Nilu Jenks has won the Seattle City Council District 5 seat in a blowout.

The progressive advocate built a 17-point lead on election night Tuesday, Nov. 3, and that margin held steady in Wednesday's ballot count, The Urbanist reported. District 5 covers Northgate, Lake City, Bitter Lake, Haller Lake and other North Seattle neighborhoods. As we reported Nov. 4, Jenks held about 58% of the vote in early returns.

Her opponent, Julie Kang, an educator and former bank chair, had backing from Councilmembers Bob Kettle and Maritza Rivera and former Councilmembers Sara Nelson and Tim Burgess.

Nelson and Burgess also donated to a political action committee supporting Kang, according to The Urbanist. Council President Joy Hollingsworth endorsed both candidates.

What changes at City Hall

The result reshapes the council. Jenks's win grows the progressive bloc to four members, according to The Urbanist. The remaining five members sometimes form a centrist bloc, though District 6's Dan Strauss and District 1's Rob Saka sometimes vote with progressives.

The seat flip also removes interim Councilmember Debora Juarez, who had been one of Mayor Katie Wilson's harshest critics, especially on public safety, according to The Urbanist. Jenks's arrival is expected to give Wilson an easier path for her legislation.

The special election filled the vacancy left when Cathy Moore resigned before her term ended. Jenks will take office once King County certifies the results later in November, according to KOMO News. She will face reelection in 2027, when all seven district-based seats are on the ballot.

Aurora Avenue, CARE and food access

Jenks told The Urbanist that safety-focused designs of Aurora Avenue North and Lake City Way were among her top priorities. Aurora has a $50 million state grant earmarked for it, but state lawmakers including Seattle Rep. Julia Reed have grown impatient with the slow pace of getting the project shovel-ready, according to The Urbanist.

"I would love to get the money allocated for Aurora moving and actually really get more, so that we can make Aurora a place that everybody gets to enjoy …" Jenks told The Urbanist, adding she wants the corridor to work for pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders and local businesses.

She also said she wants to expand the civilian-run Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department, tackle food deserts and create on-bill financing for heat pumps to lower energy costs, according to The Urbanist.

Food access became a flashpoint in the district after grocery chain Kroger announced the closure of the Lake City Fred Meyer store, The Urbanist reported.

On the ground along Aurora

The stakes are personal for business owners on Aurora. Linh Nguyen has owned Little Amazon Fish & Pet along the corridor for more than 30 years, dealing with break-ins almost weekly, KOMO reported. She and her family plan to close the shop by the end of the year.

"It's tough, it's tough, a hard season, but we have no choice," Nguyen told KOMO, noting economic conditions also contributed to the decision.

Jenks told KOMO she wants to expand shelter space for youth and sex trafficking victims and add detectives and undercover work along Aurora. She cited North Seattle's priority-three calls, which she said average almost 160-minute response times, as a reason to shift some of that volume to the CARE team.