
Candidates
Candidates
PRIMARY 2023
City of Seattle
Council District No. 1
Lucy Barefoot
4701 SW ADMIRAL WAY #105
SEATTLE, WA 98116
(206) 809-0320
Lucy leads a successful statewide Voter Education and Outreach program focused in underserved communities. Her lived experiences include: small business owner, property owner, and landlord. Her true passion is public service.
Education: Seattle must continue to invest in the education of our children. The future of our nation lies in the education they receive today. She will prioritize civics education. Also, mental health therapy should be normalized to remove ableism and stigma.
Affordable housing: Census reports indicate Seattle’s population is still growing. Seattle continues to face this crisis and Lucy is ready to engage with stakeholders to strategically seek and use allocated resources and streamline city services.
Homelessness: Seattle is getting federal funding and Lucy is ready to support viable programs to address root causes for homelessness in our diverse communities. Seattle must spend responsibly and invest in self-sustainable programs. She is ready to partner-up to build an effective revitalization downtown program for Pioneer Square and beyond.
Transportation: Lucy supports development without displacement, longer tunnels please! Elevated concrete bridges continue to fail: WS bridge, 99 Alaskan Way viaduct (1950-2013), and recently NB-HWY 99. She wants to avoid another “Seattle Monorail Failure”! Sound Transit came to a halt with the main corridor. Stakeholders in CID, Ballard, and WS have not bought-in, but ST is pushing hard to start building the WS extension.
The ST measure passed in 2016 with 57% in King and 51% in Snohomish, but failed in Pierce County. The property taxes and car tab increases hurt our most vulnerable communities. Stop displacements and save green spaces! It’s time to place this measure back on the 2024 ballot. Voters must decide to keep this going for 13+ years or seek a leaner project. Visit her website for more information. Please vote for Lucy as your councilwoman, District 1!
Stephen Brown
PO BOX 9100
SEATTLE, WA 98109
(206) 898-2406
I am running for Seattle City Council to approach Seattle’s challenges with vision and pragmatism. And we desperately need both! I will bring that combination of talents to incentivize the development of more affordable homes to move our unhoused residents off the streets and into services. We also need a renewed push to develop middle-income housing so that nurses, teachers, mechanics and those on fixed incomes can continue to call Seattle their home. Let’s further restrict access to guns and promote safety in every neighborhood. I will support our small businesses and help revitalize Downtown.
I have the ideas, skills and leadership experience to move our city forward.
I began to consider running for council a few years ago when I decided to keep Eltana Bagels open and un-boarded during the height of the George Floyd protests and ensuing CHOP occupancy. I could have followed the vast majority of businesses at the time and closed my doors or joined some of my neighboring businesses in their grievance lawsuit against the city. I did not. Instead, I listened to the needs of the community and my employees. Everyone kept their jobs and our doors stayed open. That is leadership and that is what is sorely needed on the Seattle City Council.
I am driven by bringing the best ideas to light and to life. I am the only candidate in the District 1 race who has developed ideas into plans that actually work. Not only that, I have used those plans to create entities that have operated successfully for long stretches of time. I lead with the values of candor, curiosity, and generosity. My candidacy is about the future, about the Seattle we can build together with creativity, courage, discipline, and hard work. I would be honored to earn your vote.
Jean Iannelli Craciun
6544 FAUNTLEROY WAY SW
SEATTLE, WA 98136
(206) 708-4500
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our District 1 community (West Seattle, SouthPark, Highland Park, Georgetown, Soho, Delridge, Pioneer Square).
I grew up the youngest of five children in Cleveland, Ohio above my family’s funeral home. It was there that my elders modeled loving kindness to people in crisis. This was formative in my development as a compassionate person and sociologist.
I moved to Seattle from Alaska in 2006, continuing to conduct research globally, nationally and locally in Washington. In 2018, I founded The Diversity Center of Seattle Washington, working to advance diversity, equity and inclusion by driving authentic innovation for change in our workplaces and communities. I am a strong West Seattle community member and determined advocate for the rich multi-cultural communities here.
I am the only candidate in D1 with the knowledge and experience of a 30-year researcher, small businessowner, entrepreneur, public school parent, and renter with a lifelong commitment to community engagement. I am a feminist, a proud member of the LGBTQIA2s+ community, breast cancer survivor, and loving Italian Mama to 8 children in our blended family.
We need all of us participating to solve the complex problems we face in our post-pandemic society, including: public safety concerns in our neighborhoods; income inequality; greater affordability in housing; business growth and development; parental leave and addressing the childcare crisis; reimagining transportation corridors to support amenities and work; and equality of opportunity realized in the promise of liberty and justice for all.
As a councilmember, I will lead with unwavering commitment to District 1 where everyone is engaged, respected, and valued. I will listen and act on your behalf and we will, together, get things moving toward a safer, more vibrant Seattle. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and the honor of your vote.
I am running to serve the people of District 1 with their best interests in mind first. We need an accountable, responsive government willing to center equity, progressive values, and common sense.
My name is Rob Saka and I’d be honored to serve you. I am a public school dad of three, attorney, public safety advocate, and Air Force Veteran. I am the proud son of a Nigerian immigrant and former warehouse worker who rescued me from foster care and raised me as a single father.
I believe in safe communities and better policing. Everyone has a right to feel safe in their neighborhood, free of crime or unequal justice. We must enact Both effective prevention strategies And appropriate response capabilities to meet the realities of today’s public safety challenges.
While growing up, I lived in public and low-income housing. These experiences taught me that everyone deserves safe, quality affordable housing in a thriving community. A severe lack of housing for people at all income levels means that those at the bottom are suffering the most. We must build more affordable housing, particularly low-income housing and workforce housing for middle income residents.
As a former foster kid, I know what it’s like to be completely uprooted and swept away. We must do better for our unhoused neighbors. Sadly, the homelessness crisis in our city has devolved into a total humanitarian catastrophe. It is our moral imperative to take urgent action and find people housing and treatment now.
At City Hall, I want to normalize collaborating across differences, finding common ground, and getting bold things accomplished that work for everyone. I know there is a better way forward for Seattle, and I couldn’t be more energized at the opportunity we have to do it together!
Preston Anderson
PO BOX 25784
SEATTLE, WA 98165
(206) 671-8218
As the only candidate who has worked in behavioral health and housing programs in our city, I have the experience to reverse the epidemic of overdose deaths and house the homeless. My candidacy represents an opportunity to get Seattle back on track, making it a safe and thriving city for all.
Throughout my life I have deliberately chosen to work in the helping profession—first as a combat medic in the US Army, and for the last decade as a clinical social worker helping our most vulnerable and building programs that address mental health, addiction, and homelessness.
We will create a dynamic and robust response to help people in crisis with clinicians trained to provide critical behavioral health support. With an adequately staffed police department and a team of clinicians providing crisis interventions, we can eliminate the concentration of criminal activity in parts of the city where it has become problematic.
I will champion affordable housing solutions that keep working families in our city, improving the quality of life for all. I’ll be a voice for local businesses, improving our economic recovery. I’ll address West Seattle's mobility needs with roadway investments, pedestrian safety, and clean transit alternatives. As an active Seattle Public Schools volunteer, I’m passionate about the health and future for our kids– from gun violence prevention to immediate climate action.
The standard to help others had been shaped by the example of my grandmother who demonstrated the virtue of selflessness and humility during her lifetime as she cared for many people in profound need and left the world a better place because of her courage. I intend to lead with that same courage.
I’m a proud union member endorsed by transit operators, building trade workers, health care workers, and more. I’d be honored to earn your vote.
At some point, we all have the choice to put others first. In 2020, Amazon put warehouse workers in unsafe conditions and was failing to act on climate change. As a dedicated employee and mom, I wanted Amazon to do better, and I wanted to show my kids the importance of doing what's right. I put my career on the line and led thousands of my coworkers to take an unprecedented stand. I outlined a plan to win, did the work, and delivered results. Our actions led to Amazon’s Climate Pledge, Bezos’s $10 billion Earth Fund, and increased worker safety.
Now I want to help District 1 and Seattle rise to the challenges of our times. We must make rapid, meaningful progress on public safety, homelessness, affordable housing, and climate change. There are more unsheltered people on our streets than ever. Immediately, we need to increase stable permanent housing and coordinate with regional partners to ensure that those experiencing homelessness have paths to necessary resources.
We need to feel safe in our neighborhoods and parks. We can have police and alternative responses; lead with compassion and refuse to tolerate harmful behavior; and tackle poverty, mental illness, and addiction so that crime decreases. I will be a strong advocate for bringing response times down, while ending racial bias and excessive force.
Climate change is here and our city isn’t ready. With new federal funding, I will help lead our city to reduce emissions and protect residents from heatwaves, smoke, and flooding.
My vision for Seattle is to establish holistic public safety, end homelessness, and lead the world into the new green economy. Together we can build a safe, equitable, sustainable city for all. I hope to earn your vote.
Endorsements: MLK Labor Council, Councilmember Mosqueda, UFCW 3000, Pizzeria Credo, and more!
My name is Mia Jacobson. I am 35 years old, a third generation West Seattleite, a third generation union longshoreman, and a single mother of three. I was born in the house that I’m raising kids in, which means I’ve watched District 1 change over my lifetime and I am invested in its future. This is my community. This is my children’s community. I want this community to sustain in these radically changing times.
I spent nearly 5 years attempting to enter into the local legislative process as a private citizen and found it systematically impossible to do so. This led me to recognize the inadequacy of our current process when trying to best address our issues. My experience growing up in a union family has shown me the impact that a culture of solidarity, democracy, and community organization can have when negotiating relationships of power and creating policy that effectively serves the collective.
My campaign is rooted in systemic change so that we can better address the problems we face in our community. If elected, I will work to improve citizen access to the legislative process, to introduce transparency and accountability within our system of local governance, and to celebrate community organization and empowerment.
I believe that we have outgrown the system of representation as we collectively step into a new era of being human. Our current technological advancement has created a fundamentally different kind of citizen. We now have access to the information needed to become a valuable contributor to the conversation which creates legislation. We can coordinate within large numbers in a digital space to discuss our local policies 24 hours a day. It is time to shift our focus from the powers that be - to the powers that we have become.
Phil Tavel
PO BOX 20664
SEATTLE, WA 98102
(206) 949-8680
My name is Phil Tavel. I’m running for one simple reason: Seattle City Council is failing to deliver on its basic promises.
The last few years have been discouraging. City Council has spent countless millions on our homelessness crisis. Despite that, hundreds of our unhoused neighbors have died, and our parks and public spaces have deteriorated. Meanwhile, City Council has failed to even deliver a contract to fully fund basic police services. It’s unacceptable. Everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable in their neighborhood. Like you, I want a Seattle that keeps its promises. That should start with the City Council.
I’ll bring unmatched experience on these issues to the Council. My service includes being an Administrative Law Judge, Public Defender and community leader. Every day in my hearings I learn about our neighbors’ struggles. From property crime to gun violence to affordability issues, I understand our toughest community challenges. In my volunteer work, I try to solve those challenges by bringing people together to find common ground and by focusing on measurable progress. I successfully organized thousands of neighbors to push for results on the West Seattle Bridge. On City Council, I’ll work just as hard for you.
We all know what matters. Seattle should be safe, clean, and prosperous. We should invest in both unarmed crisis responders and police staffing. We should support emergency shelters and safe lots, while restoring our parks and public spaces. We should stop making Seattle a tough place to open a business, or even get permits. We need leaders who get it.
I want to restore pride in Seattle. It will take a City Council that works hard and focuses on what works and what matters most. It’s time for public service, not politics. I’m Phil Tavel, and I ask for your vote.
Contact Elections
Email: elections@kingcounty.gov
Phone: 206-296-VOTE (8683)
TTY: Relay 711
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