Packed House for Leschi Election Forum

On October 14th, the Leschi Community Council, in partnership with the Central Area Neighborhood District Council (CANDC), hosted a dynamic and well-attended election forum. Nearly 80 community members gathered to hear directly from candidates shaping Seattle and King County’s future and was a huge increase from last year’s turnout.

The event was moderated by Essex Porter, longtime journalist formerly with NPR and KIRO 7 and a proud Leschi resident. Rather than a traditional debate, Porter led in-depth 20-minute conversations with each candidate, blending questions submitted by neighbors ahead of time and during the event. The result was a thoughtful, engaging evening that encouraged real dialogue rather than sound bites.

King County Executive Candidate Claudia Balducci

Balducci focused on public transportation, regional homelessness solutions, and workforce development. She highlighted her work on the Transit Safety Taskforce and as a Sound Transit board member, helping speed up project delivery timelines. Balducci emphasized that Seattle shoulders a disproportionate share of regional homelessness services, noting the need for more countywide participation. She discussed the success of the JustCare program, where 70% of participants remain housed after a year, while stressing that such outcomes require sustained funding and time. Balducci also underscored her support for diversion programs that offer alternatives to jail or hospitalization and proposed connecting residents seeking work with opportunities and mentorship within King County government.

Mayoral Candidates: Bruce Harrell and Katie Wilson

Mayor Harrell spoke about his administration’s investments in addressing homelessness, improving public safety, and reducing crime. He noted that both homicides and violent crime have decreased in Seattle. Harrell praised the new Chief Sean Barnes, as the right leader for the department, and shared that police recruitment has increased to about 10 applications per day after major losses earlier in his term. He highlighted the expansion of the CARE program, increased park ranger staffing, and reiterated the need for other King County cities to contribute more to regional homelessness efforts, citing that Seattle currently hosts 85% of King County’s tiny home villages and 63% of its emergency shelters. He also discussed measures to prepare for potential federal interference, having signed two executive orders in response to possible Trump-era overreach. On housing, Harrell emphasized cutting red tape, increasing supply, and adjusting business taxes to lower rates for small businesses while raising them for larger corporations.

Katie Wilson shared her plans to expand tiny home villages, ensure vacant affordable units are filled, and reallocate city resources more efficiently to fund supportive services. Like Harrell, she supports maintaining police levels but wants to expand civilian response teams so officers can focus on high-priority calls. Wilson praised the JustCare model to support unhoused folks being able to access services. She said she would prioritize building 4-6 additional tiny home villages within six months of taking office. Addressing questions about her experience, Wilson highlighted her background managing large coalitions with hundreds of volunteers and emphasized her ability to bring diverse groups together around shared goals.She also urged caution on new city surveillance tools, warning against policies that could be exploited by federal agencies like ICE.

City Council Candidates: Sara Nelson and Dionne Foster

Dionne Foster, Sara Nelson’s challenger, called for decoupling police officers from CARE teams to allow officers to focus on higher-priority calls. Addressing a local concern — drag racing in Leschi — she suggested environmental design solutions rather than purely enforcement. Foster emphasized the need for family-sized affordable housing, diversion programs, and expanded treatment options, along with continued B&O tax relief for small businesses and stronger Parks staffing.

Council President Sara Nelson discussed progress in 911 response times and police hiring. She cautioned that separating the CARE team from police response is a labor issue requiring union negotiation. Nelson emphasized addiction treatment as key to addressing homelessness, highlighting a new Human Services Department program that provides direct treatment access and is pushing for additional funding for the program in the next budget. She also spoke about housing affordability and permitting reform aimed at helping low-income residents and small businesses.

A Community Success

The event reflected the best of local democracy — neighbors coming together for open, informed, and constructive conversation. With thanks to Essex Porter’s skillful moderation and the partnership between the Leschi Community Council and CANDC, neighbors left with a deeper understanding of the issues and an appreciation for the power of local participation.

~Nikola Davidson