-Hello, Seattle. And hello, District 4.
My name is George Artem, and I'm running to be
your representative behind the city council dais.
Some of you know me as just Artem,
or "Hey, you, I recognize you from somewhere."
Well, yeah.
I've done some things, and been in situations
that I'm not proud of.
But who hasn't?
It took a lot of help from friends, family,
recovery circles, and shelters
to help get me to where I'm at today.
And one thing that I've learned in my personal recovery
is to take accountability, clean my side of the street,
make amends, and wake up to try another day.
I'm an immigrant to this country,
and I've lived in Greater Seattle for over three decades.
I attended the University of Washington, and completed
both my undergraduate and graduate studies there.
And in 2021, I attended law school on the East Coast.
I decided to run for office because, when I came back,
the city that I loved became totally unrecognizable.
Once bustling commercial districts, like the CID,
had turned into open-air drug markets
where people are still getting high and selling stolen goods.
In 2016, we dipped our toes into socialism.
I know because I played a part in that.
Today, there are members of the Democratic Party
that openly promote communism,
and want to dismantle the system.
Like communism,
the Defund movement has been an abject failure.
Violent crime is up, drug use is up,
and the fentanyl crisis should be waking everybody up.
Since 2017, the Seattle Police Department has implemented 90%
of nearly 300 community policing recommendations.
They're a changed department, and deserve our respect.
In recent years, local government has raised
and spent a lot of money, with not much to show for it.
We need to acknowledge the failures and wasteful spending,
and establish a culture of accountability
in city government.
Like you, I have a lot of questions,
and if I'm elected, I'll get answers.