(The Center Square) – Eddie Lin, who most recently worked as an attorney for the city of Seattle, has been ceremoniously sworn in as the new Seattle City Council District 2 representative.
Lin won the 2025 election with 69% of the vote to represent neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Chinatown-International District, Columbia City, Mount Baker, Yesler Terrace and Rainier Beach.
Lin’s term officially began on Nov. 25 after certification and will last through 2027.
New officials usually take the oath of office in January. Lin was sworn in early because his race was a special election. He’s taking over for Mark Solomon, a former crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle Police Department, who was appointed to the seat after Councilmember Tammy Morales resigned in January.
Lin’s platform focused on affordable housing and homelessness, as his experience includes working with the Seattle Office of Housing for the last six years to achieve more funding for rental and homeownership projects in the city.
In his speech on Tuesday, Lin emphasized the importance of community when it comes to making Seattle thrive, noting his childhood in Durham, N.C., where he said his parents faced struggles as an interracial couple, a rarity in the 1970s. Lin is the son of a Taiwanese immigrant. After moving to Seattle in 1998, Lin went on to graduate from law school at Seattle University in 2009. His family lives in South Seattle, which he describes as diverse.
“Working families are struggling, but we have an opportunity and responsibility to decrease the cost of housing and childcare, improve access to fresh food, and provide a safe, nurturing space for students in Seattle schools,” Lin said in a statement. “I look forward to working hard for south Seattle, investing in families, immigrants and refugees, and those seeking healthcare in our welcoming city.
Lin represents the struggling Chinatown-International District, along with Little Saigon. These neighborhoods often see visible homelessness and crime. According to the Seattle Police Department’s crime dashboard, there have been 260 cases of violent crime in the neighborhood, including two homicides. Notably, the violent crime rate is on pace to be at its lowest for the Chinatown-International District since 2021.
