In honor of the new districted city council system and as part of our endorsement process (they’re coming early next week), we asked the candidates to name their district mascot.

“If your district had a softball team,” we put it, “what would it be called?”

(And, by the way, once the revamped council gets going in January, we do think each office should sponsor a district softball team.)

Our examples: The mascot could celebrate the district—the District Four (UW) Bunsen Burners—or snidely reclaim a problem—the District Three (Capitol Hill) Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

A silly exercise? I don’t know. Check out the candidates’ answers.

1. Position Nine (Citywide)

Bill Bradburd: The Hamsters 

 A hamster spends its day sleeping, and I think to a large degree the city is asleep to many of the issues facing us.

We are slowly waking up to the issue of housing affordability. We are slowly waking up to the issues of gender pay equity. We are waking up to the issues of displacement and gentrification. We are waking up to the issues of police reform.

We’ve basically been asleep for a long time. But once we wake up we get on our little wheel in the middle of the night and we just run. We run and we run and we run without really going anywhere. Spinning our wheel.

The hamster, when times are tough, when we don't have resources, feed on their young…the hamsters eat their young.  So the hamster babies that are getting eaten are the people getting displaced out of the city, the working class that can’t afford to live here. We are sacrificing them in the interest of the strong babies.

Lorena Gonzalez: The Emerald City Innovators

From our internationally renowned tradition of Northwest Coast Indigenous arts, to our city's advancements in medicine, technology, music, glass arts and literature, we are a city of innovators. Innovation lies in our proud indigenous roots, our booming economic present and our future as the progressive beacon of our nation. 

2. Position Eight (Citywide)

 Tim Burgess: The Preschool Teddys

 We are all positivity here! :) Council member Burgess's City mascot would be Preschool Teddy. The Preschool Teddy represents Seattle's desire to strongly invest in our children. 

For reference, Tim passed on Preschool Teddy to Sally Clark at her last Full Council meeting.

 Jon Grant: The Green Lightning Bolts

Editor's note: We suggested the Holes in the Ground for Grant given that this week’s bombshell news story starring Grant’s lawsuit against Triad guarantees that nothing’s going to be built on the vacant hole across from city hall any time soon. He rejected that idea, explaining it wouldn’t make a good costume for a mascot.

 One of the things that's really great about Seattle is that we are an environmentalists town, we use hydropower, we embrace the green economy and green energy so we want to go with the Green Lighting Bolts.

 3. District Five (North Seattle)

Sandy Brown: The Northern Lites

 [As in] lite city services, lite transit coverage, lite pedestrian infrastructure.

Debora Juarez: The Future Light Rail Riders

This would be represented by a harried commuter stuck in traffic on I-5.

4. District Four (U. District, Wallingford, Roosevelt, Wedgwood)

Rob Johnson: The Urban Villagers

We vote for the D4 Urban Villagers.  Close runner up was the Coffeeneurs.

 Michael Maddux: The Eevees

I had to farm this one out to Lili [his middle school age daughter]—who is awesome, and bills herself as a Pokemon expert. When discussing the characteristics of our district—particularly the diverse needs of our neighborhoods—she suggested Eevee!

An evolving Pokemon that evolves depending on its environment and immediate circumstances, Eevee represents the diverse needs of our district, and need to respect and work with those needs as we grow. Each of our neighborhoods are unique, and how they evolve will be directly effected by that unique nature. 

5. District Three (Capitol Hill, Central Area, Madison Valley)

Pamela Banks: The Jimi Hendrix Statues

The statue itself is an iconic part of Capitol Hill and represents the amazing vibrancy and diversity of our cultural scene. It also reminds us, sadly, of the gentrification and slow loss of black community and culture in central Seattle, a culture that I would like to see nourished and restored. 

Kshama Sawant: The Megaphones

We think a good mascot for District Three would be the D3 Megaphones because workers and residents in the district speak up and take action for their interests, even and especially when their voices are marginalized by the corporate media and big business' representatives.

6. District One (West Seattle)

 Shannon Braddock: The Lady Liberties

Lady Liberty at Alki. Reflects the history, and diversity of the district, a place where established families and recent immigrants can call home.

Lisa Herbold: The Linda Manors

The Linda Manors—so named because of the growing worries of renters in District One, and the City at large.