﻿1
00:00:00,867 --> 00:00:02,535
-My name is Nick Duda.

2
00:00:02,535 --> 00:00:05,939
I'm a West Seattle resident,
a husband, the father of two

3
00:00:05,939 --> 00:00:08,808
young kids, and someone
deeply worried about the

4
00:00:08,808 --> 00:00:10,176
direction we're headed.

5
00:00:10,176 --> 00:00:12,445
I got into this race
because King County needs

6
00:00:12,445 --> 00:00:13,680
a new voice in this seat.

7
00:00:14,247 --> 00:00:17,050
My opponent has, in many
ways, created the problems

8
00:00:17,050 --> 00:00:18,585
that we're all dealing with.

9
00:00:18,585 --> 00:00:21,488
Public safety is the number
one issue in the region.

10
00:00:21,488 --> 00:00:24,357
My opponent has voted against
consequences for open-air

11
00:00:24,357 --> 00:00:27,360
drug use, allowing Chinatown
and Little Saigon to suffer

12
00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,964
under this weight, and has been
unserious in efforts to curb sex

13
00:00:30,964 --> 00:00:33,333
trafficking on Aurora,
where we're the second

14
00:00:33,333 --> 00:00:34,801
worst region in the country.

15
00:00:34,801 --> 00:00:37,003
We also have serious gun
violence issues that we've

16
00:00:37,003 --> 00:00:39,606
done far too little to address.

17
00:00:39,606 --> 00:00:42,642
Public health is also a
serious challenge, as we have

18
00:00:42,642 --> 00:00:45,278
both one of the highest
rates of overdose deaths

19
00:00:45,278 --> 00:00:48,048
and chronic homelessness,
and this is all while my

20
00:00:48,048 --> 00:00:50,050
opponent has chaired the
Board of Public Health.

21
00:00:50,817 --> 00:00:53,219
Affordability is another
challenge, and yet

22
00:00:53,219 --> 00:00:55,755
she's voted to increase
regressive sales taxes,

23
00:00:55,755 --> 00:00:58,925
utility rates, and sponsored
other taxes that have pushed

24
00:00:58,925 --> 00:01:01,628
businesses out of our region,
contributing to one of

25
00:01:01,628 --> 00:01:03,396
the highest unemployment
rates in the country.

26
00:01:03,930 --> 00:01:05,732
We should be operating
differently.

27
00:01:06,132 --> 00:01:08,268
We should focus on our
core responsibilities

28
00:01:08,268 --> 00:01:10,537
of safe communities and
healthy neighborhoods

29
00:01:10,537 --> 00:01:11,871
for our kids.

30
00:01:11,871 --> 00:01:14,974
We should create an environment
that the industries of

31
00:01:14,974 --> 00:01:16,509
the future can thrive here.

32
00:01:16,509 --> 00:01:19,779
Areas like space, fusion,
and clean energy.

33
00:01:19,779 --> 00:01:22,282
Combining our region's
incredible manufacturing

34
00:01:22,282 --> 00:01:23,249
and software skills.

35
00:01:23,917 --> 00:01:27,320
And most importantly, we should
have accountable government that

36
00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,323
takes seriously how we spend
our money and leaders willing

37
00:01:30,323 --> 00:01:31,858
to admit when they were wrong.

38
00:01:32,859 --> 00:01:35,395
I'm a liberal who believes
we should have a strong

39
00:01:35,395 --> 00:01:38,798
social safety net and a
strong local economy.

40
00:01:38,798 --> 00:01:41,634
That doesn't mean government
can solve all our problems,

41
00:01:41,634 --> 00:01:44,604
and it also doesn't mean it's
the source of all our problems.

42
00:01:44,604 --> 00:01:47,273
But our unwillingness to
address many of the hard,

43
00:01:47,273 --> 00:01:50,076
thorny issues is causing
us to govern unseriously,

44
00:01:50,076 --> 00:01:53,746
unsustainably, and will lead
us to a place where our kids

45
00:01:53,746 --> 00:01:55,348
simply cannot thrive here.

46
00:01:55,348 --> 00:01:58,084
If you share my concerns
about the way we're governed,

47
00:01:58,084 --> 00:01:59,886
I'm the choice for you.
