Anybody who follows Seattle Metropolis Corridor is aware of Councilmember Sara Nelson has robust convictions and a thick pores and skin.
An efficient lawmaker, Nelson challenges typical Seattle considering and champions underdogs — from struggling small enterprise house owners to these involved about police responding to emergency calls of their neighborhoods.
The editorial board endorses Nelson’s reelection for Place 9, one in every of two citywide representatives on Metropolis Council.
It is very important perceive the place Seattle stood when Nelson first was elected 4 years in the past. Popping out of the pandemic, the town labored to discover a workable homelessness coverage whereas combating a hangover from the fizzled motion to defund police.
Appropriately, Nelson put restoring police staffing as her high precedence. In 2023, after the election of 5 new council members, Nelson lastly had a workable majority of like-minded leaders. She turned council president in January 2024.
In its first yr, the brand new Metropolis Council adopted 14 pieces of public safety-related laws, a file quantity since 2015. These embrace measures to extend police recruitment and retention, in addition to tackling avenue racing, prostitution and drug-related dysfunction.
Police stats present general crime dropped from 2022 to 2024.
“This council has modified the course and the tenor of the town and we’re delivering measurable outcomes,” Nelson instructed the board. “I imagine the perfect resistance to what’s popping out of D.C. is a well-run metropolis.”
Nelson helps Mayor Bruce Harrell’s method to cleansing up homeless encampments after providing folks some other place to go. She additionally advocates for restoration providers, tucking $300,000 within the metropolis price range to supply treatment-on-demand. Nelson importantly pushes the coverage dialog on Seattle’s funding of substance use dysfunction responses, which frequently focus too closely on lowering hurt as an alternative of adjusting behaviors.
Seattle faces price range challenges the place overspending leads to ever-higher taxes. Nelson desires to see outcomes when stewarding public {dollars}.
“We’ve to interrupt that tendency to search for extra income as an alternative of trying at the beginning at whether or not or not our current bills are producing the outcomes that we would like,” stated Nelson.
Challengers to Nelson embrace Mia Jacobson, Connor Nash and Dionne Foster, former govt director of the Progress Alliance of Washington, which focuses on the “well being of the state’s progressive motion throughout a number of challenge areas.”
Foster is a robust candidate. Nevertheless, the editorial board was annoyed by her evasiveness answering questions on homelessness and public security coverage. Foster too simply suits the mildew of a Seattle council member circa 2020 — a return to an period voters should need to keep away from.
Sara Nelson has confirmed fortitude and stable priorities. She is the suitable chief for this second and deserves reelection to Place 9.
