Seattle city shakeup? Here's what's on Tuesday's primary ballot

Seattle city shakeup? Heres whats on Tuesdays primary ballot

A lot of eyes are on Seattle City Council for Tuesday's primary election as voters get the first chance in a tumultuous two years to tell the council what they think about the direction of the city.

SEATTLE -- A lot of eyes are on Seattle City Council for Tuesday's primary election as voters get the first chance in a tumultuous two years to tell the council what they think about the direction of the city.

It's not the only race on Tuesday's ballot but it's one of the most high profile, following citywide fights like the head-tax debacle, where District 3 councilwoman Kshama Sawant led an ultimately-unsuccessful charge to tax the area's largest employers.

Sawant is facing five challengers Tuesday. She joins Lisa Herbold and Deborah Juarez as the council incumbents defending their seats. In all, there are seven seats for grabs with 55 people running.

Four current city council members decided against running: Bruce Harrell, Abel Pacheco (Rob Johnson's replacement), Sally Bagshaw and Mike O'Brien. There are 13 people vying for O'Brien's district seat, where homelessness and crime are top issues in the Ballard area.

The three incumbents have an advantage when it comes to name notoriety in their districts. With so many people in each district looking to unseat the incumbents, the top-two primary will likely identify their challenger for the general election.

However it shakes out, Seattle City Council is looking at at least four new faces for next year.

It's not all primary-related elections Tuesday. Elsewhere on the ballot, several levies will be voted up or down. That includes a Lake Stevens Fire Department/Snohomish County Fire District 7 merger, where the fire departments hope to blend forces at no extra cost to better serve the area.

In King County, voters will decide on an $810 million parks levy and a $345 million Evergreen hospital levy. Specific to Seattle, voters will weigh in on a $219 million library levy.

North Bend, Redmond, Renton, Edmonds, Sultan, DuPont and Pacific are looking for mayors. Ports of Seattle, Everett and Tacoma are eyeing commissioners. There's a seat up for grabs on Tacoma City Council and a couple of seats on Snohomish County Council.

This will be the first election that utilizes same-day registration.