Juarez elected first Indigenous Seattle City Council head

SEATTLE (AP) — Council member Debora Juarez has been elected president of the Seattle City Council, making her the first Indigenous president in the council’s history. The Seattle Times reports the nine-person council voted unanimously during their first meeting of 2022 to elect Juarez, a member of the Blackfeet Nation. Council member Lisa Herbold, who was vying for the position against Juarez, on Tuesday co-nominated Juarez as president, “stepping aside” to support Juarez as council president for 2022 and 2023. Juarez kept her remarks brief, but thanked the council for their support, specifically praising Herbold for being “gracious and kind.”