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-Our city is at a turning point.
We haven't had leadership that listens.
We aren't able to trust that our elected officials
will do a good job.
We've been hindered by political games,
inflexibility, indecisiveness, and special-interest money.
We can't afford more of the same.
I decided to run the day my son was born.
I need him to grow up in a place
where leaders behave like leaders,
and respond to their neighbors when they are called upon.
In my role as a husband, father, business owner,
care provider, activist, and substitute teacher,
I've learned that the most important piece of our lives
is how we can be of service to our community.
I would like to serve because we need 1 million square feet
of home for our homeless neighbors
within the next three years,
creating a pathway to allow for temporary sanctioned encampments
for those who aren't yet ready to come inside.
Ending the practice of sweeps and adding wraparound services
will allow people to build self-sufficient lives
of meaning.
Additionally, we're going to reinstate the free-ride zone,
so that Seattle becomes a leader on public transit opportunities
for all people nationwide.
Immediately, we need to leave the war on drugs behind,
and invest in education, support services, and job training.
I will work to create a jobs pipeline
into our new public safety models
for formerly incarcerated persons,
so that those with lived experience
can be the next caseworkers,
mental health crisis responders, and more.
My campaign is being run
exactly how I will run my office --
with hard work,
conversations with our neighbors,
and by building solutions together.
I'm the only candidate funding their campaign
entirely using public funds from democracy vouchers,
because we all know money and politics don't mix.
Thank you. I hope to earn your vote.
-Hi, there. I'm Bobby Goodwin.
And I'm running for city council
because I've been frustrated by the direction of Seattle
since our leaders first abdicated their responsibilities
to the anarchism of the CHOP.
Since then, our city has been increasingly covered in graffiti
and inundated by property crime
while a toxic compassion has taught us to walk past
and otherwise ignore our neighbors suffering
as they kill themselves with fentanyl and other drugs.
We have abandoned any sense of accountability,
and it's time we do better.
For the last 12 years, I've worked as a public defender,
representing some of the poorest and most marginalized among us.
Many of my clients are chronically homeless,
suffering from substance use disorders,
as well as co-occurring mental illnesses.
I know that we can treat people with respect
while still expecting responsibility.
Over time, I've learned to skillfully navigate
difficult conversations with prosecutors and clients
to help reach reasonable resolutions.
And it's that very skill set that has me uniquely qualified
to meet this moment, and help bring about the reforms
that our city so desperately needs.
One of my first priorities is to begin reconciling
the trust gap between the community and SPD.
We need more officers out of cars,
and patrolling streets on foot and by bike.
We'll provide housing subsidies
to both help attract new officers,
and to make sure that more of our officers
are patrolling the streets of the communities
they actually live in.
We will prioritize community safety over officer safety.
We need to expand access to medically assisted treatment.
Suboxone and methadone save lives.
The data also tells us that cannabis products,
especially high-concentration THC,
are contributing to psychosis amongst the youth.
And yet the industry perpetuates a myth of harmlessness.
We need to require honest warnings,
and to increase the taxes on these products,
to help fund the behavioral health services that we need.
We also need to build more tiny houses.
We need to permanently eliminate design review
for any affordable housing projects,
and we need to clamp down on short term rentals.
When we replace a single family home with a triplex,
only to have two of those units end up on Airbnb,
we're not helping housing density.
With your vote,
I promise to prioritize the practical and the actionable.
-Hi, there.
I'm Ry Armstrong, and I'm running in District 3.
I am running to be the first non-binary councilmember
on the Seattle City Council
to represent our historic arts district,
the diverse LGBTQ+ community,
and all constituents in District 3.
Our campaign is building momentum to keep Seattle
as progressive as we can, with a focus on shelter,
safety, and sustainability.
Together, we will establish a universal right to shelter,
pass robust renter protections and rent control,
work to reform our strained policing system, in partnership
with the BIPOC community, in building specific alternatives
to those more traditional response models,
and create America's first carbon-free city by 2030.
I believe that we get more done for the city and its residents
when we put aside divisive rhetoric,
and work together toward a common goal.
Inspired by the work of Sen. Sanders,
I identify as a pragmatic Democratic Socialist,
and believe that I'm the most progressive candidate
running for this seat.
Furthermore, as a lifetime Sierra Club member
and activist with Extinction Rebellion,
Seattle will never have a stronger advocate
for protecting our environment
and battling the impacts of climate change.
Our campaign is proudly endorsed
by the King County Young Democrats,
the Seattle Green Party, and the Green Party of Washington.
I'm honored that our race has the backing of these groups
and so many others.
As a third-generation union worker and member of two locals,
I am deeply committed to go beyond business as usual,
and fight as a warrior for the labor movement
of the working people of Seattle.
We can do more to lift up wages and worker protections
while also focusing on economic recovery.
These are the values I will bring to the council
when elected.
It would be a great privilege to earn your vote and support
throughout our people-oriented campaign
to create actionable change in our community.
-I am Shobhit Agarwal,
and I'm running for Seattle City Council District 3.
I am a first-generation gay immigrant from India,
and have lived in Seattle since 2002.
From working as a program manager at Microsoft,
to pursuing the dream as an actor, to working retail,
I have experienced the struggles of work at every level.
I am also a member of the SAG-AFTRA union.
I have served on my condo HOA board for five years.
This role has enabled me to listen to my constituents,
be empathetic to their problems,
and focus on finding and implementing solutions.
It has also enabled me to ensure
that we use our funds efficiently and effectively.
I get the job done.
My platform prioritizes advancing
green infrastructure across the city.
This includes expanding Sound Transit
with last-mile loop buses.
I will also work with Seattle City Light
to expand electric infrastructure,
which will enable the expansion of electric cars
throughout the city.
The green energy industry
should provide opportunities for local businesses,
and I especially want to support businesses owned by women,
people of color, and sexual minorities.
I want to make housing more affordable by de-zoning,
leveraging I-135,
and reducing competition from non-resident investors.
I believe in compassionate solutions for homelessness.
I believe in enhancing public safety by hiring local
Seattleites for our police and fire departments,
while ensuring equal opportunity
for all historically excluded communities.
I support reproductive rights,
LGBTQIA rights, and workers' right to organize.
I want to streamline the process,
and resolve local constituent concerns like potholes,
graffiti, and damaged pavements in a timely manner.
I am in this race because I want to build a more prosperous
and equitable Seattle.
I am Shobhit Agarwal, and I ask for your vote
to be your councilmember.
Thank you.
-My name is Joy Hollingsworth.
I'm a third-generation Seattleite that was born
and raised in the historic Central District neighborhood.
I'm the daughter of a proud working-class family
who dedicated their lives to public service,
with both of my parents dedicating over three decades
of their lives to the Seattle Parks Department
and King County Housing Authority.
My grandmother, a public school educator
and social worker, helped unify our city
as school board president
during turbulent times with integration.
Over the last 39 years,
I've seen how local policies have impacted people
and the communities that have fallen through the unseen gaps.
My plan is to prioritize safe and healthy communities,
affordable housing, homeless services,
small businesses, economic recovery, and youth development.
We all deserve a safe and healthy community.
We must ensure that our first responders are equipped
with resources to respond with care
and our community's most pressing safety concerns.
Our city is expensive, and only getting more unaffordable.
I live in the home my grandmother purchased
in 1947, and in 2000,
when the neighborhood started to become more unaffordable,
we converted it into a triplex to help her age in place.
Small businesses are the anchor of our community.
During the pandemic, over 4,500 of our own locally,
small businesses were forced to close.
Communities are stronger when they nurture spaces
for youth and families.
We can do so by focusing
on fundamental infrastructure of our city,
providing clean parks, playfields, libraries,
roads and sidewalks, safe transportation,
and affordable after-school programming.
I've dedicated my life to building community,
and I will be a bridge for District 3 to City Hall
with over 45 of the city departments.
Our campaign has the support of labor unions,
small businesses, nonprofit leaders,
elected officials, community leaders,
all finding common good to push our city forward.
I will be accessible, present, connected, dedicated to you,
because you have to know people to put forth good policy.
My name is Joy Hollingsworth, and we are building community.
-I am a pragmatic uniter who believes in
standing up for what's right.
With empathy and accountability, I believe in building together
true community-centric relationships.
My lived experiences continue to inform me
on how this translates into meaningful policy.
As one formerly unhoused, and who lives
and works alongside those who face the same struggles,
especially when it comes to housing affordability,
availability, and accessibility,
I will use this office to fund the mandate
for social housing by Seattle voters.
I rely on public transit and walking.
I know how important it is to expand safe and accessible,
multi-modal transportation,
and build safe walkways and bike lanes.
And I will continue to listen to my community
while working with city staff
to find the path forward for all of us.
As a Black man from a Nigerian immigrant background,
I understand that community safety means
that we all must feel safe,
including that we must find alternatives to policing
that are evidence-based and rooted in
community responsibility and resilience.
We cannot keep doing the same old things
and hoping for a different outcome.
This is not only physically irresponsible,
it is morally harmful.
Seattle can do, and must do, better.
I am HIV positive,
and I have been fighting for dignified health care
and health equity as a professional
and an activist in ways I wish I and my neighbors had.
I am an LGBTQ individual who is active in LGBTQ+ rights,
especially for BIPOC individuals.
As such, I am a lifelong advocate for the safety
and sense of belonging that we all inherently deserve.
I march and I also walk the walk.
I hope to earn your vote to serve you
as District 3's next city councilmember.
-Hi. I'm Alex Hudson.
I'm a strong progressive, and an urbanist
with a proven track record of finding common ground,
solving problems, and delivering results.
Across issues like housing affordability,
expanding transit, reforming enforcement systems,
and improving neighborhoods,
I've created lasting, positive changes.
For nearly five years,
I led First Hill's Neighborhood Association,
where we increased affordable housing,
built safer transportation, better parks,
and improved livability.
Until recently,
I led Transportation Choices Coalition,
where I secured transformative investments,
including expanded light rail and bus service,
making transit free for young people, and increasing equity.
Our district is beautiful and vibrant.
We share progressive values, and we lead with compassion.
But things are off track.
Too many people are falling through the cracks.
We have work to do to address complicated problems
like homelessness, public safety, and affordability.
But with fresh ideas and urgency,
we can build more housing, care for the vulnerable,
and keep everyone safe.
We can be a great city that works.
From my deep community involvement,
I understand our challenges, and how to make progress.
I'm developing extensive policy agendas
on housing and homelessness,
transit and transportation, public safety,
and revitalizing our neighborhoods
and business districts.
I walk the talk.
In 2015, I was named
one of Seattle's most influential people
by Seattle Magazine.
I serve on the board of a nonprofit
affordable housing developer
and the Freeway Park Association.
I'm proud to be endorsed by organized labor,
progressive organizations, and community leaders.
We need a representative committed to listening
to residents' services,
who will problem solve issues
and increase our quality of life.
My experience and track record of success show
I can hit the ground running to get Seattle back on track.
It would be an honor to serve our district,
and I ask for your support.
-Hi. I'm Efrain.
And I'm running for Seattle City Council in District 3.
With at least four new faces coming to council,
we have a unique opportunity to enact real,
lasting solutions for our city --
solutions to address the housing affordability crisis,
homelessness crisis, and also climate crisis,
but also to begin to build the city
that we can be proud to pass on to the next generation.
I was born during the height of Reaganomics
in our nation's capital,
and in those days my family struggled financially.
I would not be here today
without their numerous sacrifices, community,
and the occasional second chance.
My early struggles are in part
why I feel drawn to serve in this capacity.
Having previously served in the military,
and currently as an attorney in Mental Health Court,
I believe that we find this moment
as the culmination of generations
of deliberate disenfranchisement along racial lines
and underinvestment in social services.
Our task is not a simple one.
We must invest in non-police responses.
We must invest in crisis intervention.
And we must invest in rehabilitation
for low-level offenders to break the cycle,
all while also taking an aggressive stance
on combating gun violence.
Meanwhile, on the housing front, we must greatly expand
our supply of affordable housing.
We must maximize usage of our existing inventory,
and minimize the displacement of vulnerable communities.
This is why I believe we must leverage
our social housing developer,
pass the affordable housing levy this fall,
and upzone beyond what House Bill 1110
will allow us to do, in order to create the 200,000 homes
over the next 10 years that we need.
For Seattle to be successful,
we must acknowledge that there's no going back
to the way -- how things were done before.
We must decarbonize the way we get around,
invest in bold capital projects to reshape our city,
to reflect our values.
And I believe we have it within us to realize this vision.
And in so doing, we will be an example for others to follow.
You can learn more about my platform at electefrain.com.
Thanks.