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-My name is Lucy Barefoot,
candidate for Seattle City Council, District 1.
My integrity, resourcefulness and hard-working attributes
will bring common sense laws
and budget decisions with you in mind.
In addition to leading a successful statewide
outreach program for underserved communities,
I have lived experience as an immigrant, teacher,
small-business owner, tenant, property owner, and landlord.
My priorities are transportation, education,
affordable housing, revitalization program,
and homelessness.
Critical infrastructure.
Elevated concrete bridges continue to fail,
like the West Seattle Bridge
and the Alaskan Way Viaduct, to name a few.
I support development without displacement.
Yes, longer tunnels.
It is time to rethink Sound Transit's
preferred alternative for West Seattle.
Stakeholders in the Chinatown International District,
Ballard, and West Seattle have still not bought into.
ST3 ballot measure barely passed in King and Snohomish,
but failed in Pierce.
Its regressive property taxes and car tab increases
have hurt our most vulnerable communities.
It's time to stop displacements and save green spaces.
Let's place this measure back on the 2024 ballot.
Voters should decide between keeping the status quo
for 13-plus years or seeking a leaner project.
For education, I support our schools,
our teachers, and civics education.
Moreover, mental health therapies should be normalized
to remove stigma and ableisms.
For affordable housing,
Seattle continues to face a housing crisis,
and I am ready to engage with stakeholders
to seek and use allocated resources
and streamline city services.
I'm ready to partner up to build
an effective downtown revitalization program
for Pioneer Square and beyond.
Seattle must spend responsibly,
and invest in self-sustainable programs.
Let's use the federal funding that our city already receives
in viable programs to address homelessness' root causes.
I will foster belonging in our communities.
My name is Lucy Barefoot,
and I would be honored to have your vote.
-Hello.
I'm Stephen Brown, the president of Eltana Bagels,
a proud West Seattle resident, and a candidate
for the Seattle City Council in District 1.
Thank you for taking the time to watch my video.
All cities, great and small, go through intense periods
of struggle, just like Seattle is now.
Some of those cities bounce back and thrive,
and others sink into deeper decay and decline.
To my eye, the common thread of cities
that rise again is governance
that mixes imagination with pragmatism.
This mix -- This mix of creativity and common sense
has been the hallmark of my life and work,
and it's what I would bring to Seattle City Council
that separates me from my opponents.
We all know Seattle's profound challenges.
Our streets don't feel safe or welcoming.
There are too many residents unable to find a place to live,
struggling to overcome an addiction
or grappling to hold on to themselves
dealing with a mental illness.
We must help them, and really help them.
It's not honoring someone's struggle
to turn the other way as they use lethal drugs on our streets.
That approach is enabling their addiction
and lessening their humanity.
Small businesses,
and West Seattle small businesses in particular,
are struggling to emerge from the gut-punch combo
of pandemic and bridge closure.
I understand small business at my core.
I know all about the logistics,
financing, hiring, marketing, and administration.
But I also have insights into the psyche
of small business operators.
We are fiercely independent,
but we also yearn to feel like we belong.
I plan on being a key player
in the revitalization of downtown Seattle.
All my career, I've been inventing
and building community.
Seattle's downtown needs to be a community.
I have ideas large, medium, and small
for how our downtown can be a great place
to live, work, and play.
Again, we need great ideas and pragmatic skills.
I would bring that combination to District 1
and to City Hall.
And I'd be honored to have your vote.
-Dear Seattle voters,
I am running for Seattle City Council, District 1,
and I would love your vote.
I grew up as the youngest of five children
in Cleveland, Ohio, above my family's funeral home.
It was there that my grandparents and parents
modeled loving kindness to people in crisis.
In 2018, I founded the Diversity Center of Seattle, Washington,
working daily in Seattle to advance diversity,
equity, and inclusion by driving authentic innovation for change
in our workplaces and our communities.
I am a feminist, and I have been active
in every community I've lived in,
as well as a proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community,
a breast cancer survivor, and a loving Italian mama
to eight children in our blended family.
I care deeply about West Seattle,
where I've lived since 2006,
but also the multi-cultural communities found in Georgetown,
Delridge, Highland Park, and South Park.
Exciting that the Metropolitan Improvement District
passed by the Mayor includes Pioneer Square,
and the Equitable Development Initiative funds
include El Centro de la Raza and Estelita's Library.
Wonderful.
I am the only candidate in D1
with the knowledge and experience
of a 30-year researcher,
small business owner, and entrepreneur.
And I am a renter,
and a lifelong commitment to community engagement.
We will need all of us participating
to solve the complex problems we face
in the post-pandemic society.
Neighbors experiencing displacement
need more affordable housing.
Child care is a crisis, and we need child care on-site
to get workers back into the offices.
We must address systemic racism
by including representative voices at the tables
where decisions are being made.
Public safety is so important,
and I'm all about getting people excited enough
and feeling safe enough to get involved, share ideas,
listen to different perspectives, and please vote.
-I am running to serve the people of District 1
with their best interests in mind first.
We need an accountable, responsive government
willing to center equity, progressive values,
and common sense.
My name is Rob Saka, and I'd be honored to serve you.
I'm a public school dad of three, attorney,
public safety advocate, and Air Force veteran.
I'm also the proud son of a Nigerian immigrant
and former warehouse worker
who rescued me from the foster care system,
and raised me as a single parent.
I believe in safe communities and better policing.
Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own neighborhood,
free of crime or unequal justice.
That's why we must enact both effective prevention strategies
and appropriate response capabilities
to meet the realities of today's public safety challenges.
While growing up, I lived in public and low-income housing.
These experiences taught me that everyone deserves safe,
quality housing in a thriving community.
We must build more affordable housing,
particularly for low-income,
and workforce housing for middle-income residents.
As a former foster kid, I know what it's like to be uprooted
and feel completely swept away.
We must do better for our unhoused neighbors.
Sadly, the homelessness crisis in our city
has devolved into a total humanitarian catastrophe.
It is our moral imperative to take urgent action,
and find people housing and treatment now.
At City Hall, I want to normalize
collaborating across differences,
finding common ground, and getting bold things
accomplished that work for everyone.
I know there is a better way forward for our city,
and I couldn't be more energized
at the opportunity we have to do it together.
-Hello.
I'm Preston Anderson, and I'm running for city council
to represent District 1.
As the only candidate who has worked many years
in behavioral health and housing programs,
I have the critical and needed experience
to bring to the city council,
which sets me apart from my peers.
My candidacy represents an opportunity
to get Seattle back on track,
making it as safe and thriving city for all.
As a clinical social worker who has been in the field
for over 12 years,
I know that I bring insights no other candidate has,
particularly on ensuring our most vulnerable get housed,
and that we begin to reverse the trend
of overdose deaths in the city.
I've worked in inpatient psychiatric settings,
I've worked in addictions treatment,
and I've worked extensively in homeless programs.
And during my time working at the VA healthcare system,
we've reduced veteran homelessness by over 50%.
With my goal of introducing programmatic standards
and increasing the level of accountability,
I know we can do the same here in Seattle.
On the council, I will work toward cost-effective solutions
on many issues impacting the city,
using the latest evidence-based practices.
We will create a dynamic and robust response
to help people in crises, with clinicians trained
to provide critical behavioral health support.
And with an adequately staffed police department
and a team of clinicians providing crisis interventions,
we can begin to eliminate the concentration
of criminal activity in parts of the city
where it has become problematic.
I will champion affordable housing solutions
that keep working families in our city,
and improve the quality of life for all.
I will continue the work of improving our economic recovery,
and I'll address Seattle's growing population
with needed infrastructure investments,
incorporating environmentally sound practices.
The standard to help others had been shaped by
the example of my grandmother,
who demonstrated the virtue of selflessness and humility
during her lifetime,
as she cared for many people in profound need,
and left the world a better place because of her courage.
And I intend to lead with that same courage.
Thank you.
-Hello. I'm Maren Costa.
I've lived in District 1 for 20 years,
and Seattle for 33 years.
I've been a cashier, a waitress, founded a non-profit here.
I've also been a senior leader in the tech industry
for 25 years, where I've led big teams,
managed million-dollar budgets, and built bridges
between competing teams to get stuff done.
A few years ago, I made a choice
to put my entire career on the line
to do what was right.
In 2020, Amazon put warehouse workers in unsafe conditions,
and was failing to act on climate change.
As a dedicated employee and a mom,
I wanted Amazon to do better.
I led thousands of my co-workers to take an unprecedented stand.
I outlined a plan to win,
did the work, and delivered results.
Our actions led to Amazon's Climate Pledge,
the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund,
and increased worker safety.
Now, I want to help District 1 and Seattle
rise to the challenges of our time.
I'm running because we need leaders
who have the proven ability to bring people together,
build trust, and deliver concrete results.
Immediately, we need to increase stable housing
and coordinate with regional partners
to ensure that those experiencing homelessness
have paths to individualized resources.
We need to feel safe in our neighborhoods and parks.
We can have police and alternative response,
lead with compassion and refuse to tolerate harmful behavior,
and tackle poverty, mental illness,
and addiction so that crime decreases.
Climate change is here, and we aren't ready.
With new federal funding,
I will help lead our city to reduce emissions
and protect residents from heat waves,
smoke, and flooding.
My vision for Seattle
is to establish holistic public safety,
end homelessness, and usher in the new green economy.
Together, we can build a safe, equitable,
sustainable city for all.
I would be honored to earn your vote.
-Hi.
My name is Mia Jacobson, and I am running for
the Seattle City Council position for District 1,
which is basically West Seattle to White Center.
I am 35 years old,
a third-generation West Seattleite,
a third-generation union longshoreman,
and a single mother of three.
I went to Seattle Academy
and the University of Washington.
You could say I am Seattle through and through.
I was born in the house that I'm raising my kids in --
a house my parents could afford with a single income,
and one that I cannot afford
working the same job my father did.
This means I've watched District 1 change over my lifetime,
and I am very much personally invested in its future.
This is my community,
this is my children's community,
and I want this community to sustain.
My campaign is rooted in systemic change,
so that we can better address our current issues.
If elected, I will work to improve citizen access
to the legislative process, to introduce transparency
and accountability within our system of local governance,
and to celebrate community organization
and empowerment.
I believe that we have outgrown the system of representation.
Our current rate of technological advancement
has created a fundamentally different kind of citizen.
We now have access to the information needed
to become a valuable contributor to the conversation
which creates legislation.
we can coordinate within large numbers,
in a digital space,
to discuss our local policies 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
It is time to shift our focus from the powers that be
to the powers that we have become.
I believe that we are on the verge of a great
social transformation,
as we collectively step into a new era of being human.
The conversations which currently dictate our society
are held in rooms that private citizens
cannot meaningfully access,
contribute to, and hold accountable.
I intend to change that.
I humbly ask for your vote so that, together,
we can continue down the path of human evolution
towards a better, more functional way of doing things.
-Hello.
I'm Phil Tavel, and I'm running for
Seattle City Council District 1.
And I'm here to ask for your vote.
I've lived here for 25 years,
and I've been an active public servant all that time.
I'm a renter.
I'm a dad with a fifth grader in the public school system.
And my parents live here in District 1, as well.
My life's work and passion has always been public service.
I've been a high school physics teacher, a community leader,
a small business owner, a public defender,
and I am now an administrative law judge.
For more than 15 years,
I've worked in the criminal justice system,
helping people navigate drug court, mental health court,
veterans court, and other public services.
You know, not every crisis needs an armed response,
but to deal with rising gun violence
and to hold people accountable when they victimize others,
we need a properly staffed and trained police department.
I will start by expanding the Collaborative Policing Bureau
and finalizing the contract with the police,
which is now more than 2 ½ years overdue.
Our city is not delivering on its basic promises to provide
a clean, safe, equitable, and prosperous city for everyone.
The city can do a better job
addressing the humanitarian crisis in our neighborhoods,
our parks, and downtown streets, as well.
It's time for us to focus on proven interventions,
expanding our array of shelter options,
increasing our stock of permanently supportive housing,
and providing safe lots for people
living in their cars and RVs.
We have thrown hundreds of millions of dollars
at the homelessness issue, and it only seems to get worse.
We cannot keep funding service providers
that fail to deliver on their promises
to help people in crisis.
I will ensure that there is
a true accountability in our system.
I will also prioritize electrifying
our municipal fleets of vehicles,
to move our city towards being carbon neutral.
I will make sure to properly maintain our bridges and roads,
especially our bridges,
and protect our dwindling tree canopy.
This is a time for public service, not politics.
My name is Phil Tavel, and I ask you for your vote.
Thank you.