Adonis Ducksworth Launches Campaign for District 2 Seat
“I'm running for this position for our kids, culture, and community.” - Adonis Ducksworth
By Mead Gill
Adonis Ducksworth, the Transportation Policy and Operations Manager in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office and lifelong South Seattleite, officially announced his campaign for the District 2 city council position on February 24. After concluding as the runner-up for the interim District 2 position selected by the Seattle City Council in January, Ducksworth entered the race with endorsements from Council Members Joy Hollingsworth and Dan Strauss with hopes to garner the support of Seattle constituents come November.
Who is Adonis Ducksworth?
Growing up in Beacon Hill, Ducksworth is largely shaped by the culturally diverse community in South Seattle. A current Rainier Beach resident and avid skateboarder, he aims to bring community-driven approaches to public safety, youth support, and housing affordability in District 2.
“I'm running for this position for our kids, culture, and community,” Ducksworth said, emphasizing local initiatives and their power in creating real-world impact.
Ducksworth believes he has developed a strong understanding of city government through his professional experience with the Seattle Department of Transportation. He notably contributed to the 23rd Avenue corridor improvements project emphasizing community outreach and engagement, skills that remain pillars in his candidacy for the District 2 seat.
A Self-Proclaimed “Champion for the South End”
During his nearly decade-long career working in community outreach, engagement, and policy for the City of Seattle, Ducksworth witnessed the extensive systemic racism plaguing the underrepresented neighborhoods of South Seattle.
“I see how this institutionalized racism sort of manifests itself. And what I see is, it's a lack of access. It's a lack of access to information. It's a lack of access to decision makers,” Ducksworth said, referencing a District 2’s disconnect with local government officials. By increasing access, he intends to preserve culturally rich and iconic communities like the CID and Little Saigon, fighting to correct historical redlining and inclusionary zoning that hinder the district’s ability to thrive.
From Ducksworth’s perspective, the dramatic inequalities facing District 2 appear in the lack of affordability and successful public safety initiatives. He vowed to be a “champion for the South End,” driven by his lifelong connection to the district.
Ducksworth is a District 2 native who grew up in Beacon Hill and currently resides in Rainier Beach. (Photo courtesy of Ducksworth)
Public Safety and Police
Living a block off Rainier Avenue, Ducksworth outlined his firsthand experiences with threats to public safety in District 2 from gun violence and car crashes to addiction and mental health crises. He advocated for increased support toward community-led public safety efforts like Phố Đẹp in Little Saigon and other youth-oriented safety programs in Rainier Valley.
Ducksworth backed community public safety initiatives and an increased police presence with a caveat.
“I do want to be clear, I'm not in a hurry to hire more just officers and more bodies. For me, it's about accountability, representation, and relationships,” Ducksworth said, proposing officer recruitment fairs to hire new police officers with direct ties to the communities they serve. This approach to local police comes from his aunt, who served as the first Black woman police officer in Laurel, Mississippi after growing up in the Laurel community.
“When she became a police officer, she knew all of the families, she knew all of the children, she knew all of the issues,” Ducksworth said, advocating for similarly knowledgeable officers in District 2 who prioritize supporting youth over immediate institutionalization.
"The Rainier Beach skate park has been a long time coming,” Ducksworth said. “It's time to break ground and give our young people the safe and engaging space they deserve." (Photo courtesy of Ducksworth)
Education and Youth Development
From the perspective of a father with a daughter currently in the Seattle public school system, Ducksworth sees opportunity to improve the livelihoods of families in District 2 by piloting free afterschool care programs in lower income schools. In prioritizing these programs, he backs the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy (FEPP) approved by voters in 2018.
“To me, it all starts with kids and families,” Ducksworth stated with the objective of repositioning kids on paths away from drugs and institutionalization. “If we just supported our children and we supported our families more and gave them better opportunities, a lot of the things we see with public safety, mental health and addiction, we might be able to avoid.”
With youth engagement and safety in mind, one of Ducksworth’s concrete goals is to open the Rainier Beach skate park. He explained that the park represents more than just a one-off project, but a symbol of equity, comparing the neighborhood’s lack of a skate park to neighborhoods up north with opportunities for kids to skate year-round.
"The Rainier Beach skate park has been a long time coming," Ducksworth said in an interview with Converge in January. "It's time to break ground and give our young people the safe and engaging space they deserve."
Housing and Affordability
Ducksworth champions the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) in his efforts to increase affordable business ownership and housing in District 2. Highlighting staple small businesses in Seattle, Ducksworth explained his personal ties to the Central Area Senior Center.
“I got married in the Central Area Senior Center back in 2008, and it was the EDI funds that allowed them to remain there,” Ducksworth said. His call for protecting the EDI budget sees the initiative’s potential in helping establish local businesses and help them stay in place.
With the support of EDI funds, Ducksworth aims to combat housing and affordability issues by increasing the number of housing options available in District 2, including triplexes, duplexes, and infill development.
Transportation
As Transportation Policy and Operations Manager for the mayor, Ducksworth backed the Seattle Transportation Levy passed in 2024, looking to decrease safety concerns facing public transportation and roads. With funding from the levy, he pushed for safety improvements on Rainier Avenue and MLK Way.
“[Transportation] gets us to the places and people that we want to be around and the places that we want to go. So it becomes really challenging when it becomes dangerous,” Ducksworth said.
Ducksworth also supported the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure (STM), which he labeled as an opportunity to increase public transit services and provide safety on buses via increased security officers and safety ambassadors.
A product of his focus on community, Ducksworth advocated for allocating funding to neighborhood-initiated projects that are often overlooked by the Department of Transportation. These projects include increasing stop signs and speed bumps in specific suburbs that report speeding, actions that would increase the safety and respond directly to communities.
“It's all about having options for people, whether you drive, whether you take the bus, whether you ride a bike,” Ducksworth said. “And in all of those different options, they need to be safe and reliable.”
The Road Toward the Election
With less than eight months until the city council election in November, Ducksworth joins fellow interim nominee Eddie Lin in the race for the District 2 seat. Ducksworth’s platform is built on both his professional experience in community engagement and city government, and his deep personal ties to neighborhoods in District 2.
“Where’s our access? How do we get in touch with our decision makers to make things different down here?” Ducksworth said. “And if I could be that person, then that’s what’s up.”
Learn more about Lin and his campaign at adonisforseattle.com
