Debora Juarez appointed to replace Cathy Moore on Seattle City Council

Debora Juarez, a former Seattle City Council member, is back in her previous post.

She was appointed to fill the District 5 position on Monday, replacing Councilmember Cathy Moore, who stepped down earlier this month due to "recent health challenges." Juarez won the appointment by a vote of 7 to 1.

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Juarez took the oath of office shortly afterward, acknowledging the five other finalists for the job and thanking the council for choosing her to once again serve the district. District 5 encompasses North Seattle, including portions of Greenwood up through Broadview, Bitter Lake, and Lake City.

"I’m really emotional right now," she said. "I think that people thought that I walked into this room thinking this was mine. I never walked into a room thinking anything is mine."

Her appoint was not surprising; Juarez is a familiar face in Seattle politics.

She was first elected to the City Council District 5 seat in 2015 and served two terms, including as council president. As a member of the Blackfeet Nation, she was the first Native American to serve in the role. Her return, she noted in her application, will be as a caretaker, bringing what she called her "Elder Auntie" experience to the position.

"In representing District 5, it was a great honor when I was elected twice and for some reason this feels much more emotional than the other two hard-fought campaigns," Juarez said Monday.

The appointment means Juarez will hold the District 5 seat until a member is elected in the November 2026 election. The winner of that election will serve out the remainder of Moore's term, which ends in December 2027. To keep the seat beyond that, the winner of the 2026 special election would have to run and win yet again in the 2027 election.

Juarez said she will not run to keep the seat.

RELATED: Seattle City Council names 6 finalists to replace Cathy Moore

Juarez won out over five other candidates for the appointment. Among them was Nilu Jenks, who previously ran for the District 5 seat in 2023. Juarez opted not to run for reelection that year. Jenks came in third in the primary behind Cathy Moore and ChrisTiana ObeySumner.

Jenks was the only other finalist to receive a vote for the appointment; Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck voted for Jenks.

Juarez rejoins the City Council as members continue work on a looming budget deficit of more than $200 million and on the long-term vision for Seattle known as the Comprehensive Plan, which includes permanent rezoning to handle growth over the next 20 years. The city is also preparing to host several World Cup matches next year, an undertaking that promises both economic benefits and significant challenges for Seattle's infrastructure.

As the city grapples with that and more, it could lose key federal funding.

RELATED: How would federal funding cuts impact Seattle's budget? Mayor Bruce Harrell explains

As Seattle Deputy Mayor Greg Wong put it: "Let's say you're trying to make the perfect cake. That perfect cake is a city that is livable and thriving for everyone. Well, there's different components of that cake, and one of the key components for us in delivering those services is the federal funding that comes to do things like help with housing, sidewalks, public safety, all the things that make our communities great places."