Seattle General Election Guide 2023

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Our approach to homelessness must address root causes. I support investing in affordable housing across the city and making it easier to build by streamlining our permitting process to accelerate development. We also need effective strategies in place to better support our unhoused neighbors. That is why I, unlike my opponent, support encampment cleanups that connect people with shelter and wraparound services. Our failed “anti-sweeps” policies in 2020-21 didn’t work. In regards to the budget, we need a city-wide audit of City spending to ensure Seattle taxpayers’ dollars are being wisely invested towards performance-based results. If deficits persist, I support exploring new progressive revenue options such as those on vacant property and the sale of luxury properties. 

Addressing crime in Seattle is a top priority of mine. Throughout my campaign, I have heard from small business owners who worry that theft will drive them out of Seattle and parents, just like myself, who worry about shootings at the same parks where they bring their kids. Unlike my opponent, I support Mayor Harrell's plan to bring our police force back to full staffing levels. I support a more balanced, thoughtful approach to public safety that includes: policing and enforcement, reform and accountability, and policing alternatives. I want to return to the days of community policing when many officers knew their neighborhoods and people could trust police to help when they were in need.  

In office, I intend to advocate for District 1’s unique needs above all else. It is not my goal to emulate any other councilmember - instead, I will work collaboratively with all my fellow councilmembers and the Mayor. That said, I see myself most aligned with Council Member Sara Nelson. I believe her emphasis on public safety and good governance is in line with what I will prioritize in office. I know, from conversations with thousands of voters, that these priorities are also most in line with the residents of District 1

My top priority has been and will continue to be prevention. For homelessness, that looks like affordability (rent, ownership, housing supply, food, union wage jobs) and stability (renter’s rights, eviction protections, generational wealth, healthcare and treatment access). I’m proud to be leading on the implementation of social housing to create permanent housing affordability.

We must address the conditions that lead to violence in the first place. That means meeting people’s basic needs by making the wealthy pay what they owe. This is a huge priority. Everybody deserves to feel safe and secure. But the discussion of crime can be a dog whistle for more disproportionate punishment of Black and brown folks, furthering inequality via after-the-fact arrests in the name of fear. Crime increases when people struggle to make ends meet, don’t have affordable places to live, and access to the services they need. So let’s focus on prevention over reaction.

I’m the only progressive in this race and I represent the most progressive district in the city. I’ve been organizing and working here for over 20 years, and work hard to bring the voices of the district into the halls of power. My hope is to continue that in a second term.

As leader of a policing alternative volunteer group, I have been successful building trust with my unhoused neighbors and connecting people to shelter and services. My first priority would be to empower community led organizations like mine. We need to build more housing and provide more shelter options that include tiny house villages and RV Safe lots.  We also need to match housing with behavioral health services, addiction treatment and hire more social workers. With all budgetary concerns, I would first review current spending to ensure that my constituents are seeing returns for their tax dollars. If deficits persist, I would then support new revenue options.

Crime prevention should be a top priority of any member of the Seattle City Council. South Seattle is often affected the worst by crime and receives the least attention and resources from the City. In office, I would work to fix that imbalance. Unlike my opponent, I support Mayor Harrell's plan to bring our police force back to full capacity. I also believe we need to invest and empower our communities by expanding youth programs through community centers and libraries.  We need to support our small businesses to offer young adults more economic opportunities.  We also need more behavioral health services, addiction treatment and hire more social workers.   

I am in this race because I do not feel adequately represented on the Seattle City Council.  As a product of South Seattle, I believe I can be its most effective voice. I am not running for office to emulate anyone who may already serve since my lived experiences are unique. I see pieces of myself in several council members, I have Alex Pederson’s affordable housing development experience,  Debra Juarez’s advocacy, and Sara Nelson’s small business and public safety focus. An aspect that is not currently represented on council is someone who has real world, on the street’s experience in public safety, homelessness, and historical preservation fighting gentrification and displacement. 

More than 13,000 of our neighbors are living unsheltered or in housing instability. The solutions to effectively address this crisis need to be robust, multi-pronged, and regional.

• Get everyone inside and off the street by creating more emergency shelter options.
• Create a system to track progress, improve efficiency and provide transparency.
• Increase the number of tiny homes, shelters, day centers, transitional and supportive housing units and family shelters.
• Expand designated RV and car parking lots with utilities, sanitation and security. 
• Centralize a hub to navigate all resources for people experiencing homelessness. 
• Improve public safety for communities living in the encampments.

A safe community is my number one priority. It impacts our day-to-day lives. From our transit, grocery stores, side-walks and public spaces, our goal should be to have a baseline level of public safety.

• Reduce response times for all priority calls.
• Address and Increase our Fire Department, EMT, Police Department and CARE team staffing.
• Increase Health One funding and treatment resources.
• Expand community resource officers.
• Implement a co-responder model to ensure the appropriate response to each situation.
• Improve access to mental health services and crisis response.
• Prioritize police accountability, upholding high standards, and providing transparent oversight.
• Gun Violence prevention programs, models, and disruptions.

I find commonality with all of the council members and will work as a team to get legislation and policies passed. We need teamwork, connection and collaboration with the council, city departments and our mayor's office. 

To provide shelter, services, and care to as many people as we can, as fast as we can, so we reduce the number of encampments across the city. That means more shelter spaces, tiny houses, and human services to get people on a pathway to stability. Longer-term, we must build more affordable housing to prevent people from falling into homelessness. We will pay for it through our existing investments in KCRHA, the city budget, and potentially through a municipal capital gains tax. The real question is, how can we afford not to?

As a resident and parent, I care deeply about creating effective solutions and building safer, more vibrant communities. Together, we can forge a path involving both law enforcement and social services, addressing the root causes of crime. By investing in affordable housing, mental health resources, and addiction treatment, we can get our city on track and help people right away. We must strengthen bonds between our neighborhoods and the police, fostering trust and accountability. We need to stand up a comprehensive 911 non-armed response ASAP. Crime reduction is not just a priority; it's critical to enhancing Seattle's quality of life.

I deeply admire Phyllis Lamphere. She was a council member who spoke truth to power to enact bold and crucial changes. Elected in 1967 at a time of incredible change for Seattle, Lamphere was a bold reformer who helped end the disgrace of redlining, created a ride-free transit zone downtown, started our P-Patch community gardens program, advocated for building our convention center, and championed good government measures, including open meetings and community participation. I got to know her late in life, and she was still indefatigable and relentless - and cared deeply about our city and people.

Get the supply/subsidy/stability trio right, and rebuild behavioral health. We must build our way out of the market-rate housing deficit (through zoning reform, code changes, and permitting reform with a builder’s remedy) and subsidize affordable, social, and permanent supportive housing, and shelter options like hotels and tiny homes at the scale needed to take care of those the market cannot (funded with progressive taxes). We need to protect renters at risk of homelessness through direct rental assistance. And we must rapidly rebuild our capacity to take care of people’s chronic and acute behavioral health issues.

It’s a top priority

1. Prevent violence and addiction through expansions of violence interrupters like Community Passageways and recovery services like LEAD.

2. Send the right, fast response for each crisis. Fully staff SPD, without ignoring what the SPD professionals say is possible or promising voters magical hiring numbers, given the national police hiring market. We need behavioral health first responders, ubiquitous camera enforcement for traffic, and narcan administration by all first responders. 

3. Policing should be accountable–with independent, civilian oversight that has subpoena and disciplinary powers. Combined with community policing and de-escalation training, we can improve equity outcomes, morale, and community cohesion.

Theresa Mosqueda is a thoughtful champion, with clear values, and the practicality to cut a deal. She works with divisive folks on both ideological wings of the council, and manages to hammer out a budget with majority and Mayoral support. Those are the hallmarks of a good public servant and legislator.

She has been a powerful advocate for better housing policy–from scaling up investments in affordable housing, to pushing for an “Option 6” in the comp plan. She has led on labor issues, fought for transit, and broke ground by passing JumpStart, one of our only real progressive funding sources.

We need to build additional units of low-barrier, temporary shelter while we wait for permanent housing to be constructed.  For example, I support the Mayor’s proposal increasing funding for tiny homes, and I would support renewing the housing levy.  We must close every major encampment by ensuring there is enough shelter capacity, with mental health and substance abuse services that people need. Current programs need to show measurable, successful results to continue. We’ll collaborate with regional partners to fund successful programs at the scale of the crisis, while tackling the root causes of homelessness like affordability and inequality.

Public safety is my top priority and the reason I decided to run for office.  It’s also the number one concern I hear from D4 voters.  We must fully staff SPD, achieve 5-minute response times for priority one calls, and invest in alternatives to policing where an armed officer is not best suited to address the situation, including mental health crises or overdoses. The current Council’s promise to defund the police was a huge mistake and failed in its duty to protect us.  My opponent’s tweet opposing the prosecution of drug dealers is more of the same reckless behavior.

Councilmembers Sara Nelson, Debora Juarez and Alex Pedersen have been thoughtful leaders and voices of reason in representing their districts. They support budget accountability, vote to support progressive revenue (when it has a strong plan and measurable outcomes), and have taken a stand against the spread of fentanyl on our streets by prosecuting drug-use and dealers. They have made the hard choices and listened to diverse voices in their communities.  Like these Councilmembers, I will listen to  my constituents, work across various sectors and with all of my council colleagues, and with the Mayor to get Seattle back on track.  

The top priorities are to keep people housed, build more affordable housing, and build more permanent supportive housing. To keep people housed, utilize rental assistance from JumpStart funds, collaborate with private housing providers, and fund with progressive revenue, more substance use disorder treatment facilities. Pass the Housing Levy to build permanent supportive housing. Collaborate with state and federal funders to build more continuum of care facilities for those living with chronic behavioral health challenges. Revamp the Mandatory Housing Affordability Act and Multifamily Tax Exemption Credit, provide startup funding for social housing. Reassess the role of King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

Public safety is the paramount duty of city government. We are failing to meet this obligation due to unprecedented officer shortages at SPD and the delayed launch of the civilian responder program, CARE. We must restore staffing levels at SPD to reduce unsafe response times to violent crime, return to “emphasis area” work on guns, organized theft, and solving crimes on behalf of victims. Equally important, we must also provide ample funding for CARE. But we must not cannibalize the SPD budget by “reallocating” funds out of the department; this is just a repackaged version of the failed defunding experiment.

Council President Debora Juarez and I are former public defenders and former King County Superior Court judges. As judges we made considered and thoughtful evidence-based decisions every day that profoundly altered lives. We also held individuals, corporations, and the government accountable. We are professionally and personally committed to the pursuit of fairness and equity. CP Juarez prioritized transit and economic development and has been a staunch ally of affordable housing and social services, priorities I share. We are longtime residents of Seattle, have raised our children here, and have a deeply personal stake in a city that works for all.

My top priority for homelessness in Seattle is housing. The research performed on the homelessness crisis has pointed towards exorbitant housing costs, poverty, and a lack of housing as the driving forces behind it. We can solve the homelessness crisis by building homes, bringing down the rent across the city, and giving homeless people a place to stay permanently or for a couple of months to get back on their feet. We can pay for these efforts through the use of progressive taxation. We can end homelessness but we have to be proactive, not reactive.

Seattle needs to take a preventative approach to crime. We need additional services other than the police such as a mental health crisis response team, community violence prevention programs, and restorative justice programs. The city needs to invest in education, mental health, and addiction services, affordable housing, and other public services. The majority of crimes committed are preventable crimes of desperation which are directly addressed through public services. We can stop crime in Seattle, we just need to be willing to take the time and money to help the most vulnerable members of our community.

Teresa Mosqueda best represents me and the policies I want to put forward. She looks at the root causes just like I do. Councilmember Mosqueda similarly works on building a strong big tent coalition that includes dems, labor, community organizations, and constituent input just like me. Lastly, councilmember Mosqueda and I are welcoming of all voices in the search to find solutions to shared problems and goals. 

Our unhoused neighbors need our full attention. We can't let unsafe encampments remain. There are too many issues around fire and public health that need to be solved, including by sweeping encampments. That said, we have much work to do to increase shelter space, build affordable housing, and increase drug and addiction treatment programs. At the same time, we should be arresting those who are preying upon the most vulnerable. It is inhumane to allow for this to continue.

Crime and feeling unsafe in our community is the number one issue I hear. As ED of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, I talk with business owners daily about the rapid increase in crime. The city has a responsibility to increase patrols, recruitment, mental health, and drug addiction programs and make reducing criminal activity a top priority. We need to hold everyone accountable to the law.

Sara Nelson on her approach to public safety and recovery, and Alex Pederson for his detailed understanding and work focused on our crumbling infrastructure. 

Working with Mayor Harrell, I’ve scaled up our homelessness response by expanding neighborhood based response teams and changed policy resulting in twice as many people coming into shelter, during a 42% reduction in encampments last year. We must add urgency and accountability to the KCRHA. Before addressing revenue, we must
tighten our belts and ensure every dollar is spent wisely. We need to use the funding allocated to homelessness effectively using models proven to work and leverage the partnership with KCRHA alongside the housing investments we are making, in order to get people inside and off the streets.

Public safety is my top priority. We need police time focused on crime while hiring more police officers and expanding all first responders. It was my amendment that brought the Council’s budget into 99% alignment with Mayor Harrell’s SPD investments and fully funded the officer recruitment plan. Today we have the highest rate of officer applications in over two years. I will continue to work with Mayor Harrell to fully fund the police, and expand my Public Safety Task Forces connecting small businesses, service providers, police, and my team with actionable steps to address public safety.
 

I navigated hard times and delivered for our city by bringing people together to find common ground. I’ve solved intractable issues and passed policies that have stagnated for decades. I’ve resolved encampments in parks without sweeps, passed the stalled Maritime and Industrial zoning changes, passed the constipated Tree Protection Ordinance, scaled up Public Safety resources in District 6 by funding community requested programs, and created a proposal to complete the Burke-Gilman Trail “Missing Link” that serves everyone. I’m running for
re-election to keep up the momentum because we cannot afford to lose any ground on the progress we are making.

Homelessness is more easily and affordably preventable with diversion and other housing programs that are in place to keep people in their homes or to assist them in finding housing after a major life change (such as fleeing domestic violence).

For those who are living on the streets, we’ve been spending a lot of money with few results. This is a problem of prioritizing effective programs more than total funding. I support the Tiny Homes program, & other transitional and supportive housing programs. Tent encampments are inhumane and unsafe for their residents, and we as a City should be doing better. 

Unlike many cities across the country, Seattle’s murder rate is going up - largely as a result of our failed policies & the permissive environment created by the City Council. In addition, Seattle’s overdose fatality rate is skyrocketing - even among children. Council must acknowledge the crime problem, & dealing with that–& public drug use–will be one of the first concerns of the next Council. We need to staff the SPD to Mayor Harrell’s proposed 1,400 officers. Only 940 officers for three-quarters of a million people mean longer response times & less time spent on the kinds of investigations that solve murders & track down drug suppliers on our streets. 

The Council member who supported me early on – Sara Nelson. She has a pragmatic, balanced approach. Her values are based on compassion & listening to those most affected by our policies (or lack thereof). She works hard to address the ground-level issues that voters are most concerned about while also working on policy to positively impact the city of Seattle in the years to come. As the new Council member for District 7, I will bring a similar pragmatic progressive approach to the Council, where I will champion good governance, accountability, & transparency. Voters deserve a Councilmember with proven leadership & integrity.

In the short term, we need to support the Unified Care Team (UCT) to expand outreach and resolve encampment locations. By pairing UCT outreach with tiny house villages and enhanced shelter we have reduced the number of tent encampments by 43% in the past year and RV encampments by 35%. We need to expand tiny houses and enhanced shelter to keep this momentum going.

In the long term, we need to scale permanent supportive housing (PSH), apartments with on-site services for addiction and mental health, to truly solve homelessness. The housing levy, JumpStart, and MHA are all funding PSH expansion.

We need comprehensive public safety guaranteeing a swift and appropriate response to any 911 call. This means committing to Mayor Harrell's plan to reach a staffing goal of 1,450 police officers. It also means expanding our new Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) Department which will independently dispatch civilian behavioral mental health clinicians to public health calls for service not requiring traditional police response. I am proud to be endorsed by public safety leaders like Attorney General Bob Ferguson and LEAD creator Lisa Daugaard, and I am proud to have the Downtown Seattle Associations highest rating of "Strongly Aligned."

I have great respect for the voice every councilmember brings to city hall, even when we strongly disagree. I worked with my colleagues to pass a major capital parks plan to improve half of our community centers, navigated a deal to preserve the Cinema and put it into non-profit ownership, passed groundbreaking legislation to cut the red tape and reduce the cost of supportive housing by 15%, and created the first ever dedicated funding source for safety improvements for pedestrians and bikers. I will continue to focus on delivering real results for the people of District 7.