Tag Archives: city council

Round 2 of District 3 candidate forums a more scripted tussle in Madison Valley

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This week’s second Council District 3 candidate forum was more scripted than the first but Kshama Sawant and Pamela Banks still managed to get in a tussle or two.

“Rent control is not the answer, it doesn’t generate units and it creates false hopes,” Banks said about her opponent’s signature campaign issue.

“Candidates who take campaign funds from companies like Vulcan show they could not create affordable housing,” Sawant said during one of her opportunities to punch back.

Sawant has been clear about her affordable housing goals including support for rent control, linkage fees, and city-developed housing. For Banks, who has served as public relations lead for the Department of Housing and Human Services and served on the board of organizations like Capitol Hill Housing, the affordability platform is more fluid though CHS discussed issues of homelessness and the soaring cost of living in Seattle with her earlier this year.

All five candidates gathered Monday night before a Madison Park/Madison Valley crowd Monday evening. Inside The Bush School’s expansive indoor gym, residents of District 3’s northeastern neighborhoods heard candidates run through the standard gamut of questions, plus a few neighborhood specific ones.

Unlike past forums, candidates were given many questions ahead of time and the crowd was noticeably more subdued. Continue reading →

In nod to Socialist Alternative Sawant, 43rd Democrats give no endorsement in District 3 race

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It was a night for “non-establishment” candidates Tuesday as the 43rd District Democrats made their ritual endorsements in this year’s local elections, which included votes on six City Council races.

Democrats in the 43rd Legislative District, which includes Capitol Hill and downtown, made no endorsement in the Council District 3 race where de facto incumbent Kshama Sawant has disrupted an otherwise Democratic stronghold. The vote is a clear blow to the hopes of Sawant challengers including the Central District’s Pamela Banks, seen by many as the favorite to make it through August’s top-two primary after a raft of City Hall endorsements. The victory, of sorts, continues a string for the Socialist Alternative candidate. Sawant also brought out a swell of supporters and was the crowd favorite in last week’s District 3 candidates forum.

Other incumbents and “establishment” candidates also failed to get a nod during the event, although the vote only represents a tiny fraction of the most politically active Democrats.

As the non-Democrats in District 3, Sawant and Lee Carter were technically ineligible for an endorsement from the roughly 150 party members gathered inside the University Heights building in the U-District. Sawant supporters in the party, including King County Council member Larry Gossett, urged a “no endorsement” vote for the District 3 race as a procedural vote for Sawant. Continue reading →

32+ things CHS heard during the District 3 candidates forum

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IMG_9724IMG_9751There weren’t many fireworks, but the crowd sure was fired up for the first ever candidate forum for the newly created District 3 race. All five candidates seeking to represent Capitol Hill and the Central District at City Hall gathered before a standing room only crowd Tuesday night to answer questions on a wide range of topics, including crime, affordable housing, and transportation.

There was no back-and-forth or debating among the candidates — in fact, candidates clapped for each other on multiple occasions and rarely addressed one another. Occasional boos and hisses from the crowd came mostly when a candidate spoke out against rent control, a key part of City Council member Kshama Sawant’s platform.

Despite being the de-facto incumbent in the race, Sawant faced no challenges to her two year record on City Council. It would have been a tough room to do so. Sawant supporters packed the space and were told several times by moderators to hold their applause.

Organized by the 43rd District Democrats, the event was unusually energetic and well attended by both voters and media for a City Council forum. You can see a raw play-by-play by scrolling though #43SeaD3 or watch a video of the event here.


Highlights: Sawant on housing and rent control | Banks opening | Lightning round waterfront tunnel and transit levy

Most of the event, held at 19th and Madison’s Mt. Zion Baptist Church, featured questions from moderators Josh Feit of PubliCola and Erica Barnett of The C. is for Crank, and included questions submitted by the audience.

Two lightning rounds had candidates answer questions by holding up “yes” or “no” placards, or a box of frozen waffles, which gave them 10 seconds to explain their reason for waffling on the issue.


Sawant is leading the fundraising race, with nearly $82,000 raised as of May 11th. She also has the lowest average contribution size at $110 — a testament to the candidate’s grassroots approach. Pamela Banks has raised the second most in the race at $48,500, closely followed by Rod Hearne as Morgan Beach and Lee Carter trail far behind.

Another candidate forum is scheduled to take place June 8th, organized by residents of Madison Park and Madison Valley.

CHS Notes:

  • In her opening statement, Sawant touted her role in passing a $15 an hour minimum wage in Seattle, her choice to not accept a wage above an “average worker’s wage,” and refusal to take corporate donations for her campaign.
  • Hearne received no applause for touting his role in fighting for marriage equality in the state, a key accomplishment for his candidacy.
  • Calling himself an “informational candidate,” Carter said he was not seeking votes., rather he wanted to promote a return to neighborhood government and senior housing. Continue reading →

On Capitol Hill-CD middle ground, five District 3 candidates go head to head for first time

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Staying true to form, Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant set the tone for Tuesday evening’s District 3 candidate forum, calling her her opponents — and her fellow councilors — “business-as-usual, corporate-funded candidates.” The statement came in a media release Monday announcing that Sawant handed in some 3,000 signatures to qualify for the August primary ballot.

The other four candidates, and any that may still announce before the May 15th deadline, will have to pay the filing fee or submit 1,119 signatures to make the primary ballot. The top two vote getters will then advance to the November election.

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Up to this week, Sawant and the other four candidates have seemingly gone of their way to avoid talking about each other directly. Tuesday’s forum, which will include some candidate back-and-forth according to organizers, will be the first opportunity to see how candidates handle push back from each other on District 3 grounds. You can ask questions virtually during the event using #43SeaD3.

The 43rd District Democrats candidates forum will start at 6:30 PM Tuesday inside 19th and Madison’s Mount Zion Baptist Church. All five of District 3’s tributes have been confirmed for the event: Continue reading →

City Council Notes | Seattle’s water status, transportation levy, Transportation Benefit District, Bee City

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While we look forward to Tuesday night’s District 3 candidates forum, here’s a look at what is going on with Seattle’s City Council this week.

  • Seattle’s water: Seattle Public Utilities director Ray Hoffman will brief the council this week on the status of the city’s water supply. The summary? Even though there is no snow, Hoffman’s report says…
    Water supply outlook remains good
    + Reservoirs are at the upper range of refill targets
    – Keep them as full as possible through spring refill period through capture of rainfall (and snowmelt)
    + Continue to monitor and make operational adjustments carefully
    No worries.
    Screen Shot 2015-05-11 at 5.11.41 PM
  • Transportation levy: The revised proposal for a $930 million transportation levy will land at City Council Tuesday as a special committee takes up shaping the proposal for approval for November’s ballot. Part of the discussion will be how much tax capacity the city has — according to the analysis provided by City Hall staff, the answer appears to be plenty:Screen Shot 2015-05-11 at 5.33.49 PM
  • Seattle Transportation Benefit District: More immediately satisfying than the transportation levy chatter could be the nuts and bolts of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District being put into place starting with Tuesday’s transportation committee session:
    This legislation increases the appropriations in SDOT and in the Human Services Department (HSD) to reflect funding from the Seattle Transportation Benefit District’s Proposition One, which was approved by voters in November 2014. It also creates two new positions in SDOT. In addition, the legislation authorizes the Director of Finance to enter into an interlocal agreement with the State Department of Licensing to collect the vehicle license fees on behalf of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. Continue reading →

Retired ‘neighborhood government’ advocate enters District 3 race as fourth Sawant challenger

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unnamedA retired public media consultant, TV news broadcaster, and neighborhood activist has become the fifth candidate to enter the race for District 3.

In the 1970s, Lee Carter, 72, was head of the Central Seattle Community Council Federation and told CHS he wants to put neighborhood power and senior issues back at the forefront of city politics.

“We cannot solve the problems of housing for seniors… without returning power to the neighborhoods,” he said

Carter is the fourth candidate to challenge expected frontrunner Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant for the Capitol Hill/Central District-dominated district seat. All candidates must register by May 15th to appear on the August 4th primary ballot. The top two finishers from August will advance to the November election.

This election won’t be Carter’s first run at City Council. In 1999 Carter won 8% of the vote in a primary election for a City Council seat. At the time he supported re-writing the city charter to put neighborhoods at the forefront of city decision making.

After being active in the “neighborhood government” movement in the 1970s, Carter spent much of the 1980s as a political reporter at KIRO and KING. Continue reading →

Now a little more YIMBY, plan to scale back new developments in Seattle lowrise areas moving forward

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This 5-story microhousing development in a Lowrise 3 zone at 11th and Republican is the type of development new zoning rules would attempt to restrict. (Photo: CHS)

This 5-story microhousing development in a Lowrise 3 zone at 11th and Republican is the type of development new zoning rules would attempt to restrict. (Photo: CHS)

A bill designed to scale back the size of new housing projects, including future microhousing and townhouse developments around Capitol Hill, is finally moving forward with the Seattle City Council after nearly two years of wrangling between neighborhood residents and pro-density advocates.

However, one provision was left out of the bill after members of the mayor’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Committee said it would discourage developers from maximizing the living space inside their buildings. Then-City Council member Sally Clark initially proposed to remove an existing 4-foot height bonus and another floor-to-area ratio bonus for developers that included basement units in their projects. Continue reading →

In race to catch Sawant, Banks kicks off Council District 3 campaign on Capitol Hill

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Banks wants to catch Sawant, sure, but first she'll need to jump over challenger Rod Hearne (Image: CHS)

Banks wants to catch Sawant, sure, but first she’ll need to jump over challenger Rod Hearne (Image: CHS)

Surrounded by current and former Seattle elected officials at Capitol Hill’s Sole Repair event space, Pamela Banks formally launched her campaign Monday evening for City Council District 3.

The longtime Central District resident and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle told the packed room she would bring “progressive leadership in District 3 that is inclusive.”

Banks didn’t mention any specific policies she would champion in the district, which includes Capitol Hill. She did say finding solutions to the rising cost of living in the Central Area would be one of her top priorities. “It’s unacceptable that rents keep rising while wages remain stagnant,” she said. Continue reading →

#rentcontrol: 11 things CHS heard at the Affordable Housing Town Hall

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(Image: City of Seattle)

(Image: City of Seattle)

If rent control and “stabilization” becomes law in Seattle, you can point to last week’s affordable housing town hall as the night it all started. Calling the event “ground zero” in the fight for housing justice, Seattle City Council member and District 3 candidate Kshama Sawant drew a standing room only crowd at City Hall to talk about bolstering tenant’s rights in the city.

“I know there are many, many scare stories,” Sawant said. “The purpose is to have everybody leave here today with a real feeling of inspiration.”

Along with outgoing council member Nick Licata, Sawant lined-up several speakers to talk about their ideas on affordable housing ahead of a public comment period and brief speeches by four candidates seeking to be appointed to Sally Clark’s recently-vacated council seat.

Emotions ran high at the meeting as people shared stories about rent increases forcing them out of apartments. Others blamed landlords and foreign investors for Seattle’s skyrocketing cost of living.

Passing a rent control law in Seattle would first require the state legislature lifting a statewide ban on such policies. While there seems to be little indication today that lawmakers would take up the issue in Olympia, Sawant is making it a key part of her campaign for the Capitol Hill and Central District-centered Council District 3 position.

The parallels to the push for a $15 minimum wage in Seattle are unmistakable. And Mayor Ed Murray’s approach to embracing the call for affordability while moderating the activism with committees and recommendation reports has been in high gear for weeks now.

But more radical factions persist. In the coming days, Licata said he would forward a proclamation for the council to vote on to state its support for lifting the statewide ban on rent control. Sawant previously elaborated on her ideas about rent stabilization in an email exchange with CHS. Here are the 10 things CHS heard at the Affordable Housing Town Hall:

  1. Licata said the state could be violating federal housing law by not letting Seattle take steps to address its affordability crisis.
  2. David Trotter, a candidate for the at-large City Council Position 8, called the state legislature “bullies and terrorists” for preventing Seattle from implementing rent control. Continue reading →

Council District 3 candidate Morgan Beach hosting gender pay gap event on Capitol Hill

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Morgan Beach

Morgan Beach

In case you didn’t know, Tuesday is Equal Pay Day — a day established in 1996 to raise awareness about the nation’s gender wage gap. To mark the day, Council District 3 candidate Morgan Beach will be hosting an Equal Pay Day Social at Capitol Hill’s Sole Repair to “explore the culture” behind women earning less than men in the workplace. Panelists for the Tuesday evening event include:

Christina Pedersen — mom, restaurant manager and community activist
Tamika Moss — HR professional and IDF Fellow
Maggie Humphreys — PRR and Co-Founder of Woman Worthy
Tiffany Woelfel — Co-Director of the Younger Women’s Task Force, salary negotiation guru, veteran, and women’s advocate

According to one study (PDF), Seattle has one of the widest gender pay gaps in the nation, with women earning 73 cents for every dollar earned by men.

When Beach announced her candidacy in January for the newly formed, Capitol Hill-centered district, she told CHS that the gender pay gap would be the top issue in her campaign. The 28-year-old Portage Bay resident sits on the Seattle Women’s Commission and is a legislative advocate for Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest.

Beach will have her work cut out for her to be the standout District 3 candidate on the issue of raising wages in Seattle. Expected District 3 frontrunner City Council member Kshama Sawant was elected in 2013 for supporting a city-wide $15 minimum wage and was instrumental in getting it passed last year. Marriage equality organizer Rod Hearne and Urban League CEO Pamela Banks are also running for the District 3 position.

Council member Jean Godden, who’s running in Council District 4 this year, has also long advocated for gender pay equity within the city and helped launch the Gender Equity Initiative last year.

The Equal Pay Day Social will be held Tuesday at 5:30 PM at Sole Repair, 1001 E Pike. Find more details here.