District 3 candidates talk local politics at forum

The political sniping between Kshama Sawant and Pamela Banks had been going on for months. But a new voice, retired journalist Lee Carter, officially joined in on the combativeness at the most recent District 3 City Council candidate forum, saying he joined the race because of “dishonesty from the incumbent.”

The five candidates — Sawant, a member of the Socialist Alternative Party; Banks, the Urban League president and CEO; Carter, a neighborhood activist; women’s rights activist Morgan Beach; and Rod Hearne, the former Equal Rights Washington director — expressed their differences and touched on many pressing topics facing District 3 in The Bush School gymnasium (3400 E. Harrison St.) on June 8 for the second candidate forum, which was sponsored by the Madison Valley and Madison Park community councils. 

The forum had a substantially smaller turnout and was much more subdued, than the first forum held in Capitol Hill on May 12. The questions included the candidates’ views on responsibility to taxpayers, how to accommodate growth, working with other councilmembers, availability to the public and affordable housing.

The primary election will take place Aug. 4, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.

Housing

Affordable housing has been a major issue tackled by candidates citywide, and District 3 is no different. 

Sawant called affordable housing “a huge crisis” and pushed for rent control, maximum linkage fees to big developers, inclusionary zoning and the city using its bonding capacity to create thousands of city-owned affordable housing. 

Meanwhile, Banks reiterated her stance that rent control is not the answer, since it “doesn’t generate units and creates false hope.”

Carter said Seattle is the country’s fastest-growing city statistically, not numerically, and that people shouldn’t panic about affordable housing.

“Each neighborhood will have to assess its own housing needs,” he said. “You can’t give a blanket answer to a housing crisis when we absolutely don’t know what the crisis is at this point.”

Hearne supported Capitol Hill Housing’s community-based housing approach. 

He also relayed a personal story about the city’s growth, saying that, a week prior, he was called a gay slur in Capitol Hill by a group of strangers.

“It was the first time I felt uncomfortable as a gay man in Capitol Hill in quite some time,” he said.

Beach said the city needs more tenant protections in place and needs to continue building up. She supported more mixed-income neighborhoods and pushing for better transit options. She pointed to the Capitol Hill light rail station development as a model for future multi-unit developments.

Underrepresented issues

The candidates were asked to name an issue not currently receiving enough attention.

Banks said creation of living-wage jobs near transit centers needs to be a priority. She mentioned expanding the Urban League’s Career Bridge program —which attempts to connect men of color who experience barriers to employment, education and job training — as a possible solution.

Beach reiterated her goal to make Seattle the first state to reach gender equity, a cause Carter has joined. When talking about gender wage discrimination at the forum, Carter said, “We can organize to make it an illegal act.” He specifically wants to focus on senior women in poverty.

Sawant said the tax system is “completely broken,” an issue that primarily impacts women and people of color. 

Hearne pushed for more arts and cultural opportunities, calling it “an issue of the soul.”

Playing well with others

Sawant has been criticized in the past for not collaborating with other councilmembers, but she defended her credentials by noting the unanimous passage of $15 minimum wage and creation of Indigenous People’s Day. She said she’s worked the grassroots route to build consensus. 

Carter took a different tactic, admitting that he is not a consensus builder: “Anybody who disagrees with me, sometimes I think you’re an idiot.”

Banks, on the other hand, said collaboration is key since it takes five votes to pass legislation: “You can’t get there by criticizing or berating colleagues.” 

One of Sawant’s major talking points has been her refusal of corporate donations. As of June 8, Sawant had dominated the campaign donation field, reporting more than $81,700. Next in line were Hearne and Banks, both around $46,000, and Beach at $10,500. 

The numbers changed significantly following the forum. As of June 17, Banks took the biggest leap, up to $101,224, still trailing Sawant’s $146,595 in contributions. Hearne followed with $60,284, with Beach scooting up to $12,611.

Diving into the numbers further, Sawant has 1,154 contributors  (138 from District 3, 421 with no address), compared to Banks’ 355 (115 from District 3; 17 with no address). Sawant’s largest donations have come from outside city limits: $48,771 total.

Sawant’s claims against her competition have particularly riled Carter, who has not listed any donations and is not accepting endorsements. He said Sawant is unfairly portraying the other candidates as the enemy. Carter said he won’t spend any more than $5,000 on his campaign and that it will all come from him or people living in District 3.

Carter, who has described himself as the only nonpartisan candidate, called Sawant out at the forum for the “dishonest way she has portrayed the candidates.” When asked about Carter’s comments after the meeting, Sawant said she had no idea what he was talking about.

Banks, who called the corporate vilification “a lot of rhetoric,” recently chided Sawant in a press release for skipping a meeting on transportation equity to raise campaign money in New York City.

“Actions speak louder than words — even for someone who speaks as noisily as Sawant,” Banks said in the release. “She can talk a good game about equity, but you can’t make an impact for the people of Seattle when you’re raising money in Manhattan.... We need council members who are present, attentive and dedicated to reading the fine print, not jet-setting in search of campaign cash.”

Quick hits

•During the lightning round of questions, the candidates were asked whether they supported the planned bus rapid-transit line on East Madison Street. Sawant, Banks and Carter supported the plan, Beach said no and Hearne waffled.

•The candidates were varied in whether there should be a limit to the number of recreational marijuana stores in the Central Area, with Carter saying no, Beach and Sawant waffling and Hearne and Banks saying yes.

•The candidates were each asked to name a business he or she had visited in Madison Valley or Madison Park in the last six months. Beach wrote Independent Pizzeria; Hearne, Scoop du Jour Ice Creamery; Sawant, Martha E. Harris Flowers & Gifts; and Banks, Thai Ginger. Carter said he couldn’t name one.

•Banks said she does not believe every transportation mode belongs on every street: “People don’t like to hear it, but it’s the truth.”

•Banks and Hearne mentioned the need to fill potholes around the district.

•Hearne, Beach and Sawant specifically talked about Vision Zero, the city’s plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

•Sawant and Beach mentioned municipal broadband as a priority.

•Only Sawant and Carter supported rent control.

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