Issues
I believe in Seattle’s future. We live in one of the smartest and most creative cities in the world. But times are tough out there, and we need new priorities and investments.
But we’re looking at some substantial changes for our city, and there are several significant areas where we need new priorities—and new leadership—if we’re going to be ready for the future:
- As mayor I will refocus our efforts and create working partnerships to improve our school system. And if, after two years, there has been no improvement I will move to have the mayor’s office take direct responsibility for the school district.
» More about Education
- Seattle needs to be at the forefront of technology, which means we need to build out next-generation fiber optic to every home and business in the city. This will increase our competitiveness and attract good, family wage jobs.
» More about Internet Infrastructure
- We must dramatically improve local transit service by finishing light rail, adding bus service, creating traffic signal priority for transit, removing redundant bus stops, and adding bus-only lanes.
» More about Transportation
- As mayor, I will be committed to making our neighborhoods better places to live, work, and play by funding policies that work and importing ideas that have worked in places that have suffered from the same problems we are facing today.
» More about Public Safety
- As mayor, I will work to cut city administrative costs before reducing direct services to citizens. By doing more with less, we can stretch tax dollars further. And as the economy and revenue collections recover, we can reinvest the savings in fully funding public safety, eliminating furloughs in the library system, and restoring human service programs.
» More about Budget
- In the last year, Seattle’s unemployment rate has doubled; it is harder than ever to find a job that pays a living wage. We are also facing the threats of a deteriorating Puget Sound, changing climate, and dwindling resources. But within these crises lies a tremendous opportunity. By facilitating the growth of our green economy, we can provide family wage jobs, more effectively utilize our limited natural resources, and clean up the environment that we all rely upon.
» More about Green Jobs
Planning, Land Use, and Zoning
- The policies that govern the way we use land should reflect our diverse and vibrant communities. Making our neighborhoods more affordable, easier places to walk and use transit, and better for the long-term health of our climate are all challenges that demand a collaborative approach – one that puts people at the center of the discussion. A truly collaborative approach isn’t afraid to engage diverse organizations, interests and ideas; it gets its strength from them. And it succeeds where there is the leadership to carry those ideas back to City Hall and see them through.
» More about Planning, Land Use, and Zoning
- Providing secure and affordable housing to all citizens is a social good worthy of the city’s committed investment. It is essential to the city’s economic vitality and to the preservation of our environment that the people who work here, have raised families here, and require this city’s services can afford a place to live.
» More about Housing
Homelessness and Social Services
- More than 8,000 Seattleites are homeless. At a time when so many of us are feeling adverse economic effects, we owe it to each other to evaluate what we can do to make these times a little easier on our most vulnerable fellow citizens. It is important that Seattle develop a more effective model for addressing homelessness; such a development will require a change in the way the city relates to its homeless citizens. But we can only begin to effect this change when we acknowledge that we must meet people where they are and not expect every individual to fit into the same doorway.
» More about Homelessness and Social Services
- By 2010, nearly 20% of the City of Seattle’s population will be made up of immigrants and refugees. Immigrants come to America to pursue the freedom to live, work and raise their families. As Mayor of Seattle, I will ensure that these new Americans are welcomed into our City and our neighborhoods with open arms.
» More about Immigrants and Refugees
- Ask anyone in Seattle where they live, and you will hear about their neighborhood. Our city’s greatest asset is people, and our neighborhoods are our soul. As Mayor, and someone who is proud to have been deeply involved in my own neighborhood, I will honor and celebrate our diverse neighborhoods. If I am elected, healthy and vibrant neighborhoods will be a top priority.
» More about Neighborhoods
- Seattle’s arts, culture, and heritage communities are some of our most treasured and vital assets. Rarely does a city of our size have as many major arts institutions as Seattle does, and artists make up an important part of neighborhoods all over town. In times such as these, the arts need our support. Statistics show that cultural activities are a strong economic driver, which is why I intend to facilitate an even better environment for arts, culture, and heritage organizations. By doing so, we protect jobs and the quality of life in Seattle.
» More about Arts, Culture, and Heritage
- Seattle’s music scene is already nationally recognized and admired, and our many bars, nightclubs, and performers are essential revenue sources for the city. But it can be even better if the city helps continue its growth by encouraging it as we do other industries.
» More about Music and Nightlife
- The future of this city is only as bright as the future of the individuals who live here. Seattle has a tradition of progressive values that are ahead of national norms, and in this spirit we should strive to embrace a culture of caring and respect for our elders. Whereas older adults are more diverse than any other age group, they are too often lumped together as “seniors”—a word usually associated with an age cut-off. Our older adult population is passionate and knowledgeable about both quality of life issues and making the city affordable. It is essential that older adults are not merely served by the city, but are integrally involved in charting its course. Therefore, my Positive Aging initiative aims to break down isolation and enable us to learn from our community elders.
» More about Older Adults
For too long, Seattle’s leaders have refused to take responsibility for the most pressing issues facing our city. “That’s the state’s problem,” they insist. “Only the county is responsible for transit,” they claim. “Talk to the school board,” they plead.
I’m not running to be Mayor of “That’s Not My Department.” Seattle needs an advocate who will fight at every level for Seattle’s citizens, and I will be that mayor.
We need new priorities and investments to keep our city great. We need a different brand of politics to get there.
We can do better. We have to. Help us build the Seattle we believe in.
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