By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

District 2 candidates answer questions at Tuesday night’s public forum. Courtesy of the Seattle Channel.
Candidates looking to fill the Seattle City Council (SCC)’s open District 2 seat fielded questions about why they should be chosen to be appointed to the Seattle City Council, during Tuesday night’s public forum. Former Councilmember Tammy Morales resigned from the seat effective Jan. 6.
This past Friday, the SCC identified Mark Solomon, Chukundi Salisbury, Adonis Ducksworth, Thaddaeus James Gregory, Edward Lin, and Hong Chhuor as the final candidates in the running to fill the seat. The six were chosen from an initial list of 20 applicants. AAPI candidates Chhuor and Lin were among the six finalists who appeared at the public forum.
Civic nonprofit Seattle CityClub hosted the forum at the Columbia City Theater. Tony Benton of Rainier Avenue Radio was the candidates’ moderator.
The Public Forum was broadcast on the Seattle Channel, the Seattle Channel’s YouTube Channel, and the Rainier Avenue Radio Network.
The two-hour forum served as an opportunity for residents to ask candidates questions.
After the candidates gave very brief introductions, Benton asked the candidates several questions, all of which came from Seattle residents. The candidates were given 90 seconds to respond.
The questions varied on issues specific to District 2, which encompasses South Seattle, including Beacon Hill, the Central District, Columbia City, Seward Park, Rainier Valley, Georgetown, Downtown, and the Chinatown-International District (CID).
When asked about the job performance of the outgoing Morales, several of the candidates praised her for her work, while also criticizing her for allegedly being absent when the community sought her guidance.
Public safety loomed large among the candidates’ biggest issues. Multiple candidates spoke about working with the city and addressing safety issues, such as lagging police response times to issues in the CID.
Lin stated that issues of crime in areas such as 12th and Jackson should be addressed.
“At the same time, we have to address the public perception of not avoiding the CID,” Lin said. Lin also encouraged people to be “cheerleaders” of local businesses, and to “shop and eat local.”
The candidates addressed whether to keep Lake Washington Boulevard in the Seward Park neighborhood open to traffic or keep it closed for pedestrians. The issue has sparked debate among residents of the area.
“One thing that I’m aware of is that we have a lot of elderly,” Lin stated. “We should make it accessible for our whole community. Not everybody can walk or bike so people need to travel by car. It needs to be open to all modes of transportation.”
Traditionally, the city has “Bicycle Weekends” during the summer months, where it closes Lake Washington Boulevard to vehicles. For several months in 2020, during the initial phase of the pandemic, the city of Seattle closed the three-mile stretch to cars, except to access homes.
The impact of Sound Transit in the CID, especially Little Saigon, was another concern that candidates addressed. Several options are being discussed for a light rail station in the neighborhood.
Chhuor spoke about his time working on the Capitol Hill Community Council and how small businesses closed down due to the light rail expansion.
“Every time there’s a sporting event, it impacts us. It diverts business,” said Chhuor, advocating for shop owners in the CID and Little Saigon to have a say in the options Sound Transit is considering.
Benton asked about the opioid, fentanyl, and how to control the “scourge.”
“I think we need to look at it as a health care problem,” explained Chhuor. “We have to understand that it is not just an isolated thing. We need to stop the source and then we have to figure out how to care for the whole person.”
The Seattle City Council will decide on the District 2 seat at a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 27.
Jason can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.