(The Center Square) – Returning Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and newly elected Councilmember Dionne Foster were officially sworn in on Tuesday, marking the start of the Seattle City Council’s 2026 session with an expanded progressive majority.
Foster defeated former City Council President Sara Nelson in the 2025 general election with 58.2% of the vote. Before her election, Foster served as executive director of the Progress Alliance of Washington.
Foster’s campaign platform emphasized a proposed local capital gains tax and other progressive taxes to boost revenue for future city budgets.
After being sworn in, Foster highlighted her background in community advocacy and her support for progressive taxation. She said she has worked with some of Seattle’s wealthiest residents hand-in-hand to defend progressive taxation, adding that many were willing to contribute more to fund schools, childcare, and early education.
“This is the city where I bought my first home, which I was only able to do because of government investments and down payments that created stability for my family,” Foster said during the city council meeting.
Rinck retained her Position 8 seat in the 2025 election with 79% of the vote, defeating Republican challenger Rachael Savage. She previously won the District 8 seat in 2024 which only ran through 2025 due to former District 8 Representative Teresa Mosqueda leaving to join the King County Council in 2024.
During Rinck’s first year as a city council member last year, Rinck was the most progressive representative on the city council. Her most notable impact was getting a business and occupation tax restructure approved by voters in the 2025 general election. The measure is meant to provide relief to small businesses.
In her remarks, Rinck reflected on her first year as an elected official, including navigating policy conflicts between Seattle and the Trump administration. She emphasized her longstanding views on tax equity.
“I knew that billionaires shouldn’t pay less in taxes than the coffee shop on the corner. I knew that working people like me and the folks that I waited tables alongside deserve better than a system rigged against us,” Rinck said.
With Nelson no longer on the Seattle City Council, council members also had to appoint a new president, choosing Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth for that position.
