With summer’s busy schedule, the August primary vote and the selection of the top two candidates in the race for the District 3 seat on the Seattle City Council will be here before you know it. Mark your calendar now for a night to hear more from the candidates next week.
A joint forum from the 43rd District Democrats, the 37th District Democrats, and the Tech4Housing group will bring the D3 candidates together next Tuesday night at the KEXP studios at the Seattle Center:
The departure of Kshama Sawant led to enthusiastic leadership bids for this City Council position. We are excited to partner with the 37th Dems and Tech4Housing on this forum. The diversity of candidates, and socio-economic demographics that live within the 43rd and 37th districts felt like it needed to be in an accessible, artful, cultural, industrial, and relaxing place: KEXP.
The moderator is Erica C. Barnett, of PubliCola.
10 Candidates
We are partnering with the 37th Dems and Tech4Housing.
This will be a live in-person event and will also be livestreamed. Masking is recommended.
Livestream details: TBD
Subjects include but are not limited to:living wages
art and cultural support
transit
industry activation
education
carbon neutrality
housing and rent stability
transformative justice
All eight candidates registered for the race are scheduled to attend.
If you would rather take part from home, organizers say livestream details are being worked out.
CHS reported in mid-May on the field to replace Kshama Sawant being set and a kick-off forum hosted by the King County Labor Council. Following years of D3 leadership by the Socialist Alternative firebrand, the 2023 field of candidates seeking to replace her are perhaps most notable for their softer approaches to politics.
You can read more about the candidates and the race so far on the CHS Election 2023 coverage page including what some of the leading D3 candidates said about this week’s vote by the council rejecting a bid by the city attorney to begin prosecuting drug cases that would have typically been handled by the county.
Meanwhile, if you want to hear even more from the candidates themselves and a focus on issues around transit, equity, and mobility, the Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a D3 forum this Saturday, June 10th.
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Of course, fentanyl addiction isn’t even one of the topics being covered.
From the article: “Subjects include but are not limited to …” (emphasis mine)
Yes, true. However, drug addiction, street crime, and public safety in general should’ve been one of the stated subjects and not relegated to a “not limited to” list.
Safety? How many assaults? How many people need to get shot before we talk about the need for visible police presence?
Just a reminder that last cycle the 37th District Dems actually chose to endorse no one so they could in essence endorse a candidate who was not part of the Democratic party and has continually disparaged the Democrats at every opportunity as sell outs (including during the session yesterday). Their “endorsement” along with many of the other local Dem groups (notably the 43rd who actually endorsed Sawant in 2019) has been completely co-opted by activist groups and no longer represent the platforms or policy positions held by the national Democratic Party.
https://southseattleemerald.com/2019/05/17/opinion-the-socialist-alternative-and-the-37th-district-democrats-at-endorsement-meeting-monday/
https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2019/09/history-43rd-district-democrats-endorse-non-democrat-sawant/
It’s not meant to represent the national democratic party… What you call “co-opted” others may call “grassroots organizing”
The forum isn’t even in the district! LOL
This makes no sense: “The diversity of candidates, and socio-economic demographics that live within the 43rd and 37th districts felt like it needed to be in an accessible, artful, cultural, industrial, and relaxing place: KEXP.” KEXP is not within D3. There are lots of places within D3 that meet their stated criteria. Also why the need for wind up about the location at all? It is a candidate forum, what matters is whether it is convenient for D3 residents to attend. This whole announcement is weird and off-putting.
A critical question of the candidates should be: Would you have voted for or against the recent City Council bill to beef up enforcement of the rampant drug problem on our streets?
Erica C moderating this means it will be a Progressive dog and pony show. D3 wants a change from Sawant, not a rubber stamping of a replacement.
I agree. It should be moderated by a journalist rather than an activist.