SEATTLE — The owner of Seattle's popular Piroshky Piroshky Bakery is running for city council.
Olga Sagan announced her campaign for District 7 on Tuesday, May 16. She seeks to replace Andrew Lewis, who was sworn into office in 2020.
“I’m running to turn Seattle around and actually solve our city’s problems — not sweep them under the rug," Sagan said in a prepared statement. "We must work with our community partners to help the unhoused off the streets and into shelter. We must support small businesses and lower the cost of doing business in Seattle. We must make sure families are able to enjoy our parks, sidewalks, and public spaces. That’s not happening right now — and it’s why Seattle deserves a fresh perspective and a change in leadership.”
Sagan became outspoken after a series of crimes outside her downtown bakery led to a temporary closure of the business. The closure was announced on Feb. 27, 2022, following a fatal shooting at Third Avenue and Pine Street; the shooting was the third in the area in a month. Sagan said the crimes compelled her to close the location for the safety of her employees and for customers.
"Today's shooting was at 1 p.m. in the middle of Sunday, in the middle of downtown. There's tourists and families, and it's just becoming normalized. And it absolutely makes me very, very angry," Sagan said at the time.
Incumbent Andrew Lewis said he is running for his second term.
“For the last four years my office has been bringing together diverse coalitions of people to accomplish advancements on solving our biggest problems and you can see that in the downtown core where we brought together JustCARE; We removed some of the worst encampments in the City of Seattle; We have We Deliver Care, who is on Third Avenue right now as an emphasis in de-escalating crisis and connecting people to services. We got a permanent West Precinct police emphasis on Third Avenue to de-escalate violence and hold people accountable who are committing criminal law violations. And I am really proud to be running as the head of a diverse coalition that includes everyone from John Scholes, CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, to Pramila Jayapal, our progressive Congresswoman. And it really shows you can make a big difference if you bring people together and that is what has defined my tenure on the council,” said Lewis.
“We need to continue to emphasize getting people in crisis off of our streets and into some kind of care," Lewis continued. "Downtown should not be the place where someone should just be out in the public in crisis. People need to be in hospitals. They need to be in shelter. They need to be in a place where we can get care,” said Lewis.
District 7 includes Magnolia, Interbay, Uptown, Queen Anne, West Lake, Belltown, South Lake Union, Downtown Seattle and Pioneer Square. Council members are elected to four-year terms.