SOS forum review & homelessness

I recently attended a candidate forum for District 3, and I urge all voters to do the same even if you think you know who will vote for and vote against. You may hear something that really affirms your position, or you may come away shaking your head and vowing to find out more about each candidate. This forum was put on by SOS (Speak Out Seattle) and I was pleased at the format even though this is a more conservative group than I would normally support. I think they did a fair job of identifying the concerns that most Seattleites have and I applaud their choice of Essex Porter as moderator. He did an excellent job.

What wasn’t discussed was anything about climate change and what can be done but really, most citizens are more concerned about getting their Amazon package stolen off the porch than they are about the worsening signs of climate change.

Of the 7 candidates that evening, the men seemed more aligned in ideas for solutions than the women. On the lightning round where, the candidates hold up signs indicating a yes or no on important issues, the vote for a property tax, “Yes” was 5 out of the 7. The 2 “No” candidates were Sarah Brereton and Pat Murakami. These same two were against rent control.

I didn’t hear a satisfying answer to the problem of not being able to replace police officers who are retiring—it was as if most of the candidates did not hear the word “retiring.” According to KUOW news, this is a problem affecting most big cities and is unlikely to be related to any Seattle policies.

The other question which I did not feel was answered was what to do about the frequent turnover of social workers working in services for the homeless population. I wanted to jump out of my seat and say, “I will answer that question!” As a retired social worker, I know that job satisfaction is far more important than money and that means having the necessary resources