NEWS GLEAMS | Mayor Bruce Harrell Seeks Second Term; Local Judge Stops Albertsons and Kroger Supermarket Merger

On Monday, Dec. 9, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell officially announced his reelection campaign. Should he be reelected for a second term in 2025, he would be the first mayor in Seattle to achieve reelection in over 15 years. He was elected for his first term in 2021, when he beat former Seattle City Councilmember Lorena González, with close to 59% of the vote.

Harrell released a statement shortly after the announcement, touting his One Seattle campaign and asserting that, under his leadership, his administration has "delivered public safety solutions, kept parks and sidewalks open and accessible while moving people into shelter and housing with services, made historic investments in affordable housing, prioritized a transportation system focused on safety, and passed nation-leading climate legislation."

He has thus far received endorsements from a number of local candidates and elected officials, including Governor-elect and current Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson; Attorney General-elect Nick Brown; State Sens. Jamie Pedersen, Joe Nguyen, and Javier Valdez; State Reps. Lauren Davis, Chipalo Street, David Hackney, and Sharon Tomiko Santos; U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Marilyn Strickland; and King County Executive Dow Constantine.

No other candidates have yet entered the race to challenge his reelection campaign.

On Dec. 10, a King County Superior Court judge and a federal judge in Oregon blocked an attempt by the Albertsons and Kroger supermarket chains to merge into one company, thus effectively halting the merger across the entire country. The potential merger was first announced in 2022 and would have involved Kroger buying Albertsons for $25 billion. If it were to go through, it would be the largest supermarket merger in history.

In King County, Judge Marshall Ferguson's preliminary ruling found that "the effect of that merger may be to substantially lessen competition in Washington." The Washington State case was first filed on Jan. 15 and was the first in the country to attempt to stop the merger.

Ferguson's decision came one hour after a similar decision made in Oregon by U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson, who found that both supermarkets currently "engage in substantial head-to-head competition and the proposed merger would remove that competition." This removal of competition, she suggested, would make such a merger "presumptively unlawful." The Oregon case was brought by the Federal Trade Commission, which has lately been aggressively blocking corporate mergers under the watch of the Biden administration and current FTC Chair Lina Khan.

A decision is still pending in a similar case filed in Colorado.

In a statement, White House National Economic Council Deputy Director Jon Donenberg said, "The Kroger-Albertsons merger would have been the biggest supermarket merger in history — raising grocery prices for consumers and lowering wages for workers. Our administration is proud to stand up against big corporate mergers that increase prices, undermine workers, and hurt small businesses."

Albertsons expressed their disappointment with the decision shortly afterward. In a statement, the company said, "We believe we clearly outlined during the proceedings how the proposed merger would expand competition, lower prices, increase associate wages, protect union jobs, and enhance customers' shopping experience."

On the morning of Dec. 11, Albertsons announced that they would abandon the merger attempt and are instead suing Kroger, citing that the company did not do enough to secure regulatory approval for the deal.

Both companies would have needed to win all three cases in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado for the merger to proceed. Kroger and Albertsons compete with one another in 22 states and, under the original proposed merger terms, would have sold 579 stores to minimize competition.

Partake in the Delridge Winter Market — a festive indoor extension of the Delridge Farmers Market — on Dec. 14 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. The event will feature handmade goods, cultural foods, a diverse lineup of local BIPOC-owned businesses, as well as live music, culinary demos, services like acupuncture or massage, and fresh produce offerings.

The event will be presented with African Community Housing and Development.

Delridge Winter Market takes place on Dec. 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Attendance is free.

The South Seattle Emerald™ website contains information and content supplied by third parties and community members. Information contained herein regarding any specific person, commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the South Seattle Emerald™, its directors, editors, or staff members.