Candidate forums are a great way to get to know the candidates in your city council races, and to hear what others in your community care about as well.
Make sure that affordable housing and homelessness are part of the conversation. We have a few suggested questions and background info below, separated by important housing/homelessness topics. And if you are able to ask the candidates these questions, please let us know how it goes!
Housing affordability
Questions: What do you think is the most important strategy Seattle can pursue to keep the city affordable to live in?
What will you do to move that strategy forward?
More Info: A medical assistant can’t afford the average 1-bedroom apartment in Seattle, and neither can many others. Explore housing affordability data here.
Equitable access to housing
Questions: What should the city do to address racial disparities in housing opportunity?
How should the city address the displacement stemming from gentrification of neighborhoods that have been home to the Black community and other communities of color?
More Info: Read a Central District resident’s analysis of the class/race aspects of displacement here.
Controlling rising rents
Question: What does rent control/rent regulation mean to you, and do you support lifting the state ban on it so cities and counties can decide for themselves?
More Info: Read about why you might want your councilmember to support rent regulation. This article is a Seattle City Council publication about the issue.
Check out this Pacific Standard article In Defense of Rent Control.
Meeting the need for more affordable housing
Question: Do you support asking developers to help meet the need for affordable housing by including a percentage of affordable units in their buildings or putting some of their profits back into a fund for affordable housing, why or why not?
More Info: Read about the current affordable housing linkage fee proposal here, and an in-depth analysis of why policies like this work here.
Short-term ways to address homelessness
Questions: What role should tent encampments play in addressing homelessness in the city?
What would you say to a resident of your district with concerns about the locations the city has recently chosen for new tent cities?
More Info: Read about the current state of tent cities in Seattle, and about the proposed new locations.
De-criminalizing homelessness
Question: What steps should the city take to make life more humane for people experiencing homelessness?
More Info: Local ordinances are often used to harass or remove people experiencing homelessness from public spaces. A series of Seattle University’s School of Law reports shows how and where this happens in Washington State.
Affordable homeownership
Question: How should the city help ensure that working class people can still afford to buy a home in Seattle?
More Info: You’d need a salary of over $71,000 to buy a median-priced house in Seattle.
Find out about how the city currently helps low-income homebuyers.
Homes lost to foreclosure
Question: What would you do as a city council member to address foreclosures and the displacement they cause?
More Info: Foreclosure is hitting communities of color especially hard. Read more here.
Visit SAFE in Seattle’s website for stories of displacement caused by foreclosure and organizing efforts to save these homes.
Find out about the next candidates forum at our Seattle City Council elections calendar: