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Hi everyone.

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I'm glad I got to go after
Director Nguyen because

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she adjusted the mic for
me, so thank you for that.

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Good morning everyone.

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As your Chair of Human
Services, Labor, and

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economic development it is
my distinct honor to be

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introducing director Beto
Yarce before us today.

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Now, Beto Yarce is a business
executive, an entrepreneur,

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a nonprofit and public
sector leader dedicated

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to advancing economic
equity and entrepreneurship

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with over 15 years of
experience driving growth and

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impact across all sectors.

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Now, from his days as a solo
immigrant entrepreneur,

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word on the street is
you could buy the most

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gorgeous jewelry from him.

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From his time leading at
Ventures to his time leading the

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Small Business Administration's
regional office,

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Director Yarce has always put
his expertise and experience

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to work in service of community.

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His generosity and
civic-mindedness have

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already delivered so much
value to our community.

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And in the past few months,
I've been able to work directly

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with Director Yarce,
and I've been so impressed

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by the depth and breadth of
knowledge of the whole spectrum

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of our city's economic climate.

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And I've been even more
impressed by his understanding

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of the human factor at the
foundation of everything

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we do on the policy front.

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I also want to note how much
excitement has been in community

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about Director Yarce coming
into this particular role.

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I know we've received a number
of community letters from key

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organizations really celebrating
his coming into this role.

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And I want to also highlight
even our committee appointment

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process where my colleagues
who sit on the Human

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Services, Labor and Economic
Development Committee were

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teaching me things about
Beto's work from the amazing

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leadership throughout
the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Just it was really incredible
to see the excitement on the

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committee, just championing
everything that you've already

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done for our community.

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The goal of economic development
is not about improving metrics

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on a spreadsheet.

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It's about expanding
opportunities for

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everyone in Seattle
to thrive here.

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And our small businesses
are more than a livelihood

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for Seattle's entrepreneurs.

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It's their whole lives.

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and Director Yarce gets
that and so I'm excited to

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see where we go as a city
with Director Yarce at

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the helm of our Office
of Economic Development

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and with that I'd like
to invite Director

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Director, Beto Yarce, to the
podium to share his remarks.

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Thank you.

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BETO YARCE: Wow.

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I just feel so honored
for the introduction.

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Do I really need to do
a remarks after that?

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So, well, I want to
start with a thank you

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for all our public servants,
all the elected officials

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that are in the room
that serve our city,

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our state, our county.

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And it's just wonderful
to call away with you

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for all those 20 years that
I've been here in Seattle.

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So thank you for your support,
especially to Mayor Wilson

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for trusting me in this
work that I'm just

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always been dreaming about
serving for the city.

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I try in multiple
ways as an outsider.

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As you remember, I ran
for office in 2018.

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I always try to kind of
figure out how I get to OED,

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and I made it.

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So I feel like I just did it.

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So I'm feeling so proud
as I was just listening

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to all these wonderful
leaders and then just

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looking to the window and
seeing the pride flag there.

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I feel like how I got here.

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So as someone who was
immigrating from Mexico in 2003

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with a tourist visa and a lot
of dreams and starting my own

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business with only $250 selling
jewelry at farmer's markets

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in Fremont, how I was
able to get here, how I

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was able to navigate
the the system.

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It was very complicated, I will

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say. And then just the
opportunity to start getting

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there for me to get
where I am today.

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I feel like the city is
in a really pivotal time

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for me to kind of share
my knowledge and how I

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want to continue just
sharing those experiences

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that I just have, and I
reached my American dream

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with an incredible community
that I have my back.

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Many of you are here.

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This not happens by accident.

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It happens by community
and by a tribe.

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And I really appreciate all
those members of my community

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that have just been
there for me to achieve

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what I have been achieve.

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We are not finishing, and
I'm gonna need your help

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to continue making impact.

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So I really, really, really
need that you are part of this.

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The city of Seattle is
an important moment,

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a chance to reset
and build a future

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where we continue making
progress as a region

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to our more equitable economy
that works for everyone.

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And I'm so committed for that.

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I've been doing it for 20
years in multiple sectors,

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and now I have the opportunity
to do it at the city.

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It's time for us to kind of
build that equitable economy

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that works for everybody.

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I understand very well that
the economy is an ecosystem.

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We need a thriving
small business sector.

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From small businesses
that you know,

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that's what I have
done all my career,

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you have a very special
part in my heart.

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I will continue advocating
and doing everything

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that you need for supporting
those small businesses,

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removing barriers, how do
we create more programs,

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how we're more creative,
how do we use our resources

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in a much better way.

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We are already
doing some of that.

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The Office of Economic
Development is

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doing amazing work, and
we have a really good

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suite of programs, but it's
time for us to also expand.

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I know how hard it is to
run a small business,

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and I also understand how
hard it is for those who

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are being underserved.

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They are BIPOC, black,
indigenous people of color.

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I am one of them, and I know
how hard it was for me,

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and I'm committed
to do this work.

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At the same time, I am here to
kind of work in an ecosystem.

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We can do better when
we work all together.

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Mid-sized business,
large businesses,

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we all have to come
together to the table

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to solve the challenges
that our city is facing.

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And I'm committed to do that
by bringing people together.

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My mom always said, like,
food bring people together.

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And that's part of my culture.

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And that's what I want to do to
bring everybody in Seattle to

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come together and work together
to solve the big issues that we

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have.

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I want to also add that the
small business are the backbone

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of the economy.

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On my previous job,
we have all the data.

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They really confirm that all
small business create jobs,

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create the backbone, vibrancy
on our neighborhoods, public

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safety and that's what
I'm really dedicated to

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do the best possible to
continue supporting you.

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We are in a vital moment in this
time in our city to reset and

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when I say that if you look
into history of our city in

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multiple times we've
been able to reset.

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We have listened a
lot of challenges

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that we're facing, at the
same time, it's time for us

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to diversify our economy.

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And how can we do the
diversification of our economy?

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It's starting building
infrastructure and resources to

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our key industries, like, for
example, clean energy that

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we've been talking about, clean
jobs, maritime, infrastructure,

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workforce development, so
creative economy, all the

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things that we do in my
office, and I'm dedicated on

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how do we expand to that.

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The last thing that I want to
add is how lucky I am to be

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able to collaborate with an
amazing team, all my OED team

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that is here.

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You guys are talented, smart,
creative, resourceful, curious.

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I've been learning so much in
the last 90 days from you,

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and I'm just looking forward
to continue collaborating

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and learning from all of you,
because you are amazing.

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You are public servants, and
then you show up every day

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in the needs of our economy.

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I will just finish
with congratulations

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to all my colleagues,
all directors.

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I'm really looking forward
to collaborate with you.

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You are amazing leaders,
and we are going to make

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this city much better.

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And my last thing, just
a little commercial.

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I don't know if you have
heard that we just launched

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the World Cup yesterday.

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So my team is really leading
a lot of those activations.

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And I really hope that you
can enjoy this very, very

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magical moment in our city.

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And with that, I say goodbye.

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And I wish you a
very nice Friday.

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y muchas gracias.

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I feel like I'm getting married.

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Are you ready?

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I am ready.

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Can we do it in Spanish?

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Just you.

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Just repeat after me.

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I, Beto Yarce, swear
that I possess all of

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the qualifications
prescribed in the Seattle

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City Charter and the Seattle
Municipal Code for the position

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of the Director of the Office
of Economic Development,

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of the Director of the Office
of Economic Development,

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that I will support
the Constitution of

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the United States, that I
support the Constitution

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of the United States,
the Constitution of the

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State of Washington,
the Constitution of the

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State of Washington, and
the Charter and Ordinances

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of the City of Seattle, and
the Charter of Ordinances

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of the City of Seattle,
and that I will

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faithfully conduct myself, and
the faithful conduct myself,

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as the Director,
as the Director,

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of the Department of
Economic Development.

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of the Department of the Office
of Economic Development.

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Thank you.

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I'm going to get your pen.