Ryan Packer
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typewriteralley.bsky.social
Ryan Packer
@typewriteralley.bsky.social
Pedestrian
Reporting at The Urbanist as Contributing Editor
Transportation advocate
Probably covering a random public meeting
(they-them)
📍Puget Sound
https://www.patreon.com/typewriteralley
Pinned
Hi new followers-
Several years ago I decided to start documenting how regularly people in my city of Seattle were getting hurt while trying to get around via walking or biking, in as close to real-time as possible.

In response to consistent feedback I'm going to continue on this platform.
TIL Clyde Hill has a 120 square foot limit on a treehouse but no tree preservation ordinance whatsoever.
November 11, 2025 at 3:20 AM
I'm tuned into the Clyde Hill City Council tonight, which just approved an *emergency* ordinance scaling back the city's middle housing code when it comes to cottage housing, adding a 1,500 square foot maximum size.

Clyde Hill is apparently concerned that large cottages won't be affordable?
November 11, 2025 at 2:40 AM
They're printing Ry Armstrong dollars for 4 cents right now
November 11, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Meanwhile in Kenmore, progressive council candidate @tracyforkenmore.bsky.social is now just 37 votes behind her opponent, Joe Marshall.
November 11, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Another election update: progressive candidates Shilpa Prem and Jay Arnold have TAKEN THE LEAD in their races for the Kirkland City Council after previously being behind. So much for that reactionary anti-growth backlash in Kirkland.
November 11, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Katie Wilson is up 91 votes in the Seattle Mayor's race as Wilson-mentum continues to pay dividends.
Wilson-mentum is real.

The gap in the Seattle Mayor's race has narrowed to just 4,300 votes, or 1.88%.
November 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM
JUST IN: Washington's Growth Management Hearings Board has invalidated the Seattle City Council's ordinance legalizing housing in a small slice of SoDo near the sports stadiums, siding with the Port of Seattle in its appeal against the move.
November 10, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I can't say experts in the transit and transportation field look to be particularly well-represented on the 100-person transition committee being rolled out here.
November 10, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay has announced Doug Baldwin, Microsoft's Brad Smith, MLK Labor's Katie Garrow, and Seattle Indian Health Board's Esther Lucero as his transition team's co-chairs.

Deputy Exec Karan Gill will be serving as the transition's executive director.
November 10, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Portland's FX2 dares to ask the question: what if a bus rapid transit line came infrequently, had very little dedicated right-of-way, and had to stop for at-grade train crossings.
November 10, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Honestly Portland should lean into being the city of gingkoes.
November 10, 2025 at 4:43 AM
Pretty great weekend in Portland tbh
November 10, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Portland's best bookstore...just moved across the street from Powell's.
www.wordvirusbooks.com
Word Virus Books
www.wordvirusbooks.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:18 AM
The memories in my phone's photos app are always:
3 years ago: random photo of a bus
5 years ago: broken escalator in a Sound Transit station
6 years ago: driver blocking crosswalk
November 10, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by Ryan Packer
November 9, 2025 at 4:59 AM
November 9, 2025 at 4:07 AM
So, who do we think is going to throw their hat into the ring for the King County District 2 appointment? The district stretches from Skyway to Ravenna.
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
In its draft 2026 legislative priorities, the City of Medina says that it "recognizes our regional housing crisis and has invested deeply to identify and achieve density goals through proven and creative housing solutions."

Sure, Jan.
November 8, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Unlike in Seattle, we didn't see a major shift in the breakdown of the ballot drops in Kirkland as the week went on.

The path for incumbent Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold looked promising on election night, but now looks bleak. Meanwhile the open race between Shilpa Prem & Catie Malik is super close.
November 8, 2025 at 4:51 PM
PAC spending tried to tie Katie Wilson to Kshama Sawant during this campaign.

Meanwhile Sawant's Workers Strike Back org includes Wilson in the "two parties of Wall Street & War" when advertising an event this weekend, with Andrew Cuomo wedged in between her and Bruce Harrell.
November 8, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The Decemberists really dug into the back catalog for their show with the Oregon Symphony tonight, and it was pretty great.
November 8, 2025 at 6:52 AM
This is, uh, nice, but I can't help but wonder how many ballots didn't make it to boxes, since clearly people changed their voting behavior in response to messaging around how the USPS was handling postmarks.
According to King County Elections, about 69% of the 2025 General Election ballots from the city’s voters were dropped in a box.

Nice.
November 8, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Ryan Packer
Claudia Balducci has conceded the King County Executive race to Girmay Zahilay after today's results. However, Balducci will remain on the King County Council and Sound Transit Board of Directors.
November 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Ryan Packer
Wow it’s gonna be close. For real, check to make sure your ballot got counted: info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/... Sometimes a messy signature is all it takes to get flagged.
King County Elections
Led by Director Julie Wise, King County Elections conducts accurate, secure, and accessible elections for King County's over 1.4 million registered voters.
info.kingcounty.gov
November 7, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Reposted by Ryan Packer
Katie Wilson won 54.85% to Bruce Harrell’s 44.86% of the 56,118 votes counted today. She could overtake Harrell at this rate.

The next update will be on Monday. Stay tuned!
Wilson-mentum is real.

The gap in the Seattle Mayor's race has narrowed to just 4,300 votes, or 1.88%.
November 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM