VIDEO: Brendan Kolding’s official City Council District 1 campaign kickoff

When we interviewed City Council District 1 candidate Brendan Kolding back in February, he declared himself “all in” – though this isn’t the first time he’s run for office, he said he’d be actively campaigning this time. And tonight he took another step, with an official campaign kickoff at Ounces in North Delridge.

Kolding also noted that he’s so serious, he recently resigned his Seattle Police lieutenant job to focus full-time on his campaign. His 15-minute speech focused on themes of homelessness, crime/safety, and “rule of law” – he said once laws are enforced, other issues will fall in place. He did touch on a few other hot topics, including requiring developers to include parking in projects, because “people need their cars,” even those who use transit, as he said he had done while commuting from Delridge. Here’s our video of his speech:

After that, Kolding asked supporters to help him qualify for Democracy Vouchers, and then invited questions. One attendee asked where he stands on West Seattle light-rail routing. Though, he said, he recently had been quoted as saying he supported an elevated line, he said it’s clear that there’s more community support for a tunneled option, so that’s what he’s backing now, because his role is to represent the community.

PREVIOUS KICKOFF COVERAGE: We covered incumbent Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s kickoff on March 24th; Phil Tavel‘s launch at Easy Street Records was part of our February 1st report; in late January, Jesse Greene held a kickoff event at Talarico’s in late January. Isaiah Willoughby hasn’t had a kickoff yet.

FORUMS AND WHAT ELSE IS NEXT: All five candidates were at the season’s first forum last month; here’s our coverage, with video. Next one scheduled is 7 pm April 10th at The Hall @ Fauntleroy during the monthly meeting of the 34th District Democrats, who told us all five candidates have confirmed plans to participate. The field won’t be finalized until the official filing period in May; the top two in the August 6th primary will advance to November.

45 Replies to "VIDEO: Brendan Kolding's official City Council District 1 campaign kickoff"

  • Huck April 2, 2019 (6:28 am)

    He said he will enforce the law??? What are the laws in seattle anyway? It’s been so long since I’ve seen any laws being enforced I’ve forgotten what they are. 

  • Rick Cook April 2, 2019 (8:09 am)

    If you have any resources they’re all sorts of laws that are enforced.

  • A April 2, 2019 (8:14 am)

    He sounds like a great upgrade over Herbold. Let the police enforce the laws. No illegal encampments, book them for trespassing if they don’t accept the services offered to them and don’t move on. Put “no overnight RV parking” signs in the trouble areas where the RV’S congregate. Do this and the crisis will improve dramatically and rather quickly. It’s a pretty simple solution but one our current council won’t accept. They want you to believe it’s a complex problem and we should give them more money to solve it. Save our city! vote them out!

    • Chuck April 2, 2019 (9:12 am)

      This x 1000. Thanks A!

  • delridge72 April 2, 2019 (9:04 am)

    He’s got my vote! (And my four Democracy Vouchers, which I handed to him at the District 1 candidate forum two weeks back.)

  • Karen April 2, 2019 (10:06 am)

    Where do I send my vouchers?  Address, please.

    • WSB April 2, 2019 (11:13 am)

      The story contains both links to the candidate’s website and to the city page with info about Democracy Vouchers.

  • anonyme April 2, 2019 (10:52 am)

    I sent Kolding my vouchers a few weeks ago.  Don’t agree with him on everything, but he’s the only law & order candidate we’ve had in a long, long time.  I fully support his approach to homelessness.  Until we get rid of the grifters profiting off of that situation it will only continue to get worse.  I think he’ll bring some desperately needed balance to the council.

  • Nolan April 2, 2019 (11:00 am)

    “[H]e said once laws are enforced, other issues will fall in place” — if it weren’t for the other comments on this page, I’d say this doesn’t even need any commentary, but… are y’all really falling for that? 


    Ignoring the disgusting pro-authoritarian underbelly for now, law enforcement is a notoriously inefficient method of shaping behavior and should be a last resort in EVERY circumstance. You want drivers not to speed, you use traffic calming to discourage it instead of parking cruisers to issue tickets. You want violently mentally ill people off the streets, you give them unconditional housing and access to resources (in that order, non-negotiable) instead of paying the police to harass them into taking a bus to a different borough. Then again, when all you have is a hammer…

    • M April 2, 2019 (12:10 pm)

      I’m not sure that providing unconditional housing to junkies with tax payer money is a solution. I’m also not saying that all homeless are junkies. Let’s start by segmenting our homeless problem. I’m personally sick of being taken advantage of and watching this city I love being destroyed in the name of compassion. My own baby sister is a junkie in this town. I’m sitting around watching her destroy herself, those around her, and our community. The best thing for her and perhaps the only thing that would save her life is to toss her butt in jail for a bit. 

      • Nolan April 2, 2019 (12:52 pm)

        Good news – you don’t have to be sure, it’s empirically shown to work: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/


        That’s actually a great illustration of my point, thanks. Moralism is a siren song for voters, and it is the duty of every thinking citizen to look at the facts and the studies rather than supporting “truthy” viewpoints that are, in fact, actively harmful.

        • CMT April 2, 2019 (1:33 pm)

          I admit that my first reaction is to agree with M because it feels like spending others’ hard earned money on those who are choosing to spend their own resources on drugs is not fair or just.   And yes, I understand that the issue is more nuanced than that but you can’t get around the reality that that is how a lot of people will  react.  That said, my goal is not to disprove what you are saying but to learn.  When I read the link you provided I saw “theory” and “belief” with respect to the proposed solution but I did not see the empirical evidence that you referenced.  Not saying it doesn’t exist but that I do not see it in the link.  Am I missing something in the link?

          • Nolan April 3, 2019 (12:24 pm)

            Sure, here’s a link to the fact sheet with citations that is prominently featured on the page I linked: http://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/housing-first-fact-sheet.pdf

          • CMT April 3, 2019 (1:30 pm)

            I already read that but assumed that could not possibly be what you were referring to as “empirical data.”  I was expecting something a little more objective than what is largely a description of the organization’s own approach citing cherry picked studies vaguely supporting the approach.  But thanks.

    • Jethro Marx April 2, 2019 (12:41 pm)

      You’re assuming that everyone wants effective solutions to problems surrounding homelessness that make efficient use of our resources. If that were the case we could debate which approaches meet those goals, but the blog comments reflect many want a more punitive/harass them into a different borough approach, regardless of its effectiveness. Shall we spend 90 thousand a year to jail someone for illegal camping rather than 50 thousand to house them? Seems a silly question, but if the less expensive approach feels too “socialist” and the other feels like “what they did in the good old days/Bellevue” than you’ll get silly answers from silly folk. As vocal as they may be clamoring for law and order here on the blog, I don’t think enough of them are out there to base a platform on that’ll get you elected. I lost interest in his ideas when I got to the “…and then everything else will fall into place!” part of his message.

      • A April 2, 2019 (1:29 pm)

        You’re saying that we shouldn’t take a punitive approach. So we should just welcome them with open arms? That is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place and it isn’t working. Countless criminals and junkies are here from other cities because they know Seattle will welcome them. I want a council member that will not cater to the non contributing members of society and focus on keeping us hard working tax paying citizens safe. I think there are many of us who think that way and therefore I believe your comment about there not being enough of us out there for him to base his platform on this issue and get elected is incorrect. We shall see come November. Can’t wait!

      • CMT April 2, 2019 (1:40 pm)

        Just to further the discussion, I think that there is a belief that some are actually helped by being incarcerated because they are unable to use drugs, get clean and try to move forward with a different lifestyle – forced rehab, if you will.  There are testimonials to that effect, although that may or may not be a significant percentage of outcomes.  And of course, that assumes that there are resources to assist the individual in reintegrating into society after serving time.  My point is two-fold.  First, that those who advocate enforcing laws aren’t necessarily being punitive or harassing.  Second, if the City spent $90,000 jailing someone but that caused the person to get clean and not be a further burden on public resources, it may be cheaper than spending $50,000 on an unsuccessful attempt at housing for an individual that has no intention to get clean.

      • Marietta April 2, 2019 (4:37 pm)

        Jethro-  it’s foolish to pose that the only options a homeless person and/or junkie would have, is to be housed, or to be jailed. The person just cannot break the law by trespassing, being a vagrant, or selling or using drugs in public. Given the threat of incarceration, they may find a living situation with family or friends, or move away, or even possibly get straight. If any of these things happen- bam! Problem solved AND we just saved $50K to $90K!

        • Jethro Marx April 2, 2019 (7:32 pm)

          Yes, magical thinking may save us from our problems, but surely not often, what? You are imposing a reasonable thought process and moral code of your own making onto a “junkie.” That may or may not be a good code, but it certainly ain’t an addict’s code. Y’all confuse being practical with being enabling. It’s not about what we think people OUGHT to do, it’s about how we deal with the reality of what they WILL do and what we can do to bring the two closer.

          • Marietta April 2, 2019 (8:19 pm)

            I use the word junkie, because junkies are the people that must be forced into action, and take some responsibility- or go into detention and get cleaned up that way- for everyone’s benefit. I can see the reality of what a junkie will do ffar too often in this town, and it ain’t good for them or me. 

          • Canton April 2, 2019 (10:00 pm)

            Jethro, let’s say, hypothetically, you had a sister that’s an addict living at your parents home. Parents are trying to help, but valuables, keep coming up missing. Do you turn a blind eye, cause, at least she seems happy. Then your parents find out, she’s been forging their checks, and opening credit accounts with their SS numbers. Still a blind eye, when she’s not only taking herself down, but parents as well? Your hypothetical sister, is what we have now, the taxpayers are the parents getting screwed.

          • Jethro Marx April 2, 2019 (11:41 pm)

            No, Canton, I wouldn’t do any of the things you hypothesize, and no, that’s not what we have.  Would your hypothetical sister quit drugs if she got arrested and sentenced to a prison term?  Forever? Or just until she could get high again?  Would you feel happy while she was locked up? Are your feelings, after all, very important?  They certainly aren’t relevant to a discussion of solutions.

          • Canton April 3, 2019 (7:15 pm)

            Yes, my hypothetical sister, would be locked up, separated from the drugs that are destroying her, from the inside out. With time, a clear head, a good place to start anew. Will it always work, of course not. She would have to want clarity, more than escaping reality. And your solution is..? Hands in pockets, shrugging shoulders? What solution would you recommend, to make people more accountable, for their situation in life? The taxpayers can not buy everyone homes, when they have to work very hard to keep their own.

    • A April 2, 2019 (4:49 pm)

      Yes I am falling for that Nolan. Law enforcement will be way more effective at cleaning up the problem than the current mess our socialist council has created. All I see are tents and rv’s everywhere. I also see a dramatic increase in property crime, trash, needles, feces and other disgusting things on our streets that I didn’t see five years ago. Tell me how enforcing the laws won’t be a better alternative to what we are doing now? Also, as far as your road calming comment goes, people are still going to speed no matter what you do to the road. Now you have a road like 35th ave with a dramatic increase in rear end collisions due to your road calming solution. I feel less safe on the two lane part of 35th than I do on the four lane part. The road calming of 35th has been a massive failure and is the main reason why they didn’t extend it to Alaska street like they initially wanted to. Looks like there are a lot of flaws in your solutions Nolan

      • Nolan April 3, 2019 (12:29 pm)

        The city has been largely unable to adopt solutions that empirically work because people like you think that opinions matter more than facts. You’d let anyone die as long as you get to feel firm in your conviction that they deserved it. Am I wrong?

        • CMT April 3, 2019 (3:23 pm)

          There’s that word “empirically” again . . . 

  • Lincoln Park Mom April 2, 2019 (11:31 am)

    Sometimes a hammer does the job.

    • CandrewB April 4, 2019 (5:14 am)

      Voting for the hammer

  • Lagartija Nick April 2, 2019 (11:34 am)

    though this isn’t the first time he’s run for office, he said he’d be actively campaigning this time.“Actively campaigning this time.”So he didn’t campaign the last time he ran?What a joke!

  • Peter April 2, 2019 (11:39 am)

    The “war on cars” lie automatically loses my vote. 

    • A April 2, 2019 (4:58 pm)

      The war on cars truth will possibly get him my vote. Really liked that he will make developers include parking in their developments

      • Peter April 3, 2019 (10:24 am)

        Forcing developers to include parking raises consturction costs $30,000 per space, that in turn has to be paid by renters. A, why do you want to force the cost of housing even higher? All that will accomplish is to force more people into homelessness.

    • Q April 4, 2019 (3:36 pm)

      Same, this guy would do better on the eastside. It’s unfortunate how conservative many in West seattle are but fortunately the rest of the city balances the wingers out.

  • West Seattle Hipster April 2, 2019 (12:02 pm)

    Where does he stand on council member cell phone use while constituents are talking at meetings?.This candidate may not be perfect, but it looks like he will keep the community’s best interests in mind, not just the special interest groups that control local politics.  I will be sending my vouchers to his office.

  • Concerned citizen April 2, 2019 (1:44 pm)

    Mr Kolding has my full support. Time for change in this city

  • WS Realtor April 2, 2019 (2:37 pm)

    Brendan has my vote and my democracy vouchers!! Been following him for awhile now and he has the support of the SPD.   In addition, he needs 150 people to donate min. of $10, max of $250 to his campaign before the democracy vouchers will be released to him.  This is true for all candidates.  If you want to see change on the City Council, please go on his website and support his campaign.  Looking forward to the D1 candidate debate on April 7th.

  • Anspo April 2, 2019 (3:44 pm)

    I am splitting my vouchers between Kolding and Tavel.  If we get those two in the general election then we are guaranteed change!

    • delridge72 April 2, 2019 (8:54 pm)

      Agreed. I want to see Herbold out after the primary, with Kolding and Tavel in the general. And whoever loses in the general can run against Mosqueda or Gonzalez in 2021. 

  • Katt April 2, 2019 (4:04 pm)

    It breaks my heart to see how the mayor, the city council, and the criminal justice system in Seattle allow the severely mentally ill and drug addicted homeless to commit crimes to feed their demons while living in the squalor that they created.  We need to give them a chance.  They break the law, they go to jail.  In jail, we need to provide them with the opportunity for treatment.  I will give all my vouchers to Brendan and vote for him wholeheartedly.  This insanity must end.  

  • M April 2, 2019 (5:34 pm)

    I’m just hoping all of these comments turn into votes. I do sense finally that maybe Seattle is finally ready for a changing of the guard. Fool me once…. 

  • Mj April 2, 2019 (5:57 pm)

    Anspo I think you meant to say we are guaranteed a major improvement if Tavel and Kolding win the primary

  • WS Guy April 2, 2019 (8:16 pm)

    I need to hear him way more committed to a tunnel before he wins my vote or vouchers.

    • pjmanley April 3, 2019 (9:04 pm)

      Kolding is firmly pro-tunnel now.  At first he had concerns about the price tag, but the overwhelming pro-tunnel feedback he received from constituents turned him firmly in favor of the tunnel.  

  • John April 2, 2019 (10:07 pm)

    I’ll consider him.  I definitely decided I will never ever ever vote for Herbold after she voted against the street vacation of Occidental for the Hansen basketball stadium that we would have gotten for free.  

  • Huck April 2, 2019 (10:57 pm)

    Herbold must go. We need change desperately!

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