Earlier this month two local political campaigns were launched. Local politicians make decisions and set policies that can profoundly affect our daily lives in Fremont – and the future health and safety of our community.
The Seattle City Council has nine seats, with seven of those representing specific districts of our city (Fremont is in two districts – #4 and #6 have Alex Pedersen and Dan Strauss respectively,) and they were last voted in 2019. Two Councilmembers represent the City at Large, and they will be elected this Fall, along with Mayor of Seattle and the City Attorney.
One of the current At Large Councilmembers is Lorena Gonzalez. Councilmember Gonzalez has announced her intention to run for Mayor of Seattle. Her statement Sreads, “…like you, I have hopes and dreams for this city.” The Councilmember wrote that she came to Seattle as a fifth grader, from the farms of Central Washington where she grew up as a migrant worker. “I worked my way to law school here and am now raising our family here, because I believe in Seattle and its promise of progressive values, innovation, and diverse, vibrant communities,” she explained. According to Councilmember Gonzalez, we face serious challenges as a City including income inequality, struggling small businesses and workers, and a racial reckoning made worse by the pandemic. “In this historic moment,” her announcement states, “I’m ready to be… Mayor for this City.”
A local business owner, Sara Nelson, has launched her campaign for the At Large seat currently occupied by Councilmember Gonzales. According to her statement, Nelson is running, “Because 2020 was the toughest year I can remember, for residents and businesses alike…” She went on, “Thousands of small businesses have closed, our downtown core is decimate, and tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Small businesses are struggling, and Seattle’s working families are struggling as a result. Unfortunately, City leadership is failing us.” Nelson has worked in City Hall, but she has also started and grown a successful business in Fremont. She sees a need for a major reset, and a different approach to the challenges our City faces. She promises to be the voice of reason we desperately need right now.
Learn more about these campaigns, and what these candidates want to do for our city, on their websites:
- Lorena Gonzalez for Seattle Mayor – lorenaforseattle.com
- Sara Nelson for City Council – www.saraforcitycouncil.com/
Both campaigns are actively seeking donations, as they require funding to power them through to the Fall elections. Volunteers will also be needed, for those truly committed to seeing these campaigns move forward. Councilmember Gonzalez will also be seeking donations to make her campaign eligible for Democracy Vouchers.
All registered voters in Seattle were mailed their $100 in Democracy Vouchers starting February 9th. According to the Gonzalez campaign, in order to be eligible for Vouchers, they need 600 individual Seattle residents to donate and sign their support of the campaign. This is the first year that the Mayor’s race is eligible for this alternate funding, along with the two Council positions and the City Attorney’s race. For more information on the Democracy Vouchers program, visit the Seattle.gov website (click here,) or call 206/727-8855.