KUOW's District Dash: A Seattle City Council deep dive for busy people
Seattle voters have some big decisions on their hands. Seven City Council district seats are up for election Nov. 7. KUOW is here to help you make sense of it all.
Our District Dash series takes you inside all the City Council races.
During the month of October, we're inviting the candidates into our studio to have them answer the questions voters most want to hear — from housing and homelessness, to crime and public safety, and police accountability. All in a bite-sized 30-minute conversation.
Check out our District Dash segments, below. These segments originally aired on Soundside.
____________________________________________________________________
District 1: Maren Costa vs. Rob Saka
He's a former lawyer for the tech firm Meta.
She's a former Amazon employee and climate activist.
They sparred over hot topics including homelessness, drug policy, and crime.
The scuffling started from the top, when KUOW asked about a new law that makes public drug use and possession prosecutable under Seattle law.
Costa isn't a fan. "If evidence showed that locking people up worked, let's lock them up. But it doesn't," she said.
Saka had a different take. "The status quo approach, where we turn our back on people in crisis and need, hasn't worked. Fentanyl overdoses, drug overdoses are killing people," he said.
READ: West Seattle council candidates clash over drugs, cops, sweeps
KUOW's District Dash: D1 - Maren Costa vs. Rob Saka
Seattle City Council candidates for West Seattle clash over drugs, cops, and sweeps.
____________________________________________________________________
District 2: Tammy Morales vs. Tanya Woo
Tammy Morales is one of the few incumbents running to keep her council seat this year.
Tanya Woo, a community activist, is challenging her.
And they don't agree on much!
The candidates got heated over policing and homeless encampment removals.
Morales, who says she favors more funding for non-police alternative programs, told KUOW the city is too frequently clearing homeless encampments without warning. (A King County Superior Court judge recently ruled that some of Seattle's encampment-clearing rules are unconstitutional.)
Woo, on the other hand, thinks no-warning encampment sweeps aren't happening much at all.
The two candidates also had a tense exchange over defunding the police and whether Morales ever actually voted for this concept. (The answer is complicated, but we lay it all out here.)
READ: Sharp disagreements over homeless sweeps, policing in South Seattle City Council race
Soundside 20231011 District 2 Dash
Sharp disagreements over homeless sweeps, policing in South Seattle City Council race
____________________________________________________________________
District 3: Joy Hollingsworth vs. Alex Hudson
Seattle's longest-serving councilmember is stepping down this year.
Kshama Sawant, the socialist firebrand, is not seeking reelection.
So, who's on the ticket to take over her seat?
Enter: cannabis entrepreneur Joy Hollingsworth, and transit advocate Alex Hudson.
Fewer than 100 votes separated them in the primary election this summer.
As the general election draws near, the candidates are trying to prove how different they are from one another and from Sawant, especially when it comes to public safety.
KUOW District Dash: Seattle City Council D3
District 3 candidates Joy Hollingsworth and Alex Hudson face off.
____________________________________________________________________
District 4: Ron Davis vs. Maritza Rivera
Seattle's District 4 received national media attention earlier this year, when an activist in the Wedgwood neighborhood took up residence in a large Western red cedar that was slated to be cut down to make way for new apartments.
That tree was eventually saved, but the question of tree policy — that is, how to protect canopy cover while meeting needs for more housing — is still on full display in the race for District 4's open City Council seat.
A pair of first-time candidates are running — Ron Davis and Maritza Rivera.
He's a tech entrepreneur, she's a civil servant.
She's kind of moderate, he's a bit more progressive.
And, during KUOW's live event, they didn't just talk trees.
The conversation got heated over a deleted tweet and a mystery MAGA donor. Sparks were flying across the KUOW studio and the tension was palpable.
KUOW District Dash: Seattle City Council D4
Maritza Rivera and Ron Davis clash over deleted tweets, MAGA donors, and much more.
____________________________________________________________________
District 5: Cathy Moore vs. ChrisTiana ObeySumner
North Seattle's council seat is open this year.
A former judge, Cathy Moore, and an equity consultant, ChrisTiana ObeySumner, are hoping to fill it.
And they're miles apart on the big issues.
Like policing.
ObeySumner is the only candidate in any of Seattle's City Council races who says she favors "significantly less" funding for the city's cops.
Moore, on the other hand, thinks the police budget is just right.
They're also on opposite sides of the city's controversial new drug possession ordinance.
READ: North Seattle Council candidates are miles apart on police funding, drug law
KUOW District Dash: Seattle City Council D5
Former judge Cathy Moore and equity consultant ChrisTiana ObeySumner clash over police funding, drug law in race for North Seattle's District 5.
____________________________________________________________________
District 6: Dan Strauss vs. Pete Hanning
Dan Strauss is running for reelection this year.
His opponent, Fremont Chamber of Commerce Director Pete Hanning, is trying to paint him as a flip-flopper.
During KUOW's event, Hanning slammed Strauss for changing his tune on issues including defunding the police, something Strauss pushed back on.
“This flip-flopping has not done our city really good,” Hanning said.
He's been a critic of Strauss and the City Council’s support back in 2020 to explore cutting the police budget by 50%.
To be clear, the council never followed through on that.
And Strauss has been distancing himself from defund rhetoric during this election cycle.
One thing these candidates do agree on: The iconic (and controversial) Lenin statue in Fremont should stay in place.
KUOW's District Dash: D6 - Dan Strauss vs. Pete Hanning
Are they going to talk about 'defund'? You bet they are.
____________________________________________________________________
District 7: Andrew Lewis vs. Bob Kettle
Incumbent Andrew Lewis is running for a second term.
Challenging Lewis is Navy veteran Bob Kettle.
The two went toe-to-toe on public safety.
That's fitting for District 7, which has some of the city's most visible crime and drug issues.
One of the tensest moments came when Kettle blamed rising crime in Seattle on "this permissive environment that's been created" by the current council and its policies.
Lewis countered by claiming that some of these issues are bigger than Seattle.
“What we've really seen throughout the last couple of years during Covid is a national rise in violent crime," Lewis said. "Seattle has been no exception.”
READ: Downtown Seattle council candidates face off (politely!) over public safety
Soundside 20231009 District 7 Dash
KUOW's District Dash: Seattle City Council D7 - Andrew Lewis vs. Bob Kettle
