Paul Schell

Paul Schell, born Paul Schlachtenhaufen on October 8, 1937, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, was the 50th mayor of Seattle, Washington. His four-year term as mayor began on January 1, 1998.

The oldest of six children of a Lutheran minister in a small Iowa farming town, Schell studied political science at the University of Iowa and then received a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1963 After working at a private law firm in New York City, he moved to Seattle in 1967, where he went to work for law firm Perkins Coie. In 1971 he played a prominent role in the fight to save Pike Place Market. From 1975 to 1977 he was director of the City's Department of Community Development. He first ran for mayor in 1977, but lost to Charles Royer. He then turned to real estate development, and finally won public office as a Port of Seattle commissioner in 1989, becoming commission president in 1995. He was also dean of the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning (now College of Built Environments) from 1992 to 1995.

Schell was mayor during the infamous WTO Meeting of 1999. The conclusion by many in Seattle was that the WTO convention was not worth hosting due to the economic damage and lasting image problems it caused. Controversy over the city's lack of preparation and response to the protests resulted in the departure of Seattle police chief Norm Stamper from his position, in what Stamper said was a previously planned retirement.

In addition, Schell was mayor during a particularly violent Mardi Gras celebration in 2001, which left 20 year old Kris Kime fatally injured. During the riot, Schell's appointed Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske ordered officers not to intervene. Arguably, the WTO meeting and the Mardi Gras violence played a role in Schell's stunning loss to Greg Nickels and Mark Sidran in the 2001 mayoral primary election, as did Boeing's move of its headquarters to Chicago. It was the first time in over 65 years a Seattle mayor had failed to survive a primary election. During the campaign, he was allegedly assaulted by being struck with a bullhorn by fringe mayoral candidate James Garrett (a.k.a. Omari Tahir-Garrett), who had been using the bullhorn to heckle Schell. Garrett was later convicted of second-degree assault and sentenced to 21 months in prison.