By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Preston Anderson believes he can “bring positive change” to Seattle by being elected to the District 1 City Council seat
He is the latest candidate to sit down with us for our initial series of Candidate Chats, video-recorded conversations meant to give you an early chance to see and hear the candidates who have officially announced they’re campaigning for the seat Lisa Herbold is leaving after two terms. Anderson is a West Seattle resident and clinical social worker who works at the Veterans Administration medical center. We talked with him at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse last Monday; here’s our unedited half-hour conversation:
If you can’t or don’t want to take the time to watch/listen, here’s our summary:
Anderson says he chose his profession to help people, and that it has intersected with the homelessness crisis over the years. He’s seen how this has affected the city as well as the people living “in the streets, untreated.” He was motivated to run for office to try to take action and help people that way. He’s been taking with people in the community for months and knows it’s a top-of-mind concrern for many. He believes his perspective and direct experience in homelessness-related programs would bring a much-needed perspective to the council. He recognizes it as a “multi-faceted” crisis, with behavioral-health needs playing a major role.
Knowledge of the type of housing that people need is something he says he can bring to the council too. His work specifically involves “monitoring community contracts” for housing for homeless veterans. That includes finding permanent housing. He says health-care needs have to be addressed too: “I think it’s important to address those most vulnerable, the medically needy, those with a severe addiction issue …” Part of the crisis involves a shortage of workers to help people, we observe. Anderson agrees that staffing is an issue too – particularly “designated crisis responders” as well as other “front-line workers.” Making those professions “more attractive” will help address staffing shortages. And he is certain the city can make a difference, though he is concerned about “so much overlap” between levels of government.
Since he mentioned being out talking to potential constituents already, we asked what he’s been hearing. Concerns about crime and illegal encampments were high on the list, Anderson said, along with a general sense of frustration that the city council is not doing enough. The council will soon consider the renewal/expansion of the Housing Levy, and he sees that as having the potential to make a difference, getting more people out of encampments that “interface” with crime, but not “just pushing the problem to other parts of the city.”
Another public-safety matter we discussed was the mayor’s plan for a CARE Department – Civilian Assisted Response and Engagement. Anderson agrees that certain calls “don’t necessarily require an armed response – we need to marshal more of an outreach,” with various programs able to factor into that.
So what does he think about police staffing levels? “We need to ensure the police department is adequately staffed,” he says, and mentions his military experience as grounding him in the knowledge for why that matters – not just for enforcement, but also so they are “better able to engage in the community.”
From there he talked more about his military experience, He joined to be a medic in the Army, and ended up deploying to Kuwait and Iraq. He was studying sociology when he was called back up to deploy again, and he finished his studies upon his return. He also has worked with DESC.
We spent so much time talking about homelessness and public safety, we asked about other issues that are high on his radar. Transportation, he said, particularly ongoing frustration with Sound Transit project delays. West Seattle definitely needs light rail, in his view, but he also wants to see more focus on paying attention to what happens beyond West Seattle – “to White Center and Burien and Renton” – as well as the efforts to add affordable housing near the stations.
He also talked about issues affecting small businesses – from graffiti vandalism to retail theft. “We need to be dynamic and intelligent in our approaches, and deliberate in our actions.”
Overall, Anderson says he would like people to know: “My heart is in this … (I’m) deliberately running … I know I can bring a lot of positive change” with unique experience, helping people through crises that are affecting the community, and lessons he learned growing up “very poor.” He insists, “I want to be part of the decision-making process.” He also wants to be part of bringing people together: “I don’t buy that Seattle is dying.” He wants to ensure “we’re not stuck in those adversarial arguments … (Like) in the military, you workk toward your mission. That can be replicated with the city council.” Neighborhood forums, too, are part of his vision – “safe spaces” where he could facilitate dialogue – all toward working on solutions, not just griping about programs.
WHO’S NEXT? We’re talking this week with Stephen Brown, who just declared his candidacy last week, and you’ll see that interview here next Sunday (March 19th). Here are our previous Candidate Chats:
*Phil Tavel (published March 5)
*Maren Costa (published February 26)
*Rob Saka (published February 19)
The field of candidates who’ll be on the August 1 primary ballot won’t be final until after the King County Elections “filing week” in mid-May. We’re also planning to present a candidate forum after that, inviting everyone who’ll be on the ballot; in the meantime, we’ll talk again with these candidates, and anyone else who officially announces they’re running.
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