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Rian Watt

@rianwatt.bsky.social
6K followers 434 following 494 posts

ED @eoionline.bsky.social ⚖️• formerly ending homelessness @communitysolutions 🏡 • former ED, current board @theurbanist.org 🌃 • board @futurewise.bsky.social 🏔 • opinions mine, bad • curious • he/him

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Reposted by Rian Watt
Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"This was surprising to me to learn, that currently applicants need 30 plus permits from eight different departments to build housing in the city." -Seattle Budget Director Aly Pennucci just now
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As a fellow traveler on the Illinois to Seattle road — and a fan and friend of @typewriteralley.bsky.social for eight of those years: I’m glad you’re here!
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
everyone who's ever joined in an online pile on should read this.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Quoted in the @nytimes.com this morning: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
Washington Taxed Its Millionaires. Now the Rich Want It Repealed.
Washington State voters will get a chance to accept or reject the 9.9 percent income tax on millionaires approved by the Legislature, which broke the state’s taboo against levying income taxes.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
One of the greats of the game.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Nobody — not teachers, not retirees, nobody — will be taxed under the Millionaires Tax unless they make more than a million dollars per year, and voters will always have the final say on any changes to that threshold. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’d say that your home address and ZIP code are not exactly in the “fine intellectual dexterity” category. But beyond that, I think Huang is fundamentally wrong about his assumption that you can get “systems thinking” without a command of the details. Details are the building blocks of the systems!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I hope the business community takes the time to give the Mayor credit for this win. She is clearly being held to a different standard than other Mayors were/would have been, and this is exactly the kind of budget speech that would receive rave reviews if delivered by a Mayor from another faction.
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👻BOOryan BlessDEAd🎃 @bryb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This picture of the Pope at his 40th birthday party is everything to me.x
The Pope at his crazy as fuck 40th birthday party wearing a tiny sea captain hat, holding a tiny ice cream surrounded by THREE sad looking balloons. He's wearing a blue jacket and jeans with a brown belt and he's got a navy polo shirt on.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The additional premise of MHA was that development is a cost to be borne by society which must be mitigated. That premise is, in my view, fundamentally incorrect, and actual effect has been to tax the production housing we desperately need.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Key to understand that the idea here is to simultaneously a) lower fees for multi family projects b) raise more revenue for dedicated affordable housing, and c) reverse the incentive structure so that you pay less the closer you get to the allowable density on the lot that last part is hardest.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Some who have followed me since Twitter days may recall that I have a friend who I’ve known since he was homeless as a young person here in Seattle. He’s housed nlw but still in a tough spot, and his mother just passed. If you would like to contribute to those costs feel free to Venmo me @rianwatt.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I am so proud of @typewriteralley.bsky.social and what we have built together!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This has also been my experience and I am looking forward to find out that it’s all structural again in my 40s.
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Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Sometimes I'll hear people say "that will never happen because [structural power imbalance x]" and sometimes it's true but a lot of the time it's like, I dunno the actual power relationships holding that line are, again, just some guys with finite time and attention bsky.app/profile/urba...
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Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Your 20s are for believing everything is structural and your 30s are for learning that actually it's often just some guy or small group of guys (gender neutral)
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Gordon Padelford @gordonofseattle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
👀 The Pike Place Market Constituency is voting on this advisory letter tonight apparently. 6:15 PM in-person at Pike Place Market, 93 Pike Street #317, 3rd floor of the Economy Building in the Classroom, or online. Anyone can become a voting member: www.pikeplacemarketconstituency.org
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Ray Delahanty | CityNerd @nerd4cities.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I think The Urbanist is such a singular organization in the way it combines journalism, advocacy, and community building. It’s a big part of why Seattle is transforming so rapidly (mostly in good ways!), and it’s why I’ve been a member for years. Consider doing likewise!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Terrible news for local journalists, journalism, and our democracy.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I was honored to be asked to represent @no645.bsky.social at the @seattletimes.com Editorial Board interview a few weeks ago, alongside Senator June Robinson. You can watch that interview here: tvw.org/video/the-se...
tvw.org
The Seattle Times Editorial Board: I-645 Taxing Income Over $1 Million - TVW
The Seattle Times Editorial Board interviews proponents and opponents of Initiative Measure I-645, which concerns state and local taxes.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
me to my friends after a few drinks: deploy the SWAT biologists
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Reposted by Rian Watt
Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 03/09/2026
Any sweeping systemic change you want to make in the United States has to begin with adding seats to the Supreme Court in 2029. No major reform bill will survive the current court. No civil rights law, no anti-corruption law, no wealth tax, nothing.
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Economic Opportunity Institute @eoionline.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
At 22.4%, Washington now has one of the highest average premium rate increases in the country. When rates become too high, families are forced to choose between buying health insurance and paying for other basic needs than food and housing costs. www.healthinsurance.org/blog/health-...
healthinsurance.org
Health insurance premium increases for 2027: Proposed rates by state and what consumers should know
Proposed 2027 health insurance premiums are rising across much of the U.S. See requested rate increases by state and what they mean for consumers.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This is fun beatthecouch.com
beatthecouch.com
BEAT THE COUCH
$10,000. Two secret years of real market history. One button. You will probably lose to a couch.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I have some exciting news …
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Finally, an actual instance of the Joni Mitchell song.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I have found that the way out of this trap is to get specific. Who? Where? What are their names? What is our ongoing mutual relationship? “Community” is nodding at a very important set of relationships and accountability, but we need to do more than nod.
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Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
One of the biggest intellectual vices in progressive politics/nonprofit world is constantly trying to shut down legitimate debates by insisting your preferred outcome is what "the community" (an ontologically good thing with undefined boundaries and homogeneous interests) wants.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Man, Dolly Parton. Her music is so important to me and so many people and she represents so much of what is good in America. We were so lucky to share time with her.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Without exaggeration, this 21 second stretch would have taken 5-7 minutes before this week. Multiply that by thousands of daily riders. Just amazing work!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
local man appears on TV
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Look at all those people who can use a low-emission vehicle to get where they need to go quickly and reliably!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Having spent a fair amount of professional time in both homelessness and urbanist spaces, I’m constantly astonished by how little the two groups speak to one another.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Anyone know this group? www.seattle4intentionaltech.org/join
seattle4intentionaltech.org
Join | Empower Change—Join Us Now — Seattle Families for Intentional Tech
Join Seattle Families for Intentional Tech to advocate for better educational technology policies in Seattle Public Schools. Get involved and make a difference today.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
He’s a tough kid. I’m sure he did just fine. Now to take a big sip of water and find out what happened next
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Meghan Montemurro @mmontemurro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
After not happening for 69 years, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Randy Arozarena both hit a home run on a team’s first pitch and last pitch of a game in a 6-day span. Pretty crazy!
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Invest in @theurbanist.org and we can make this happen.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Gordon can put his record of results up against almost any non-elected Seattleite. An amazing, thoughtful, effective advocate.
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🫡
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
ah, I see we have rediscovered “hanging out”
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Possession is nine tenths of the law, but I suppose you could make a play for the other tenth
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
As I’ve been on full-time Olympia work for the last 2.5 years, I’ve found The Observer an essential resource.
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Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
So @nerd4cities.bsky.social and I are definitely going to sell out Town Hall Seattle, so I would get my ticket soon if you've been holding off. www.eventbrite.com/e/the-urbani...
eventbrite.com
The Urbanist x CityNerd: Building A Transit-Oriented Puget Sound
Join The Urbanist's Ryan Packer and Ray Delahanty for a conversation about transit and housing in our region!
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M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The evidence is by now clear and policymakers/planners are slowly starting to respond to it: unfunded inclusionary zoning programs ultimately hurt housing production and affordability. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/13/b...
bostonglobe.com
‘20 percent of zero is zero’: Some progressive cities are slashing their affordable housing mandates. Should Boston? - The Boston Globe
The plan — paired with major new city spending on dedicated affordable housing units — underscores how desperation is prompting some left-wing strongholds to make surprising compromises.
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Saganism @sagan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
41 years ago, Carl Sagan gave a clear and elegant explanation of the science behind global warming.
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Ryan Donohue @rpdonohue.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
As many know, every year Fort Lawton sits empty is another year families are priced out of one of Seattle's best neighborhoods. We at Habitat for Humanity are ready to go, but we need your help. Use this link to comment today! habitatforhumanityseattle.quorum.us/campaign/167554
habitatforhumanityseattle.quorum.us
Habitat for Humanity Seattle
Habitat for Humanity Seattle
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I am not sure why there is so much media coverage of the “recall effort” for Mayor Wilson when it carries only slightly more legal weight than an angry Facebook comment
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Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Absolutely — thanks for underscoring, Scott.
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