From 2010 to 2019, the median rental price in Seattle went from $1,003 to $2,138, a jump of over $1,000. In that same time period, wages in the state have increased by only 23%. As the city has grown, we’ve seen a lot of development in the city but with little done to address the housing crisis we face today. In the meantime, new property developments focus on using algorithms to maximize profits and squeeze out poorer neighborhoods.

We believe that the city needs to preserve and increase the existing affordable housing stock and find more opportunities to pursue mixed development opportunities. As a city council member, I want to explore opportunities to work with residents in our different neighborhoods to explore how to prioritize a conscious, intentional form of development that preserves the vibrant personality of each neighborhood while prioritizing the service of those in need.

Since the current city administration arrived in office, we’ve had little shortage of uncreative, callous solutions meant to solve the homelessness crisis in the city. In 2022, there were over 900 sweeps carried out by the city. The city, despite public opinion otherwise, has continued to take a callous and inhumane approach to homelessness by applying brute force criminalization and eviction of communities that have little other choice.

A comprehensive solution to homelessness must be addressed at the root cause. Resources currently leveraged by the city to sweep homeless camps should be leveraged instead to focus on rehabilitative programs, increasing social worker capacity, and identifying onramps to sustainable job and career opportunities.

Business can only be as sustainable as the community it lives in. The city has leveraged a lot of revenue sources from businesses to ensure that people are able to live and thrive. We need to have a more equity-focused approach to business taxation that prioritizes a comprehensive vision of community impact, municipal resource allocation, and social impact.

My approach as council member will start with an impact-focused picture of where dollars from businesses affect our communities to ensure maximum impact with minimal strain on small and medium businesses.

As a local government, we are the first line of support for those in need whether it be access to healthcare, food, or housing. Our tax strategy needs to reflect this responsibility. Income tax is often a solution in other states and cities. However, I want to ensure that we don’t squeeze people more than they are already struggling. I believe that the richest need to pay their fair share in income and wealth tax. In addition to this, we must look at other strategies that incentivize local community impact, prioritize local impact, and better leverage the resources and revenue we have today.

My approach will focus on prioritizing high-value, low-dollar impact. We will be looking at opportunities for grants, local partnerships, and connecting with local community leaders to amplify their impact instead of reinventing the wheel.

Our teachers are woefully under-resourced and over-strained; they are struggling to make ends meet, provide engaging materials for their students, and manage increasingly large classrooms. Teachers are the first mentors for our next generation. We must ensure that they are fully and sufficiently equipped to help usher in our new leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists.

As council members, we will have to prioritize listening to the experts and people that are on the front lines of the next generation. A holistic solution will involve parents, teachers, and students to allow them to advocate for their future so that we can provide them with their needs.

Despite having some of the most diverse communities in the nation. Seattle continues to exhibit the remnants of redlining; resulting in a de facto segregated city. This is one of the unique challenges that I believe the at-large council position should address.

Since I grew up, there has been little change in the division of our city. Integrated communities that span racial, economic, and social divides create communities that are vital to addressing the global challenges we face today. The fact that these problems have continued to persist over a decade shows that what we have today is not working. Racial justice starts with uplifting voices that are struggling and marginalized; empowering them to work with us to build solutions, increase availability of social programs, and provide the foundation for a more connected Seattle.

It has been four years since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and fourteen years since the killing of John T. Williams. Today, we are still hearing of constant accounts of racial injustice whether police brutality, unwarranted surveillance, or lack of accommodations or basic humanity within our agencies and institutions.

Safety and service go hand-in-hand between police and the communities they serve. Police are overloaded with too many responsibilities with vague mandates and minimal community oversight. The community should be able to hold their public safety officers to a higher standard of quality. Police and public safety, similarly, deserve clear guidance and protocol that will allow them to raise the bar in quality of service and care. We need greater connection between police and the communities they serve. When this relationship is strengthened, we have the potential to make a community that we all wish to live in. To serve in public safety is an honor and a privilege; as a model city for many others in the world, the world and our communities deserve a higher standard of public safety and public assistance. It is up to us as council and community members to define that standard.

I use transit on a regular basis. I find myself frustrated at the time and effort needed to get from one part of the city to another. While the city has improved transit corridors into downtown, it is still challenging to use transit for anything besides work commutes. What can be a 20 minute drive by car is often over 50 minutes on public transit.

As the city grows, we need to have more options for getting around the city that don’t require cars. As ST3 continues to connect the region, we need to increase transit frequency and complement them with additional mobility solutions within the city including bike/scooter-shares, optimized transit corridors, and last-mile solutions like Metro Flex.