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-Hi, everyone.
My name is Girmay Zahilay,
and I'm running to be
your next councilmember
for King County Council
District 2.
Growing up in Seattle, I always
felt like we were living in
"A Tale of Two Cities."
This is a region of
unprecedented wealth
and also a region where
people are struggling
to afford basic needs
like housing,
a region known
for technology and innovation,
and also a region that lacks
basic infrastructure
and transportation,
a region known
supposedly for progressivism,
and one that continues to
disproportionately
impact black and brown people
through the justice system.
I'm running to be
your councilmember
because we deserve to
live in a region
that works for everyone.
I've seen first-hand
how this economy fails to work
for all of our communities.
I was raised by
a single mother who was
an Ethiopian refugee.
We grew up in places
like Rainier Vista,
Holly Park, and Skyway.
Every night, my mom
would tuck her kids into bed,
and instead of going
to bed herself,
she would put on her scrubs
and go work night shift
at two local nursing homes.
Even though she worked
double shift every day,
she still struggled
to pay rent, to pay
for her car, to pay
medical bills and child care.
After a lifetime of hard work,
these challenges
are even greater today.
I'm running for
King County Council to
design bold solutions
to these regional problems.
We can live in a county where,
if you work a full-time job,
you don't live in
constant fear of losing your home
and being displaced
because there is affordable
housing and there are opportunities
for home ownership
in our neighborhoods.
We can live in a county
where maintaining a car
no longer traps families
in a cycle of poverty
or destroys our environment
because more people
have access to reliable,
effective public transit.
We can live in a county
where our youth can prosper
because they have limitless
educational opportunities
and a justice system that seeks
to rehabilitate and restore
rather than incarcerate
and traumatize.
My name is Girmay Zahilay,
and I know we can work together
to make this a county
that truly works for everyone.