Monisha Harrell is breaking her silence for the first time since she left her uncle’s administration in 2023. She describes the mayor’s office as being a dog-eat-dog environment where white male advisors vied for power and influence. She said her experience, as a high-level woman ignored by the mayor and his lieutenants, is not unique at City Hall.

Democracy vouchers were approved by Seattle voters back in 2015, but time is running out on the first-in-the-nation program.

SEATTLE — A new challenger has entered the Seattle mayoral race. Katie Wilson, the co-founder and executive director of the Transit Riders Union, announced her candidacy on social media Wednesday.

The program sends eligible Seattle residents four $25 vouchers to then donate those funds to a candidate of their choice, according to Mayor Harrell’s office.

Harrell's push to renew democracy vouchers comes as the program hits 10 years and faces a potential sunsetting. Without a renewal, the program will end.