-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.