The Mayoral candidates and City Council candidates came together last night for a community forum, held in the Ballard High School auditorium. Put on by the Ballard and Magnolia/Queen Anne District Councils, community members were invited to ask the candidates questions about their policies and future plans. Moderated by Seattle Channel’s C.R. Douglas, the forum was comprised of questions submitted beforehand by the community, audience queries and a series of “lightening rounds,” where candidates held up one of three cards: “Yes,” “No,” and “Waffle” (Literally. The card showed a picture of waffles).
First up were the eight City Council candidates. Beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m., each candidate was given one minute to summarize why they wanted the position. Some topics of particular interest included the Viaduct construction, the proposed tunnel, and whether or not these projects should come before or after critical and much-needed maintenance of other citywide infrastructure, such as the Magnolia Bridge.
The candidates also discussed a recent statistic stating that violent crime in Seattle went up 22 percent in the first six months of the year, debating over how the city should expand it’s law enforcement programs – if and how the numbers should be increased, if the city should revamp the way it utilizing its officers, and whether money should be taken from other programs to fund an increase in law enforcement.
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