American politician
Debora Juarez
is an American lawyer and politician who served as the president of the
Seattle City Council
. She was first elected in 2015 to represent the 5th district. A member of the
Blackfeet Nation
, she was the first Native American person elected to the council.
[1]
Early life and education
[
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]
Juarez is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. She grew up on the
Puyallup Reservation
in
Tacoma, Washington
with her five siblings. Her mother was Native American and her father was a first-generation Mexican-American.
[2]
Juarez was the first member of her family to attend college. She earned an undergraduate degree at
Western Washington University
and then a
JD
from
Seattle University School of Law
.
[3]
Career
[
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]
Juarez began working as a public defender while attending law school at night. She spent five years as a public defender and then worked an attorney for the Native American Project. She served two years as a
King County Superior Court
and City of Seattle Municipal Court pro-tem judge, and was the executive director of the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs under
Mike Lowry
and
Gary Locke
.
[3]
[2]
City Council
[
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]
In 2015, Juarez was elected to the Seattle City Council's District 5 position, which represents the north end of Seattle.
[4]
[5]
She was sworn in by her two daughters and a niece on Monday January 4, 2016.
[1]
[6]
Near the end of her first year in office,
Crosscut.com
described Juarez as a "wildcard councilmember" for her voting record and manner of "speaking more bluntly than most politicians would".
[7]
Juarez was reelected to City Council District 5 in 2019, winning with 60.59% of the vote over
Ann Davison
.
[8]
As a councilmember, Juarez is well-known for focusing on her district and advocating for major capital projects, including the
Northgate
Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge over
I-5
and a controversial police station in her district.
[9]
[10]
[7]
After members of the council were criticized for a 2016 vote against a street vacation necessary for a new arena to be built in the
SoDo
area, Juarez took a lead in the redevelopment of the
Seattle Center Arena
and was appointed chair of the Select Committee on Civic Arenas.
[11]
[12]
[13]
In September 2018, the council unanimously approved a renovation of the arena with plans to attract an
NHL
team to the city.
[13]
She announced on December 12, 2022 that she would not seek re-election in
2023
.
[14]
Personal life
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]
Juarez lives in the
Pinehurst
neighborhood of Seattle.
[15]
In 2012, Juarez
pleaded guilty
to
driving under the influence
after crashing her car in Seattle's Northgate neighborhood.
[16]
Electoral history
[
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]
2015 election
[
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]
2019 election
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
Rickert, Levi (January 5, 2016).
"Debora Jaurez, First American Indian, Sworn in to Seattle City Council"
.
Native News Online
. Retrieved
February 25,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Walker, Richard (November 6, 2015).
"She Won! Debora Juarez, Blackfeet, Is New Seattle City Council Member"
.
Indian Country Today
. Archived from
the original
on November 9, 2015
. Retrieved
February 13,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"About Councilmember Debora Juarez"
. Seattle City Council.
Seattle.gov
. Retrieved
March 23,
2019
.
- ^
Connelly, Joel (November 3, 2015).
"Burgess up, Deborah Juarez and Lorena Gonzalez are new Seattle City Council members"
.
Seattle PI
. Retrieved
March 31,
2019
.
- ^
Spitzer, Gabriel (October 23, 2015).
"In Seattle's Sidewalk-less District 5, Voters Want A City Council Rep Who Walks The Talk"
.
KNKX
. Retrieved
March 31,
2019
.
- ^
Martin, Genesee (January 7, 2016).
"New City Council sworn in to start year"
.
Queen Anne & Magnolia News
. Retrieved
March 31,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Kroman, David (September 22, 2016).
"Councilmember asks if Seattle has lost touch with reality"
.
Crosscut.com
. Archived from
the original
on October 8, 2020
. Retrieved
September 8,
2017
.
- ^
"Election Results"
(PDF)
.
kingcounty.gov
. King County Elections
. Retrieved
December 2,
2019
.
- ^
Barnett, Erica C. (January 31, 2019).
"The Seattle City Council Primary Election Is Heating Up: Part 2"
.
Seattle Magazine
.
Juarez is well-known for her almost hypervigilant focus on her district, particularly during the council's annual budget deliberations.
- ^
Kroman, David (January 13, 2016).
"Street level politics come to Seattle, led by Debora Juarez"
.
Crosscut.com
. Retrieved
February 13,
2016
.
- ^
Daniels, Chris (October 2, 2018).
"Milestone meeting in New York sets up fate of NHL in Seattle"
. King 5 NBC News.
- ^
Daniels, Chris (December 13, 2017).
"How the Seattle Center arena rose from the SoDo ashes"
.
King5
. Retrieved
March 30,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Groover, Heidi (September 25, 2018).
"Seattle City Council approves $700 million renovation of KeyArena"
.
Seattle Times
.
- ^
Cohen, Joseph (December 12, 2022).
"Seattle City Council President Debora Juarez won't seek reelection"
.
Crosscut.com
. Retrieved
March 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Councilmember Debora Juarez ≫ Blog Archive ≫ UPDATE! 130th Street Station Call to Action"
. Retrieved
2021-12-24
.
- ^
"Top primary candidate for Seattle City Council seat pleaded guilty to DUI"
.
The Seattle Times
. 2015-08-06
. Retrieved
2021-12-24
.
- ^
"Elections Results - Primary and Special Election"
(PDF)
. King County Elections. 17 August 2015
. Retrieved
21 February
2019
.
- ^
"Elections Results - General and Special Election"
(PDF)
. King County Elections. 24 November 2015
. Retrieved
21 February
2019
.
- ^
"Election Results - Official Final Election Results"
(PDF)
. King County Elections. November 22, 2019
. Retrieved
December 2,
2019
.
External links
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]