Sara E. Nelson is an American businesswoman and politician serving as a member of the Seattle City Council from Position 9. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Nikkita Oliver in the 2021 election.[1][2] On January 2, 2024, the city council voted unanimously to appoint her City Council President upon the retirement of Debora Juarez.[3]
Sara Nelson | |
|---|---|
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| President of the Seattle City Council | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Debora Juarez |
| Member of the Seattle City Council for Position 9 | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Lorena González |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (BA) University of Washington (PhD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Early life and career
Nelson grew up in Sacramento to a family of McGovern supporting Democrats. She received a BA degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington.[4]
After receiving her PhD, Nelson worked as a member of policy staff for then councilmember Richard Conlin.[5]
In 2009, Nelson along with her husband Matt Lincecum founded Fremont Brewing in the namesake neighborhood of Fremont.[6]
Seattle City Council
2017 election
In 2017, Nelson ran for Seattle City Council position 8 but failed to move on past the primary, with labor activist Teresa Mosqueda and tenant advocate Jon Grant advancing instead.[7] In the election, Nelson portrayed herself as a business friendly candidate that still maintained progressive bona fides.[8][9]
2021 election
In 2021, Nelson again attempted to run for the city council, this time running for the position 9 office being vacated by Lorena Gonzalez who ran for Mayor of Seattle. This time, Nelson advanced past the primary and was pitted against activist Nikkita Oliver. Nelson again was seen as the more moderate choice in the election, with issues such as policing, homelessness and pandemic recovery coming to the forefront.[10][11] One of the most drastic differences between the candidates was their approach to policing and police funding. Oliver, a police abolitionist has called for a 50% cut to the budget of the Seattle Police Department, arguing the funds could be better used to address root causes of crime. Nelson on the other hand argued that the police budget should not be cut at all and that instead, reforming the department would be the best solution.[12] In the end, Nelson won the election against Oliver with 53.84% of the vote to Olivers 45.99%.[13]