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:

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With another six weeks to go for the State Legislature, our area’s three legislators are planning an online town hall Tuesday (March 14th) for updates and Q&A.

State Senator Joe Nguyen and State Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Emily Alvarado represent the 34th Legislative District, which includes West Seattle. They’ll be online live at 6:30 pm Tuesday, on YouTube via the WA Senate Democrats and WA House Democrats channels, as well as on their social-media pages. You can send questions in advance now – use this form. (Want to know what each legislator has sponsored so far this year? Use this search.)

Another candidate has just joined the race for Seattle City Council District 1. Stephen Brown is a West Seattle resident and entrepreneur. He is founder and president of Eltana Bagels, which has cafés on Capitol Hill and in North Seattle. In his announcement – which you can read in full here – Brown vows “to bring a pragmatic approach on issues such as urban vitality, small business support, and transit” and says, “I began to seriously consider running a few years ago when I decided to keep Eltana Bagels open and un-boarded during the height of the Black Lives Matter, George Floyd protests, and ensuing CHOP occupancy. I could have followed many businesses at the time and closed my doors or joined some of my neighboring businesses in their lawsuit against the city. Instead, I listened to the community and to my employees. We worked to keep people employed and keep our doors open for our customers. I think that kind of collaborative leadership is desperately needed on the Council right now.” Brown’s announcement also notes that his background includes serving as “Lead Entrepreneur of the Seattle Monorail Project” from 2003-2007, during which time “he participated on the task force that created the ORCA card.” Brown’s announcement for the seat Lisa Herbold is leaving follows the declarations of Preston Anderson, Maren Costa, Rob Saka, and Phil Tavel; as we’ve been doing with all the announced candidates, we’ll be seeking a sit-down video interview with Brown shortly. So far, though the recent remapping process has expanded D-1 outside West Seattle/South Park, everyone running lives in WS. The field for the August 1st primary won’t be final until after King County Elections filing week in mid-May.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The fourth candidate to formally announce a campaign for the Seattle City Council District 1 seat is making his third try for it.

Days after Phil Tavel declared his candidacy for the position that Lisa Herbold is leaving after two terms, we sat down with him for this week’s early “get to know you” video-recorded Candidate Chat. Our talk with him took a slightly different turn than our previous interviews with first-time candidates – more “get to know you again.” Tavel is an Arbor Heights resident and full-time administrative-law judge who talked with us Thursday. Here’s our unedited half-hour conversation:

If you can’t or don’t want to take half an hour to watch/listen, here’s our summary:

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The fourth candidate to announce a campaign for the Seattle City Council District 1 seat is the first one who’s run for it before. Twice, in fact. Phil Tavel has just announced he’s running again. In 2015, Tavel finished third in the nine-candidate primary; in 2019, he made it to the general-election ballot, but Lisa Herbold won a second term. Now she is leaving the council and Tavel is making a third run for the job. He is a lawyer and administrative-law judge and former small-business owner who lives in Arbor Heights. According to his announcement (which you can read in full here), Tavel says he would “bring a deep passion for neighborhood small businesses to City Council, as well as nearly 20 years of working in the Criminal Justice System helping those in need. … As an Administrative Law judge and public defense attorney, I’ve seen how local government is failing all of us – especially our most vulnerable. Seattle City Council needs to stop saying ‘yes’ to everything and re-focus on the basics, like keeping our neighborhoods clean, safe, and prosperous for all. … Seattle deserves a City Council that is committed to delivering on its most fundamental promises.” His announcement notes that a new contract with Seattle’s police union “is now more than two-years overdue and must be finalized before we can even start to rebuild our police force.” In the announcement, Tavel also says, “The City must repair its broken system of public outreach and neighborhood councils so that City Leaders can more easily hear the concerns and thoughts of those people that they are meant to be serving.” We plan to talk with Tavel later this week for our next Council Candidate Chat – watch for that Sunday night (March 5th). He’s also having a campaign-kickoff event at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW) at 6 pm Friday, March 10th.

Tavel is the fourth candidate to send an official campaign announcement, after Rob Saka earlier this month and Maren Costa and Preston Anderson last month. Formal filing week is May 15-19, so the field of candidates won’t be finalized until then; the primary election is August 1st.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

So far three candidates have formally announced campaigns for the Seattle City Council District 1 seat, which Lisa Herbold is leaving after two terms, one of four district-elected councilmembers not running for re-election. We’re sitting down with all announced D-1 candidates for early “get to know you” video-recorded conversations that we’re publishing on Sunday nights. We began with Rob Saka last weekend and continue tonight with Maren Costa.

We sat down with Costa, a former Amazon and Microsoft employee who’s lived in West Seattle for 20 years, this morning at her home north of The Junction. Here’s our unedited half-hour conversation:

If you don’t want to, or don’t have the time to, watch/listen, here’s our summary:

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That’s the second “State of the City” speech by Mayor Bruce Harrell, delivered in the noon hour today from Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. He explained the location as important to his vision – a place that, centered on the Space Needle, has always represented “the Seattle of the Future.” The largest but by no means only topic he tackled was downtown, promising a “Downtown Action Plan,” insisting that its “problems are not insurmountable.” But he also vowed that focusing on downtown would not be “at the expense of other neighborhoods.” His lone shoutout to this neighborhood was whene he touched on transportation, saying he was glad to have helped get the West Seattle Bridge repair to completion, and noting that light rail is on the way here. Regarding public safety, he announced that the city’s long-discussed third public-safety department will be the CARE Department – an acronym for Civilian Assisted Response and Engagement. He also mentioned both police hiring and police reform – for the former, increased marketing to find applicants, and for the latter, prioritizing de-escalation. Other public-safety initiatives that got mentions: The hiring of 26 new park rangers and a promised “public health order” next month as part of the downtown plan, relating to drug use, which he said “breaks my heart.” Regarding homelessness, he touted the previously announced regionalization plan for the Unified Care Team that deals with encampments and the forthcoming Housing Levy renewal. And if you want to get involved in helping the city, Harrell noted that the next One Seattle Day of Service will be May 20th.

FOR MORE INFO: See the speech video above, his prepared speech in writing here, and the official news release here.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

District 1, including West Seattle, will elect a new City Councilmember this year, since Lisa Herbold has decided not to run for a third term.

Three people have formally announced campaigns so far, and it’s early, so more are likely. Rather than wait until late in the campaign to interview them, we decided to help ensure you have a better chance to get to know the candidates, by interviewing them multiple times, starting with an early “chat.”

So starting tonight, we’ll feature a City Council Candidate Chat for at least the next three Sundays (beyond, if and when additional candidates make announcements). We’re starting with more of a get-to-know-you kind of conversation; first up is Rob Saka, a Delridge resident who is the most-recent candidate to jump into the race.

We sat down with him at Delridge Community Center, a place Saka says is near and dear to his heart, not just because he lives in the area, but because he and his family – including three young children – have spent a lot of time there.

Our entire half-hour chat, unedited, is recorded on video:

If you don’t want to, or don’t have the time to, watch/listen, here’s our summary of key points:

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As noted here last month, the State Legislature has relaunched its page programs after a pandemic hiatus. Another local student has just completed a turn in Olympia – here’s the announcement we received:

(Photo courtesy Washington State Legislative Support Services)

Rowan Wohlf, a student at Chief Sealth International High School and South Seattle College, served as a page earlier this month in the Washington State House of Representatives. Sponsored by State Rep. Emily Alvarado, D-West Seattle, Rowan is the child of Nikki Wohlf and Ken Wohlf of Seattle.

Pages assume a wide variety of responsibilities, from presenting the flags to distributing amendments on the House floor. Pages support the efficient operation of the Legislature while also receiving daily civics instruction, drafting their own bills, and participating in mock committee hearings.

This year’s legislative session runs into April and applications for the page program are still open – find the info here.

This is the last year of the current King County-wide Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy, approved by voters in 2017 as the renewal and renaming of the Veterans and Human Services Levy, which was originally passed in 2005. Today, County Executive Dow Constantine announced he plans to ask voters to renew the levy on the August 1st primary ballot. From the one-sheet that accompanied the announcement:

If renewed, the levy will:
• Fund permanent supportive housing, specifically for veterans
• Keep reducing veteran homelessness
• Expand investments in the human services workforce
• Double current funding for senior centers
• Maintain access to counseling and mental health supports for veterans and seniors
• Dedicate King County staff to strengthen resident and resource connections
• Deepen community-centered programming for survivors of gender-based violence

Here’s what today’s announcement says the money’s done since the most-recent vote:

Veterans

-Served more than 27,000 veterans, servicemembers, and their families with fewer eligibility barriers than many federal programs
-Contributed to a 40 percent reduction in veteran homelessness
-Provided more than 260 veterans, servicemembers, and family members with over 15,000 mental health counseling sessions
-Built 234 units of affordable housing for veterans and their families

Seniors

-Funded 39 senior centers across the county
-Served more than 100,000 seniors through expanded senior programming

Build Resiliency

-Launched DVHopeline, a countywide, 24-hour multi-lingual and multimodal domestic violence hotline, that received 16,000 calls or texts and referred nearly 7,000 of those callers to additional support
-Funded mobile advocacy services for more than 1,200 survivors of gender-based violence
Helped build more than 1,000 units of affordable housing and 198 new shelter beds
-Funded 55 agencies with 675 bonuses to support workforce retention

The new proposal would raise $581 million over six years and, Constantine’s office says, would cost the owner of a “median-priced home” $83 a year, at 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, which is the same rate as the current version. The King County Council will have to vote by May to get the renewal on the August ballot.

King County Elections didn’t update results today because of a power problem, according to its website. So the newest numbers remain the ones posted Wednesday. But here’s one we haven’t looked at yet – the “other” election in which voting ended Tuesday night – the “online ballot access” voting for King Conservation District Supervisor. West Seattle resident Csenka Favorini-Csorba is leading with 5,420 votes, 52.68%; Chris Porter – also a West Seattleite – is in second with 3,378 votes, 32.83%, and April Brown is in third with 1,452 votes, 14.11%. The total number of votes received and tallied so far – 10,290 – equals only three-quarters of a percent of all voters (1,314,228).

One more election note today, from the WSB inbox:

Starting February 21, the City of Seattle will mail eligible Seattle residents $100 in Democracy Vouchers.

“All of us have an interest in the direction of our City, and this program gives all of us a say in who runs it,” said Executive Director Wayne Barnett. This year, the seven city council district seats will be on the ballot. Candidates seeking office may choose to use this program to fund their campaigns after completing a qualifying process.

There are two ways you can conveniently and securely use your vouchers at home:

1) Return your vouchers by mail using the pre-paid envelope included with your vouchers (no stamp is required).

2) Follow the instructions included with your paper vouchers to create an online account to submit your vouchers online for this and future elections.

How do I learn about the candidates?

All candidates running for office in Seattle are invited to submit a 200-word Candidate Introduction. Read the Candidate Introductions to learn about who is running and view the participating candidates page to see who is using the Democracy Voucher Program.

Residents with language preferences other than English can contact our office to request Democracy Vouchers in one of 17 additional languages. For more information, visit www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher or call 206-727-8855 (interpreters are available).

The Democracy Voucher program was created by an initiative that voters approved in 2015.

Rob Saka is the latest candidate to announce a campaign for the Seattle City Council District 1 seat that Lisa Herbold is leaving at the end of the year. Saka’s announcement describes him as an “attorney, community advocate, and father” as well as a U.S. Air Force veteran who is “the son of a Nigerian immigrant and former warehouse worker (who) overcame abject poverty, a traumatic and unstable home life cycling through the foster care system.” (His website includes a detailed biography.) He is quoted as saying he’s “running to serve the people of District 1 with their best interests in mind first (and) to work on real solutions to issues like public safety and homelessness, rather than play politics.” In the past five years Saka has served on advisory groups including King County’s Charter Commission and Districting Committee and the City of Seattle Police Chief Search Committee. He is a West Seattle resident and the third candidate to send an official campaign announcement, after Maren Costa and Preston Anderson last month. We’ll be starting candidate interviews shortly so you can get to know them better. Also, Saka says he’s planning “an informal candidate meet-and-greet at the West Seattle Farmers Market on Sunday, February 19th from 10 am-1 pm.” Formal filing week is May 15-19, so the field of candidates won’t be finalized until then; the primary election is August 1st.

Another reminder that you have until Tuesday to vote in two elections, with separate ballots and voting methods.

SEATTLE I-135: Your mail ballot has just one issue – Seattle Initiative 135, to create a new Public Development Authority to build so-called “social housing.” It is not a levy or bond measure and does not include funding aside from obliging the city to provide “startup support,” with no price tag attached (see Section 12 in the voter pamphlet that’s in your ballot envelope). Our look at I-135 last month is here. This ballot has to either be placed in a King County Elections dropbox no later than 8 pm Tuesday or in the USPS mail in time to be postmarked no later than Tuesday. So far, only 17 percent of ballots citywide have been returned.

KING CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISOR: This vote is happening online, with three candidates running for one seat on the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Two are West Seattleites – incumbent supervisor Chris Porter and Csenka Favorini-Csorba; the third candidate is April Brown. King Conservation District is “a special-purpose district committed to helping people engage in stewardship and conservation of natural resources” with an $8 million budget. This vote is done via online ballot access; find the voting link and candidate info here. Deadline to vote is 8 pm Tuesday.

We are one week away from not only Valentine’s Day but Election Day – actually two elections, with separate ballots and voting methods. Next Tuesday night (February 14th) is your deadline to vote in both. So we’re reminding you/refreshing your memory:

SEATTLE I-135: This is the one issue on the traditional by-mail ballot you should have received already if you’re registered to vote – Seattle Initiative 135, which would create a new Public Development Authority to build so-called “social housing.” We took a look at I-135 a month ago here. This ballot has to either be in a King County Elections dropbox by 8 pm next Tuesday or be in the USPS mail early enough to guarantee it’s postmarked no later than February 14th. (As of tonight, only 12 percent of ballots had been returned.)

KING CONSERVATION DISTRICT SUPERVISOR: You’ll find the ballot for this vote online. You’re choosing one of three candidates to serve on the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Two of the three are West Seattleites – incumbent supervisor Chris Porter and Csenka Favorini-Csorba; also running is April Brown. The district explains itself as “a special purpose district committed to helping people engage in stewardship and conservation of natural resources” with an $8 million budget. Voting is conducted via online ballot access, with an option for requesting a physical ballot; find the voting link and candidate info here, and vote by 8 pm next Tuesday.

The first declared candidate for King County Council District 8 is currently on the Seattle City Council; now we have a second candidate, who’s currently on the Burien City Council. We’re frequently checking the state list of people registering election campaigns, and this afternoon it had an addition: Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon, registering a campaign for the County Council seat that Joe McDermott is leaving after a decade-plus. Burien’s mayor is chosen by fellow councilmembers; Aragon has held the title since last year, and has been on the council since 2020. Two years before that, she ran for 34th District State Senator, finishing fourth in a primary field of 11. The City of Burien website describes Aragon as “a registered nurse and attorney (who) worked in Olympia for over a decade to advocate for affordable and accessible health care, protecting public health, workplace safety, and ensuring differing opinions are included when developing public policy.” She currently is executive director of the Washington Center for Nursing (Burien city councilmembers serve part time). The field for the County Council race won’t be final until the official filing week in mid-May; the August 1st primary will send the top two finishers to the November primary.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After five years as one of the Seattle City Council‘s two at-large members, North Delridge resident Teresa Mosqueda says she feels a “pull” toward a different role in local government – that of King County Councilmember.

Mosqueda announced this morning that she is campaigning for the seat that District 8 County Councilmember Joe McDermott is leaving after more than a decade. The newly remapped district stretches from downtown Seattle to Burien, also including West Seattle, White Center, and Vashon and Maury Islands, among other neighborhoods (see the map here).

Mosqueda talked with WSB just before her announcement. She says she will continue with her City Council job – which isn’t up for a vote again until 2025 – while campaigning for County Council. (If she wins the new job, the remaining city councilmembers would have to appoint someone to fill the rest of her term.) Though the County Council represents three times as many people as the City Council, it toils in less of a spotlight, generally with far less pressure and scrutiny. Mosqueda wouldn’t mind: “Everyone asks, aren’t you going to be bored? I say, no!”

She says what’s “pulling” her toward the County Council are two issues in particular – health and housing. County government has “more purview over public health and behavioral health.” On the latter, she’s supportive of the behavioral-health levy the County Council just voted to send to voters in April. And she sees even more areas of the county in need of workforce housing, especially Vashon and Burien. She wants to work with the state legislators who have housing in the spotlight this session. The county also runs the major transit system – Metro – and “working families need round-the-clock transit – we need to reimagine that.”

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