(COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON) Hello, everyone.
Welcome.
And thank you very much for coming for this important event.
I am simply the thanker and the emcee here.
I will turn it over to our new councilmember
for position 8 so you can ask any questions you would like.
(COUNCILMEMBER TANYA WOO) Thank you very much.
Thank you for coming.
I really thank you for your support.
And I used to work in media, so l love to encourage
and have a relationship with you going forward.
And so if anyone has any questions at this time, I would love to hear from them.
(Off-screen question) We obviously covered your campaign for district 2, now you’re going to be
representing the city as a whole.
How does that change your approach to this position and what you campaigned on?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) I believe a lot of the issues I campaigned on
were not just unique to one neighborhood or to one district.
I believe the issues of homelessness, public
safety and housing cover every corner of Seattle.
And so I'm really excited to see what has been working
and be able to expand that to the entire city
(Muffled off-screen question) what this says about the direction of the council.
This is I think a lot of people have reported
this is a huge ideological swing in the last year.
You campaigned on public safety.
This appears to be a swing with your appointment today for for public safety.
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes, I think it's it's first and foremost on most people's minds.
I knocked on several hundred thousands of doors.
And that's the paramount question, the importance,
how do we allow people to feel safe and be able to,
you know, walk to the grocery store without having to worry
about their family members?
I think just having that basic need needs to be fulfilled.
(Off-screen question) So how do you do that?
There's a potential budget deficit.
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yeah.
so setting priorities,
the budget is a moral document and we really have to set priorities
and without making sure that we really go down the line
and have a kind of building transparency going forward with the budget process.
(Off-screen question) A couple of your opponents have said that they're planning to run in November
and the campaign effectively starts now.
How are you going to balance the need to campaign
to keep the seat and actually governing?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes, I, I campaigned and ran a campaign before.
So I think I have that experience.
This will not be a new process
for me to be able to integrate that into into council work
and doing the work at the same time and expanding that to the entire city.
So I have the knowledge, I have the experience, and I'm confident
that I can do it going forward.
(Off-screen question) Will the budget deficit be the first priority?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Oh, I'm going to set up my office first and then we'll have a next
couple of days to really focus on the issues going forward.
I believe by focusing on the budget, by focusing on the three main issues
of homelessness, housing, public safety, all tied in and they're all connected.
(Off-screen question) Just remember who I think the process went in terms of the selection.
I know some people had some issues with it.
Council President Nelson brought that up, but I just want to make sure
I got your take on how the whole process went.
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes, I think for me, there was a lot of
was just trying to focus on on what's next, next learning about the process
and as well as trying to rise above all the noise
and really focus on the issues affecting us, which is, you know, public safety,
homelessness and housing and really trying to bring everyone together and unite
despite all of the different groups that were developing.
(Off-screen question) Far too many rideshare drivers have been killed.
What is your definition of
safety when it comes to rideshare drivers in our city?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes. I would love to meet with you and chat further
and what we can do to help promote more safety.
I've we've been to too many vigils, too many funerals, unfortunately.
And that has to stop and we have to make sure everybody is safe.
(Off-screen question) When you talk about public safety.
You know, as someone from the central district, born and raised, lots of family
there in the south end, it seems that a lot of times the city council
and City Hall, they look for solutions, but they exclude the actual victims.
No one is talking to the victims of crime.
So we got people in other districts here who are concerned about public safety,
but we got people in the south end, as you know, in the Central District
who are the actual victims who are impacted by public safety.
What is your commitment?
You know what I'm saying,
to really get out here and yes, you've got the whole city,
but when you talk about public safety, what is your commitment to actually engage
with victims of crime?
The people most impacted, the people whose public safety is most hit,
and the people who are the least
listened to by the city council and city government year after year.
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) I agree.
And that's one of my main main things I'm trying to tackle
is how do we help underserved communities, marginalized communities
who have been historically ignored and forgotten?
How do you go out and reach out to people
and make sure that you're involved in the decision making process?
And so I agree we have to do better when it comes to survivor services.
How do we help families?
A lot of times when when something is happened
at the investigation process, people are left to just try to figure it out.
And so how do we make sure that we let them know there's resources
that connect people to to what they may need to feel whole again?
How do we start with the healing process, looking at the holistic issue versus just
what happened?
And so I agree with you.
I think we we we need to do better and we should be doing better.
(Off-screen question) Tanya, before you talked about,
talked to me about the significance right now
being an Asian American female, what this means to the community
and just this moment historically put it all into perspective for us.
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes, I remember growing up in the drill team and Aunty Cheryl,
Cheryl Chow was on the council at that time
and she took me to Take Your Daughters to Work Day and be able to walk with
her in City Hall and and then
I remember that my entire life.
And so we haven't seen an Asian female since
Cheryl Chow and Martha Cho
and that early 1990s late 1990s
and so I hope to involve more youth of in the communities.
Imagine like they can actually
be here and actually take the seats in the future.
(Off-screen question) Councilmember, this is a follow up.
There were several council members
three of them who didn't choose you as their top choice.
How do you work through that now?
How do you potentially, you know, build those bridges there?
The folks who didn't choose you first?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) It’s all about communication and collaboration
and, you know, we're all in this together.
It's all trying to save, solve or help make better all these same issues.
And still we can find commonalities in working together and trying to help.
(Off-screen question) Councilmember, what gave you the confidence to to apply to this
position so quickly after
you know, you ran and lost?
And what do you say to the voters who had the opportunity to vote for you
and and chose your now colleague, Councilmember Morales?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) I think it's great that district two
will have two representatives to serve that district.
That district has been , South Seattle, marginalized and, I believe, underserved.
Be great to get double coverage and to be able to work on these issues together.
So I feel honored to be able to work with Councilmember Morales going forward.
(Off-screen) One last question?
(Off-screen question) Just to confirm, are you definitely running to stay in the seat in November?
(COUNCILMEMBER WOO) Yes, I am running to stay in the seat in November.
(Off-screen speaker) Thanks, everybody. Thank you.