment. “We have not always agreed, I know, but that’s healthy. It means that we have different perspectives. But we always have respect for each other.”

Rinck, who was elected November 2024 to replace Teresa Mosqueda after she left to join the King County Council earlier that year, once stood as the only staunch progressive on the council, consistently voting left. Now, she’s not alone. Dionne Foster beat out moderate-conservative former council president Sara Nelson for council Position 9, campaigning on economic justice, turning Seattle’s regressive tax code progressive, and fixing the affordability crisis. Together with newly elected progressive District 2 councilmember Eddie Lin, who was sworn in last month, they’ve tipped the balance of power. Outside city council, progressive King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, City Attorney Evans, and Mayor Wilson all took the oath of office, too. 

Foster was sworn in by her young son, Miles Foster. 

“I’m here today as a proud progressive and a person who believes that government holds the power and the privilege to change people’s lives,” said Foster in her speech. “I will work every day to make good on the promise of a government that makes people’s lives better. And not just for people whose stories are like mine, but for every person who calls this city home.”

Foster highlighted the significance of Hollingsworth’s appointment to council president. 

“There are those who might wonder, given that we’ve had Black council presidents before and we’ve had women council presidents before, why it’s significant to acknowledge we have the first Black woman council president,” Foster said. “It matters in the world that we live in today, that when people look at the leadership of our city council, they will see a smart, competent, and grounded leader, and they will see a Black woman.”

Rinck was sworn in after Foster by Bilan Aden, vice president of African Community Housing and Development. In her speech, Rinck recounted major projects she led, including passing a progressive tax to fund social housing, passing the SHIELD initiative that brings in $80 million a year from big corporations, and creating the Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes.  

“Together, we proved that progressive governance works,” she said. “That even when you’re in the minority, when the establishment lines up against you, when corporations spend thousands of dollars to defeat you, if you stay rooted in your values, fight harder and smarter for working people, you win, and all of us win.”