Weekend Listen: City Council President Sara Nelson says goodbye

Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW show, Soundside.

A lot has changed during Sara Nelson’s time in Seattle government.

She was a centrist outlier on a progressive city council when she was first elected in 2021. 

But the dynamics changed: Nelson ended up running the show as council president, after a moderate slate of candidates swept the 2023 election. 

Now - her time in office is coming to an end.

Next month, there will be a new, more progressive representative in the citywide Position 9 seat that Nelson’s held the past four years. Nonprofit leader Dionne Foster will take Nelson’s place after winning by a wide margin of votes in November. 

Last week, Nelson spent an hour with Soundside to reflect on her tenure and the direction Seattle politics is moving.

Listen to more Soundside here.

Soundside is produced by Sarah Leibovitz, Jason Burrows, Gabrielle Healey, Hans Anderson, Jed Kim and Maleeha Syed.

We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed.

Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected], leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.