Seattle Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson, who will become the city’s first democratic socialist mayor when she takes office on 1 January, has announced a transition team drawing from leaders across government, business, labour, housing, and community development to transform her campaign vision into concrete governance as she prepares to address the city’s most pressing challenges.
Andrés Mantilla, a veteran of Seattle municipal government with 20 years of experience in public policy and community engagement, will serve as Transition Director, overseeing the complex process of preparing Wilson’s administration to assume control of city operations. He previously supported the administrations of Seattle Mayors Greg Nickels and Jenny Durkan and served as Director of the Department of Neighbourhoods, providing deep institutional knowledge of how City Hall functions.
Four co-chairs will lead different aspects of the transition effort: Karen Estevenin, Executive Director of PROTEC17; Tiffani McCoy, Co-Executive Director of House Our Neighbours; Quynh Pham, Executive Director of Friends of Little Saigon; and Brian Surratt, President and CEO of Greater Seattle Partners. This leadership structure reflects Wilson’s intention to incorporate perspectives from labour, housing advocacy, community development, and economic development as she shapes her administration’s priorities and personnel.
Quynh Pham, whose organisation works to support small businesses and community-driven solutions in Little Saigon, stated, “I think she truly understands the issues and feels it in her soul.” Pham emphasised the importance of highlighting opportunities in neighbourhoods like Little Saigon, which face well-documented challenges including drug use and crime but also possess unrealised potential for growth and improvement.
“We often hear about all the challenges that Little Saigon faces, but we don’t talk about all of the opportunities and things that could be done to make this neighbourhood better for the city,” Pham stated, suggesting the transition team will work to ensure Wilson’s administration develops strategies addressing both immediate problems and longer-term community development goals.
KOMO Political Analyst and Strategies 360 CEO Ron Dotzauer offered an outside assessment of the transition team composition, noting its diversity and experience. “I think what the transition team represents is kind of the diversity of Seattle. I didn’t see any particular ideological skewing per se,” Dotzauer stated. “It also looks like it’s a pretty experienced team of folks that have got a variety of backgrounds.”
Dotzauer added, “They seem to have credentials that they have the kind of background that should get the job done, but you never know until the job is done,” acknowledging that whilst the team members bring impressive résumés, their effectiveness will ultimately be judged by how smoothly Wilson’s administration launches and whether it can begin making progress on campaign promises.
Pham articulated the transition team’s methodology for identifying priorities and developing implementation strategies: “I think a part of our role is to work with the city stakeholders to identify these high-priority items and how to approach them, but also develop a strategy so that we have short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions.” This approach suggests the team recognises that some challenges require immediate action whilst others demand sustained multi-year efforts.
Wilson emphasised her commitment to addressing Seattle’s affordability crisis and enhancing livability, the central themes of her campaign that resonated with voters frustrated by rising housing costs, visible homelessness, and concerns about public safety and city services.
“I ran for mayor on the vision that we can tackle big challenges, address our affordability crisis, and make our city a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Now it’s time to get to work,” Wilson stated, signalling her intention to move quickly from campaigning to governing.
She expressed gratitude for the transition leaders’ expertise spanning critical areas including housing, community development, labour relations, and economic policy, domains where her administration will need to develop concrete proposals and build coalitions supporting implementation.
Mantilla, describing his leadership philosophy, stated, “Successful leadership is about building consensus and working across diverse groups to turn a bold vision into concrete outcomes,” a perspective shaped by his decades navigating Seattle’s complex political landscape where mayoral success depends on building coalitions amongst city council members, neighbourhood groups, business interests, labour unions, and advocacy organisations that often have competing priorities.
Karen Estevenin brings extensive labour movement experience to the transition team through her role leading PROTEC17, which represents public-sector workers. She has been instrumental in advancing social and economic justice for government employees, experience that will prove valuable as Wilson’s administration works with the city’s unionised workforce.
“Effective governance begins with a supported, equipped, and engaged workforce,” Estevenin noted, suggesting she will advocate for ensuring city employees have the resources, training, and working conditions necessary to implement Wilson’s agenda whilst the administration negotiates with unions representing thousands of municipal workers.
Tiffani McCoy, Co-Executive Director of House Our Neighbours, brings deep expertise in housing policy and advocacy. Her leadership in campaigns like Yes on I-135, which established Seattle’s social housing programme, demonstrates ability to build coalitions and win ballot measure campaigns, skills that may prove valuable if Wilson’s administration pursues additional ballot measures or needs to defend existing policies from repeal efforts.
“Seattle’s residents deserve access to stable, affordable homes,” McCoy stated, articulating a priority that will be central to Wilson’s administration given that housing affordability dominated campaign discourse and voter concerns.
