-Hi.
My name is Dale Kutzera,
and I'm running for Seattle City Council District 6.
Like a lot of you, I feel Seattle
has been heading in the wrong direction
for quite a few years now.
We're heading down a path to a higher cost,
lower quality of life.
We used to be known for our planes, software, and coffee.
Now, we're known for homelessness, crime,
and expensive housing.
It's not too late to take a different path.
We need to take people living on the streets
with mental illness or addiction problems
into protective custody,
and put them in treatment facilities.
We shouldn't criminalize homelessness,
but treat it like the public health crisis it is.
Instead of relying on hundreds of outside vendors,
we need a new Social Services Department
to help people in crisis.
We've also taken the wrong approach to housing,
believing that increasing supply will lower prices.
But despite all the new housing we've built,
rents and prices still go up.
That's because private developers
will only build market-rate housing
as long as market rates remain high.
We need to prioritize affordable housing for people
who earn at or below the median income.
The new Social Housing Office
is a hopeful step in this direction.
Addressing homelessness and housing affordability
will go a long way to charting a new path for Seattle.
People in crisis will get the help they need.
The police can stay in their lane.
The Fire Department won't have to deal with camp and RV fires.
Our libraries can be learning centers
instead of de facto homeless shelters.
Our jails will no longer function as mental institutions,
and our parks will be free of tents and needles.
I hope you'll pay attention to these issues
through this election season.
You can learn more about where I stand on them
at dalefordistrictsix.com.
Thanks for your time.