(Image: goodwinforseattle.com)

CHS asked the eight candidates running in the District 3 primary election eleven questions about how they would serve the neighborhoods around Capitol Hill, the Central District, and First Hill on the Seattle City Council. As you consider your August 1st primary ballot, we have 88 answers for you. We asked the candidates about everything from policing to single family zoning to homelessness and lidding I-5. With help from readers, we asked what specific ideas make each candidate stand out and what positions were they willing to take heat for supporting. We also asked how they would address issues around the community's relationship with the East Precinct. Meanwhile, after years of complaints about challenges in connecting with the D3 representative's office, we also asked each candidate about their plans to connect with the communities they represent. A lot of them have heard the complaints and are promising greater access and office hours in the district. Now it will be up to you to hold them to it -- and show up. You can view every candidate's answers at one time on the All Candidates D3 Primary Survey Results Page here. You can find our full coverage of the 2023 primary here.

Below are the answers from candidate Bobby Goodwin. The Pierce County public defender has made waves in the D3 race for his support of a crackdown on public drug use and support for tougher stances around the city’s homelessness crisis.

• BOBBY GOODWIN: Bobby Goodwin, a public defender who wants cops to work harder and the streets of Seattle to be safer, wants your District 3 vote

Q: What is a specific example of a change you were part of that has made District 3 a better place? What was your role?

Goodwin: I’ve been actively involved in organized clean-ups throughout the district as well as countless hours of volunteer efforts to cover up graffiti. The efforts of folks like me sometimes go unnoticed and unappreciated but were it not for them this district would be a much uglier place. This sort of volunteer work is something I intend to not only keep up, but to expand upon if elected. I’ve committed to spending at least 20 hours a month volunteering to clean-up district 3, whether that be picking up trash or covering up graffiti. One day of service a year isn’t good enough, and I intend to lead by example.

Q: If elected, what regular presence would your office keep in District 3? Meetings? Office time? How often? Where?

Goodwin: I don’t think I can intelligently answer this question without actually being in the position with a clearer picture of my weekly obligations, etc. That being said, if there are satellite office locations within D3 I would be happy to rotate office hours between them so as to enable better access for constituents. I also want to expand access to council meetings by occasionally holding them in early evenings and/or on Saturdays. I would aspire to have at least a couple hours a week of available office time.

Q: What council committees are you best suited for? How will that help D3?

Goodwin: Public Safety & Human Services The biggest and most pressing issues facing the city today are all connected to public safety. My experience as a public defender for the last 12 years has better qualified me to serve in that role than any of the other seven candidates. I will help to bridge the trust gap between law enforcement and the community and through effective bargaining establish a contract with SPD that incorporates commitments to adopting more community-centric policing strategies and less militaristic practices.

Q: Which recent Seattle council member would you most like to emulate? Why?

Goodwin: Council President Juarez She has shown courage in the face of overwhelming pressure from deeply partisan voices that attempted to silence her. Despite disturbing threats she remained true to her beliefs. Plus she used to be a PD – real recognize real.

Q: What is a position you hold that is controversial or unpopular among D3 voters? (Reader question)

Goodwin: My position as to the adoption of the RCWs on public drug use into the SMC is controversial. I am after all the only one of the 8 candidates who would have voted with the minority of the current council on this issue. When I have time to explain my position to voters and get into the nuances, most tend to come around or at least to soften their visceral reaction to a policy they initially perceived of as merely perpetuating the drug war and expanding the carceral state. Fundamentally it is about ensuring we have the additional tool for intervention – to disrupt the cycle of addiction. Continuing to do nothing is an unacceptable option.

Q: What is a City Hall department or major initiative you would cut back on and how would you reprioritize that spending?

Goodwin: I’m concerned broadly about there being far too many unsustainable salaries among city employees. There needs to be some recalibrating particularly among those individuals who are making above $200k. We need to do better with the basics – I want to see more pot holes filled in and sidewalks repaired. But also, I’d like to see the stretch of Broadway North of the light rail station pedestrianized – wider sidewalks, perhaps protected bike lanes, and slower cars. That area is ripe for revitalization.

Is there a way to help SPD East Precinct feel like a less hostile and more responsive, supportive presence in the neighborhood? How? (Reader question)

Goodwin: It’s a two-way street. When Pride bans SPD from marching, it perpetuates hostility. When council candidates decry SPD as being a bunch of racists, that perpetuates hostility. Leaders lessen hostility when they engage in healthy, respectful dialogue with SPD. That said I want to see more community policing by which I mean in part more officers conducting foot patrols and Officers making conscious efforts to connect to communities in all sorts of ways, not just in response to cries for help. Officers need to engage in training programs that work to reverse the paranoia-inducing / fear-mongering approaches that they have been instructed on which place officer safety on a pedestal, not community safety.

Q: What is your position on single family housing/residential small lot zoning, and what is your position on upzones across Seattle? (Reader question)

Goodwin: Broadly speaking we should be upzoning around the city to encourage more density. But we need to be mindful of the impacts such development has on our neighbors, particularly those that are of limited means and face increased risk of displacement. There are often greener alternatives than simply tearing down every SFH for the purpose of placing triplexes and the like in their stead, such as adding ADUs.

Q: What does Seattle need to do that it isn’t already trying to address the homelessness crisis? What would that look like in D3?

Goodwin: More tiny houses. Establish a couple safe-lots for RV parking. Seattle needs to get our neighbors in the county to contribute more money to the KCRHA.

Q: What is one idea for District 3 that you have that no other candidate is talking about?

Goodwin: Specific to D3: the pedestrianization of north Broadway. Broadly to the City: Increasing the tax on short term rentals. Imposing a litter tax on most frequently trashed items. Imposing a tax on spray cans and paint-pens. and finally Prohibiting the resale of concert tickets above face value of the original ticket by ticket brokers (ie: stub hub, ticketmaster, etc.)

Q: How would you support lidding I-5?

Goodwin: I’d make sure we get moving on the structural assessments of i-5 to determine rehab, retrofit and preservation needs. Ultimately the project is going to cost a lot of money and it is a good idea to ensure there is sufficient buy-in from the community at large. I would promote the plan and coordinate with the advocates passionate about the project, but this is not something that is simply going to get funded by the levy to move Seattle. If the taxpayers aren’t sold the lid is going nowhere.

Q: Far in the future, if the city were to honor you with a statue, where would it be placed and what would it look like?

Goodwin: It would be a statue of a man painting on a wall. It would be on Broadway, and the wall would be somewhere along Seattle Central which is constantly tagged up.

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