The mayor’s Sunday tour included a stop at a kombucha vendor at the farmers market. The mayor has reportedly become quite fond of the beverage. (Image: CHS)
Harrell hitting the bench press at Rival Fitness (Image: City of Seattle)
Seattle’s mayor sampled some farmers market kombucha, pumped iron, and got an earful from local businesses about public safety, homelessness and mental illness resources, worries about the loss of car access and street parking to neighborhood street changes, concerns about sidewalk vendors, and worries about gun violence.
Mayor Bruce Harrell came to Capitol Hill for a tour Sunday to hear from neighborhood business owners in what his office says is the start of visits around the city part of new “One Seattle Community Connections” efforts with stops in more neighborhoods to come.
The tour with media in tow included the Sunday Capitol Hill Farmers Market, a stop at T’Juana Tacos inside the Nacho Borracho bar on Broadway, a visit to E Pine’s Rival Fitness, and a closed-door lunch with neighborhood business representatives atop Mercado Luna to discuss nightlife and public safety concerns including multiple incidents of gun violence near lower Pike/Pine club the Mint Lounge.
Before the closed-door session with the nightlife and business reps, Harrell told CHS his visit to the neighborhood wasn’t about cracking down on any specific business.
“I’m hearing a few themes that the mental illness and the mental crisis issues that people are experiencing is problematic, both of the person experiencing and the effect it has on their customers,” the mayor said. “And what you’re hearing is sort of a very resilient attitude toward people who love this area.”
The mayor’s visit to T’Juana Tacos included a platter of tacos the mayor did not have time to eat. He wisely asked for a to-go bag. (Image: CHS)
Earlier at T’Juana Tacos, owner Monica Rodriguez told Harrell that being part of Broadway has been good business for her small food truck and restaurant company but that safety, especially for her late night working employees, is an issue because of people on the street in need of mental health services. Rodriguez also told Harrell she thinks she’d find the same issues “in any city” and that she has found the community around Broadway to be a positive place to do business despite the challenges. CHS reported on T’Juana Tacos and its one year anniversary on Broadway here.
Harrell’s visit also coincided with a ripple of complaints from area businesses about possible changes to streets around Pike/Pine as part of a “Capitol Hill Superblock” plan. CHS reported here on officials backpedaling on the concept that could live on as a citywide strategy that backers say might eventually involve the neighborhood. A stop on Nagle Place with a representative from the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict to talk about pedestrianization efforts in the neighborhood was cut due to time constraints.
Some area merchants reportedly are also piqued about the growing number of sidewalk vendors setting up shop near Cal Anderson and in Pike/Pine selling t-shirts, vintage gear, and art. We’ll check to see what the mayor heard about the issue in the closed-door session and if any actions from his office will stem from the session.
Harrell said the tour and coming visits to other neighborhoods were about connecting better with the city.
“I go all over the city talking small businesses and letting them know I am not trying to govern this city from the seventh floor in City Hall,” he told CHS. “I have to drive policy and budget decisions and implementation from that office. But equally important, I gotta be out here talking to people and looking in them in the eyeballs. And they have to know that I’m authentic when I say I care about your business, I care about your health. Quite frankly, you can’t fake that.”
Meanwhile, before the closed-session meeting in his stop at E Pine’s Rival Fitness, Harrell checked in with one of the neighborhood’s Black-owned businesses where owner Jim Mahan described some of the challenges it has faced coming out of the pandemic restrictions approaching its ten-year anniversary — and spotted the mayor for an impromptu weight lifting session.
“See? He’s a strong mayor,” one of Harrell’s entourage quipped.
But could Ed do this?!?? pic.twitter.com/AQLtj8Cbry
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