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-Welcome to the King County Video Voters' Guide,
your chance to hear directly from the candidates
and ballot measure participants
in the November general election.
The county will send out ballots on October 19,
and ballot drop boxes will open on October 20.
Or you can drop your voted ballot in the mail --
no stamp required.
In this edition, candidates for the office
of King County Prosecuting Attorney and proponents
and opponents for the two countywide
ballot measures have been invited to participate.
The statements are up to two minutes long and unedited.
The speakers will appear on your screen
in the same order as on the ballot.
King County Prosecuting Attorney.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney is the legal advisor
and advocate for all county elected
and appointed officials, department heads,
and agency managers in actions relating to King County.
In addition, the prosecuting attorney represents the state
and the county in criminal matters and prosecutes felonies
and certain misdemeanors in King County.
The prosecuting attorney is elected to a four-year term
and the position is nonpartisan.
All voters within King County
are eligible to vote in this race.
-Hello. My name is Jim Ferrell,
candidate for King County Prosecutor.
The increasing crime throughout our county
is getting harder to ignore.
As mayor of Federal Way, a city of 100,000 residents,
I see firsthand how the policies and actions of the prosecutor
have impacted our quality of life
throughout this entire region.
Change must come to the prosecutor's office
if we want all of our communities
to be safe for each of us,
and that begins with experienced,
effective leadership at the helm.
I'm running for King County Prosecutor
to return justice and accountability to this office.
I've been in more trials and successfully prosecuted
more cases than anyone in the race.
In fact, I'm the only candidate
to have ever tried a criminal case.
I will bring nearly two decades
of trial experience to this office.
As deputy and senior prosecutor, I helped create
and was the first leader of the domestic violence court unit.
Under the current leadership of the prosecutor's office,
there is a backlog of nearly 5,000 felony cases,
including nearly 500 sexual assaults and 180 murders.
This is unacceptable to victims and survivors
of these serious crimes. Let me be clear:
I believe in second chances but not revolving doors,
where the same people commit the same crimes.
Diversion programs can help repair harm in communities.
But with no clear mechanisms to ensure compliance
with these taxpayer-funded programs
and serious violent cases qualifying for diversion,
they do not allow for people to learn from their mistakes.
With my extensive experience as a prosecutor and as a mayor,
I will utilize diversion programs to rehabilitate
those who commit crime and return people
to healthy and productive lives. I'm endorsed by Democrats,
including U.S. Congressman Adam Smith,
State Senator Mark Mullet, State Rep. Amy Walen,
15 current mayors across King County,
labor unions like LiUNA!
Local 242, ATU 587, Seattle Building Trades,
Firefighters Local 2024,
and the police guilds of Seattle,
King County, Bellevue, Kent, Federal Way, and Des Moines.
I ask for your vote. Thank you very much.
-I am Leesa Manion, a career prosecutor
who has served for the past 15 years
as chief of staff at the King County
Prosecuting Attorney's office.
With your vote, I will bring unmatched experience
and hands-on leadership.
I have built and implemented effective
crime reduction strategies,
reformed juvenile justice, and enhanced victim services.
I will focus on the public safety issues
facing our county and communities with needed urgency
to deliver criminal accountability, racial equity,
and restorative justice. Under my leadership,
600 professionals in the prosecutor's office
charge violent crimes, sexual assault,
and property crimes every day without exception,
even when the pandemic closed courts.
At a time of legal attacks on reproductive rights
and increased hate crimes, I will be the first woman
and the first person of color to serve as your prosecutor.
I am the only candidate for this office
who has developed criminal justice policies
and led teams of prosecutors.
I have built trusted partnerships
with law enforcement,
public defenders, business leaders,
and advocates for justice and equity.
I have increased support for victims
of domestic violence and assault
and supported alternative sentencing models
that have helped veterans, youth,
and people with behavioral health and addiction
crises repay their debts while rebuilding their lives.
I earned the Alliance for Gun Responsibility's
sole endorsement
because of my commitment to reducing gun violence.
I have enacted our state's strongest extreme
risk protection order policies
and provided law enforcement tools
to track down weapons used in crime.
I am the only candidate to have earned
the support of women's groups, Democratic organizations
and legislators, labor unions,
as well as retiring prosecutor Dan Satterberg,
former Governor Gary Locke, Executive Dow Constantine,
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson,
and elected and community leaders from across our region.
I ask for your vote. Thank you.
King County Charter Amendment Number 1:
Even-numbered election years for certain county offices.
Currently, elections for King County Assessor,
councilmembers, elections director,
and executive are held in odd-numbered years.
If Charter Amendment Number 1 is approved,
elections for these offices would move
to even-numbered years.
Candidates running for these offices in 2023 and 2025
would be elected to three-year terms.
Elections for four-year terms would resume in 2026 and 2028.
-Hi. I'm King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay.
This fall, voters in King County
have an opportunity to make future county elections simpler
and far more inclusive by voting yes
on King County Charter Amendment 1.
If approved, Charter Amendment 1
would move elections for King County public officials
from odd years to even years.
In other words, the positions of executive,
assessor, elections director,
and county council would move from odd years like 2019
to even years like 2020,
which is when we already elect our prosecuting attorney
and our superior court judges.
Passage of Charter Amendment 1 will mean that starting in 2026
we'll elect all our important county officials in years
which see much, much higher voter turnout.
This will result in many more voters
selecting our future leaders.
Data indicates up to twice as many voters
would turn out on even-year elections.
Research also indicates that if we adopt this amendment
we'll have more diverse participation,
especially from young voters, working-class voters,
voters of color, and renters.
And because the media's political coverage
and community civic awareness are much stronger in even years,
this amendment will let future county candidates
run when more people are paying attention,
which will be good for their campaigns and for democracy.
I hope you'll join me,
the League of Women Voters, Washington Bus,
the Northwest Progressive Institute, Sightline,
the Washington Community Alliance,
and a growing coalition of advocates in voting
yes on King County Charter Amendment 1
by Tuesday, November 8 at 8 PM.
To learn more, please visit yeskingcharter1.org.
That's yeskingcharter1.org. Thank you for being a voter.
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King County Proposition Number 1:
Conservation Futures Levy.
King County's Conservation Futures program
was initiated in 1982
to protect valuable open-space lands in the county.
If approved, Proposition Number 1
would provide additional funding for acquisition and preservation
of urban green spaces,
natural areas, wildlife and salmon habitat,
trails, river corridors, farm and agricultural lands,
and forests within King County.
The Conservation Futures Advisory Committee
would continue to advise the county executive
and county council on acquisition
and funding recommendations.
If approved, the proposition would authorize restoration
of the county's Conservation Futures property tax levy,
from a current rate of approximately 3.12 cents
to a rate of 6.25 cents per thousand dollars
of assessed valuation in 2023.
The dollar amount of the levy in 2023
would be used to calculate the maximum
allowable levies in future years.
Qualifying seniors, veterans, and persons with disabilities
would be exempt from this levy.
-The lands and waterways
that define our region protect air and water quality
and contribute to a resilient future
as we experience climate change.
Proposition 1 restores voter-approved funding
to protect these last-best places throughout King County.
To date, the Conservation Futures program
has safeguarded over 100,000 acres of land,
including Cougar Mountain, Duwamish Waterway Park,
and the East Rail, through recommendations
made by an independent advisory committee.
With your vote, we can accelerate forest habitat
and farmland preservation while supporting communities
and regions most at risk from climate change,
most in need of cooling, and improving access
for historically-marginalized communities.
That's in addition to the health benefits open spaces offer:
stress reduction, recreational opportunities,
improved quality of life.
Let's ensure this legacy for future generations.
Restoring this important fund
will cost the average homeowner less than $2 per month,
with relief available to qualified low-income seniors
and other households.
Please join the Nature Conservancy,
Mountains to Sound Greenway,
Forterra, Trust for Public Land, the Wilderness Society,
Vashon-Maury Land Trust, Seattle Parks
Foundation, REI, and elected and community leaders
across our county in support of Proposition 1.
Thank you.
-King County and other governments already control
or own 61% of the land in King County.
That's right, government already owns or controls
almost 2/3 of the land, yet they want even more.
The county already has a Conservation Futures fund
that collected almost $62 million
over the last three years.
Never satisfied, they now want you to pay
even more and take on more maintenance costs.
Existing land-use laws already severely limit rural growth.
Not long ago, King County announced
they didn't have resources to empty trash in the parks,
yet they want even more land they admit they cannot maintain.
Here's an example of what King County
does with conservation land.
In 2013, they purchased property in Fall City
for $4.5 million with the intent of leasing it out
to economically
and environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Two years later in 2015,
King County sold the property for $720,000.
Taxpayers lost an astounding $4 million or 84% in two years.
What a disgrace!
More open space also means fewer acres will be taxed,
resulting in higher property tax for existing property owners.
Less private property also results in less housing.
There needs to be a balance of land uses.
Open space is important, but enough is enough.
At 61% and growing, King County passed balance a long time ago.
King County already controls way too much land,
has proven it cannot manage what it already owns,
and resold land it purchased two years prior at an 84% loss.
Stop the land grab now.
Instead, let's work for balance and open space
for housing as the Growth Management Act directs.
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-You've just seen all of the video statements
submitted by countywide candidates and ballot measures
on the King County portion of the ballot.
This program is a collaboration of the Seattle Ethics
and Elections Commission, the Seattle Channel,
and King County TV.
Ballots will be sent to all registered voters.
Look for your ballot in the mail after October 19,
and vote and return it by Tuesday, November 8.
Ballots can be returned via U.S. mail
or at a King County Elections secure ballot drop box
located in King County.
If mailed, a stamp is not required,
but ballots must be postmarked by November 8.
You can track the progress of your ballot online
and find the location of drop boxes by visiting
King County Elections at kingcounty.gov/elections.
Thank you for joining us.
We'd like to hear from you about the Video Voters' Guide.
To comment on this guide, please call 206-684-8500.