I’m a dad, entrepreneur, and community advocate. A longtime Seattle resident, I’ve watched politicians put rhetoric over results as countless people have paid the price. I’ve got a serious plan to fix it and build the ambitious future we deserve.

I didn’t start life in a place like Roosevelt. I’m the product of a teen pregnancy, but my parents eventually managed to buy a house and build us a beautiful life. I got really lucky, graduated from Harvard Law School, launched a tech company, and have been a business leader since. Journeys like mine are impossible in Seattle today.

Seattle should be a place where people from any background can afford to raise a family, build a career, and age in place. I’ll work tirelessly to deliver an affordable city that leaves no one on the street. I’ll fight to make it as easy to get around without a car as it is with one, leading on livability and climate. 

As a parent, I won’t stop until Seattle is safe for everyone. I’m the only candidate with a serious plan: to stop crime before it starts with evidence-based prevention, to quickly send the right professional for each emergency, and to rebuild trust in law enforcement through good governance and accountability.

To build tomorrow’s economy, I’ll double down on our existing and emerging strengths, and expand apprenticeships. We’ll attract tomorrow’s workforce with housing and childcare they can afford in neighborhoods they want. I’m the only candidate with a plan to build a fairer tax code.

I’m proud to be endorsed by unions, climate leaders, the local Democrats, business leaders, and current and former electeds like King County Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Larry Gosset, Port Commissioners Toshiko Hawegawa, Sam Cho and Ryan Calkins, and many more. I’d be honored by your support. 

City Council has failed to effectively address homelessness, public safety, and housing unaffordability.  It's time to replace mismanagement and deliver safe neighborhoods, well-maintained parks, roads, greenways, and public transportation that benefit all residents.  Our city is facing a homelessness and addiction crisis.  As one with close family who’ve struggled with addiction and homelessness for decades, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts.  I’m running to bring back pragmatic policies and a renewed focus on delivering the basics.

As a business owner and civil engineer with 31 years of experience building major infrastructure and public works, I have the know-how to ensure growth benefits all. Smart planning can improve livability, protect the environment and tree canopy, increase quality of life, and prevent many of the problems we face today due to shortsightedness.  I will work to safeguard growth that provides affordable housing for all stages and ages, and benefits neighborhoods without overstressing existing infrastructure.

On Council, I’ll be your advocate for public safety, restoring police staffing to needed levels, and will make decisions that improve Seattle’s livability.  I’ll work to improve 911 response times, uplift and support our local businesses, and reestablish accountability in City Hall. With the right leadership, we can restore Downtown and the neighborhood business districts we are proud of.

Seattle is a world-class city and deserves a councilmember who understands public works, supports local businesses, protects parks and schools, funds police and emergency responders, and acts to address homelessness effectively, compassionately, and immediately.  You have my pledge: I will be that Councilmember. I ask for your vote.

Endorsements: Former Seattle Council Members: Pageler & Steinbrueck (Past Port Commissioner), Edmonds Council Member Will Chen, Former Seattle School Board Presidents: Smith-Blum & Burke; SDOT Director of Capital Projects & Roadway Structures Miller (Retired); Asian Community Leader Shiao-Yen Wu; TreePAC Chair Zemke

I’ll never forget waiting and worrying outside Ingraham High School as my teenage girls were in lockdown during the recent school shooting. It really brought home that things are off track. I grew up in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx on the top floor of a five story walk up. My dad was a welder and proud union member, my mom worked in a factory. They moved from Puerto Rico seeking a better life.

I found that life here in Seattle.  Unfortunately due to poor decisions and performative posturing by the City Council -- including pledging to defund the police -- our quality of life has eroded, neighborhood small businesses are struggling and our streets are less safe.  I’ll listen and work to end the divisiveness and put Seattle back on track.

I’ll make public safety my top priority.  Five-minute response times for priority 911 calls, get guns off our streets, shut down open-air drug markets, address addiction and the mental health crisis. It’s also unacceptable that three years after the murder of George Floyd, Seattle still has no alternative to an armed response to 911 calls. Not all situations require police officers, but many do. I’ll prioritize. I will bring people together to build more affordable housing and address the homelessness crisis.  

With more than 30 years in public service, I know how to get things done. I worked in the White House as President Clinton’s Hispanic liaison, for the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in Seattle for the ACLU post 9/11 to protect Muslim communities from xenophobia, and for former Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. I am honored to have the endorsements of Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Former Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, and many others.

With better governance, Seattle can be progressive, safe, and vibrant. I ask for your support.

Hello! My name is George Artem, and I am running for Seattle City Council District 4.

I came to the United States as a child from the ex-Soviet Union and the greater Seattle area has been my home for over three decades. I attended the University of Washington as an undergrad and completed a Master of Science in Information Systems from the same institution ten years later.

My interest in politics began after the devastation of the second Bush administration. In 2008 I canvassed for President Barack Obama, and in 2016 I caucused with Democrats for Senator Bernie Sanders and later supported Dr. Jill Stein in the general election. I stayed out of the 2020 election cycle; but as I've gotten older and went to law school, I have found myself agreeing with more of what Washington State Republicans have to say and aligning with moderate conservatives like Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. However, in truth I’m a pragmatist that prefers solutions over parties.

When I returned from law school, the city that I love had become unrecognizable. Previously bustling commercial districts had turned into open air drug markets, and tents lined the downtown streets. My primary motivation for running was to take action on drug possession, change our politics around policing, make rent affordable, and cut red tape and permitting costs so that Seattle can build.

I believe in small government and local control. As a City Council member, I intend to use those as guiding principles to push back against Olympia’s one-size-fits-all policies and bring a culture of accountability to local government. Whether it be the City, the County, or the State, our leaders have raised and spent a lot of money in recent years, and the public has a right to know where it went.