-I'm Nyjat Rose-Akins,
and I'm running for Position 7
on the Seattle Municipal Court bench.
I love Seattle.
I became a U.S. citizen here, but I've seen it erode
with the breakdown of collaboration across the city.
I'm running for Seattle Municipal Court
to help repair this breakdown,
to improve community confidence in the court,
and to return to an individualized approach
to judicial decision making.
I'm running because I've spent the last 12 years
working with victims of crime in Seattle
and managing our community relationships with police.
In my 12 years at the City Attorney's Office,
I've partnered with community members,
government officials, law enforcement, and businesses.
I've seen firsthand that issues affecting communities
are rarely resolved in silos.
Real change takes collaboration from everyone involved,
a willingness to listen, and taking responsibility
when things are not working.
Systems can always be better.
I'm the candidate that can make Seattle Municipal Court better.
I've worked in the public sector in Seattle
for my entire legal career.
I worked in the Seattle City Attorney's Office's
Criminal Division for six years.
In that role, I developed a great understanding
of all types of cases that come before the court.
While working in the criminal division,
I tried over 60 cases,
I resolved cases in Mental Health Court,
Community Court, and Domestic Violence Court.
My awareness for how a criminal case
impacts all those involved has further deepened
since serving regularly as a pro tem judge within King County.
These experiences in the City Attorney's Office
and serving as a pro tem judge,
have shaped my judicial philosophy.
I understand that the court cannot single-handedly solve
all the problems affecting communities,
but by being innovative
and willing to try alternative approaches,
it can change the course of someone's life.
Judges should lead with compassion
but they also have to consider the facts presented and the law.
And for those reasons, I ask for your vote.