Seattle (December 2, 2019) – November 28, 2019 was the second anniversary of Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s swearing-in as the 56th mayor of Seattle, and first woman mayor to lead the City in nearly a century. As Mayor Durkan marks two years since taking office, the Office of the Mayor has released a new report outlining progress on key community priorities like essential services, homelessness, housing, and transportation.
“From Day One, my goal has been to deliver the essential services our growing city needs, and to turn our shared progressive values into action. Together, over the last two years – from the Squeeze to the Freeze – we’ve shown that Seattle can face our toughest challenges while continuing to deliver on services that our communities rely on. And we’ve put forward landmark achievements like our Seattle Promise to provide two free years of college for young people, our Fare Share plan to invest in workers, transit, and housing, and our Housing Seattle Now initiative to make unprecedented investments in affordable housing for our working families,” said Mayor Durkan. “Looking ahead, I’ll continue to get out of City Hall and listen to community. I’m grateful to members of our communities who continue to make their voices heard and work to make their communities better, and to the more than 12,000 public servants at the City of Seattle who come to work every day to make a difference here in Seattle.”
The new report, “Two Years of Action,” highlights the City of Seattle’s work to deliver on basic City services, meet historic challenges like the Seattle Squeeze and the winter snowstorms, and implement new policies that advance affordability, equity, safety, and mobility.
Key accomplishments from the last two years include:
- Navigating the historic challenges of the beginning of the Seattle Squeeze and the February 2019 snowstorms;
- Delivering two years of free college through the Seattle Promise program;
- Expanding the nationally-recognized Seattle Preschool Program to create over 700 new spots;
- 14,000 students with a free ORCA card through the ORCA Opportunity program;
- The first decline in people experiencing homelessness in Seattle since 2012;
- A 55 percent increase in City of Seattle-funded King County Metro bus service;
- Unprecedented investments in housing through her “Housing Seattle Now” plan;
- Relaunching and expanding the Seattle Police Department’s Community Service Officer program; and
- Proposing and passing her “Fare Share” plan to invest in workers, transit, and affordable housing near transit.
Over the last two years, Mayor Durkan has also participated in 76 roundtables and town halls; 25 neighborhood walks and tours; and 315 community events.