ELECTION 2021: Sara Nelson running again for City Council citywide Position 9

Another citywide candidacy announcement today – this time, Sara Nelson is running again for City Council Position 9, the citywide seat currently held by Councilmember Lorena González, who announced Wednesday she’s running for mayor. Nelson ran for the seat in 2017 and finished third in the primary. She is co-founder of Fremont Brewing and has worked as a City Council policy adviser (for former Councilmember Richard Conlin). Her announcement says she “wants to put her success in business and city government to work for all Seattleites,” and quotes her as saying, “I will work to bring back jobs and community resources to Seattle by revitalizing our downtown core and neighborhood business districts.” Nelson lives in Green Lake. She is the first candidate for this seat to send us an announcement, but five people have registered campaigns with the city. The field won’t be final until May; the primary is August 3rd.

M February 4, 2021 (12:25 pm)

Yes! You’ve got my vote.

Eric Alki February 4, 2021 (12:45 pm)

Great candidate! You’ve got my support.

Anne February 4, 2021 (1:06 pm)

That’s great that she says“I will work to bring back jobs and community resources to Seattle by revitalizing our downtown core and neighborhood business districts.” What I want to know is- HOW?

Frog February 4, 2021 (4:10 pm)

I wonder if “revitalize” is a code word for “gentrify” or “overbuild,” with developer profits being the guiding principle. It seems that Seattle elections always give the choice between real-estate-construction-Amazon on one side, and Chavezista socialists on the other. Middle class tax donkeys who care about quality of life are never represented. Every election feels like choosing between bad and worse.
AMD February 4, 2021 (5:52 pm)

I had the same question. Nearly all the jobs lost downtown and its current state were due to COVID. Once people get back to work, there will be local workers there to support the restaurants and shops again. Downtown was extremely vital before the pandemic, and I’m concerned she’s really talking about shuttling the homeless out of sight and into a greenbelt somewhere.
- M February 4, 2021 (6:49 pm)
  
  Downtown’s problems are much more than CoVid. Remember that shooting on 3rd Ave last January? Nobody really talked about that anymore. It’s scary downtown, and I’m kind of tired of people telling me it’s not. I’m tired of people yelling at me, grabbing at me, and following me around. Businesses are closing because we allow whomever wants to shoplift steal away. Want to smash some business windows because you don’t like anything at at. Suuure, that’s free speech. And I’m sorry, but “success in business” does ABSOLUTELY translate to an effective government official. One that can be objective and weights the costs/benefits of all community stakeholders. Proven success in doing anything at all really. Many of us have gone along with this little social experiment of the current council regime. And what have we gotten for it? Lots of talk, yes. Lots of hatred toward business, yes and those that try to protect public. Solutions to issues like homelessness, drugs and crime? Nah.This is Seattle. All she has to do is not be awful and she has my vote. Fool me once… Even if you don’t believe in supporting our business community, we need diversity on our council. Diversity of thought and opinion. Diversity of community representation. No board of any kind can be effective without diversity. It’s desperately needed on our council. We don’t even need to throw all of the current council out of town (although I certainly dream of that). But PLEASE can we have just ONE council person with a different point of view.
  - AMD February 5, 2021 (10:03 am)
    
    There are shootings in the Junction too. Which is why I wonder if “revitalize” is code for “sweep poor people out of sight” and not a real action plan, because it seems targeted at where the homeless people are. I worked downtown until everything closed in March. I worked odd shifts, and walked along 3rd sometimes at midnight to get home. I don’t find it any scarier than walking in Greenwood at that hour (and to be honest, less scary than the Junction). My comments on what caused everything to shut down are based on years spending a heck of a lot of time downtown, and knowing the people who work at many of the restaurants that had to close once everyone started working from home. There was lots of economic opportunity and vitality in the downtown core before COVID. Poor people aren’t scary. I will not vote for any candidate who thinks the visibility of poverty is the problem with it. If that turns out to be her stance (still waiting to hear more about what else she thinks will “revitalize” downtown besides getting COVID under control and people going back to work there).
- Question Authority February 4, 2021 (8:37 pm)
  
  Tents, trash and needles don’t belong on sidewalks in any downtown business core. Wanting a safe and productive business friendly City hardly reads as forced relocation, more an enforcement model of existing laws.
  - Mel February 5, 2021 (9:44 am)
    
    Agree! I also agree with the poster above about downtown being scary. And I’m also tired of people telling me it’s not. It is. I shouldn’t have to fear for my safety when walking downtown. I too have been yelled at, approached, and grabbed more than once.

Sam February 4, 2021 (1:11 pm)

Sounds promising, worth a look

Lagartija Nick February 4, 2021 (2:44 pm)

For all of who commented negatively on Gonzalez running for mayor, here’s your opportunity to vote for a *moderate (read republican) for city council. Good luck with that. :)

Kram February 4, 2021 (3:37 pm)

A moderate is a moderate, not a republican. A republican will never get elected in Seattle because everything is going so perfectly without them /s.
Verne February 4, 2021 (3:44 pm)

Your response is confusing to me. If I don’t like the positions that the City Council has been taking and like the statements made by Nelson, I shouldn’t consider supporting her because you call her a republican?
- John February 4, 2021 (5:22 pm)
  
  I suspect Kram is being sarcastic.No one would suggest that Seattle is being run perfectly without any Republicans.
  Just read the blog every day and you’ll see how Seattle is not being run.Think the bridge, for example.
RegularPerson February 4, 2021 (5:34 pm)

Yes, the old Seattle political smear campaign by calling anyone not a socialist a conservative republican. I like that she calls herself a pragmatic moderate. She has my vote so far.
- Lagartija Nick February 5, 2021 (9:16 am)
  
  Regular Person, is that like when conservatives call anyone not a republican a socialist? Like you just did?

reed February 4, 2021 (3:07 pm)

I always find it laughable how politicians tout their “success in business” as a qualification for government service. The purpose of government, in our country, is to promote the general welfare of the citizenry by providing security and public services, not maximize profits and return on investment.

Peter S. February 4, 2021 (5:00 pm)

I’ll take someone with business savvy (the definition of “successful” means they actually know how to spend their business’s money in a manner that provides a positive return) over an ideologue who only knows how to spend someone else’s money, ANY DAY! Please note I did not necessarily mean “profit”. “Positive return” could mean capital reinvestment, hiring more employees to handle growth, etc. Don’t care what party letter they put after their name.
notapolitician February 4, 2021 (5:39 pm)

I find it laughable when someone has been in politics their whole adult life and thinks they have a clue what small business owners deal with. If you have never had to make a payroll out of your own pocket, maybe you should stay out of telling a private business how to run their business.
Skeptic February 4, 2021 (6:44 pm)

Space Rex! That is all….
Dyn99 February 4, 2021 (6:56 pm)

Every good small business leader knows that they have multiple constituents as well – employees, clients, and shareholders all have interests that need to be balanced. Small business owners are not Fortune 500 CEOs. Most of us think long term and have hearts.This city would be a much better place if ANY member of the council had some small business experience.

Katherine Detore February 4, 2021 (5:29 pm)

Well said, Reed! Business people aren’t all that good in government. We had a businessman as president for four years. How did that work out?

John February 4, 2021 (5:37 pm)

In that case Seattle must be leading the way.Low taxes, a working bridge, low crime, affordable housing,
no homeless issues…..Oh wait.
neednewblood February 4, 2021 (5:41 pm)

Well, our career politicians have had 10+ years to fix our homeless problem, so………..
M February 4, 2021 (6:53 pm)

He was not a “businessman.” He was a sham. I’m more concerned about our current city council. “How’s that worked out?”
Dyn99 February 4, 2021 (6:59 pm)

We had a sociopath and fraudster as President, He didn’t build once ounce of his wealth – it was all handed to him by his dad. We could use more business people in government. If nothing else, we know how to gauge the layers of impact caused by our decisions.
Peter S. February 4, 2021 (8:37 pm)

Sorry Katherine, Trump was a lousy business person other than racking up profits at the expense of others, and a lousy person (IMO) to boot. Not all business people fit that description. Even the “successful” ones. Generalize much?As an aside: Fremont Brewing makes some excellent beers. That’s a plus for me right there. NO, I don’t work there.
- seaspades February 4, 2021 (9:26 pm)
  
  NYC was extremely vibrant under Bloomberg. I’d kill for some balance like him here.
  - Peter S. February 5, 2021 (8:42 am)
    
    @SEASPADES: What are you talking about? Seattle is extremely “vibrant”. Just ask our current leadership. /sarc
    
    @DYN99: Minor correction: The Donald DID amass most of his fortune by himself. His dad gave him the “seed” money to start ($1M ??). Back when $1M bought you more than a average house in West Seattle. A benefit most never receive.

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