By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Lorena González (left) and Pat Murakami
Pat Murakami has thrown her hat in the ring for Seattle City Council, Position 9, currently held by Lorena González.
“I’m running for Position 9 because Seattle is broken,” Murakami told the Northwest Asian Weekly. There had been some speculation that González would jump in the Seattle mayoral race. Those rumors were put to bed last week with her filing for re-election.
Murakami is the president of the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council. She said the city’s policies are largely to blame for the current homelessness crisis and drug epidemic. “Our leaders are creating a public safety and public health catastrophe,” Murakami said. “Councilmember González voted to allow developers to build housing in Seattle with a pittance of as little as two percent affordable units. How is that progressive?”
Murakami said she wants to restore the voice of neighborhoods. “Long-term residents are being priced out of the City, while gentrification is being fast tracked. … I will listen to the residents of Seattle and ensure development works for everyone.”
Murakami is also involved in the local Japanese community. “I helped the Japanese community in the Central Area ensure a problematic program would not negatively impact the neighborhood,” she said. “I volunteered for many years for the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington as the English-speaking presenter, doing ‘Japan in a Suitcase’ presentations in schools.”
Murakami moved to Seattle in 1975, and is the owner of a computer firm based in Seattle, with offices in Mount Baker and Georgetown. She earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington and a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Puget Sound.
Murakami is married to husband Shiro and they have a son, Ryk.
For more information, visit votepatmurakami.org.