As your city council member, I’ve worked with neighbors, business owners, and service providers throughout our district. I’m committed to walking alongside people to figure out what’s not working, find a solution, and make District 4 thrive. I’m not going to dictate what is best for everyone – I want to find real and lasting solutions to the problems facing our community.
These are some of my top priorities, but if you don’t see an issue that matters to you, please reach out!
Affordable Housing
I’m often frustrated by people who want “Headline Solutions” to “Headline Problems.” I moved to Tacoma in 2019 and was a renter in the Stadium District. My wife and I bought our home in McKinley in January of 2020, right before the pandemic. I recall thinking how hard it was to find a reasonable home and even then how expensive it was – and the cost has only increased since! So I understand exactly how difficult it is to afford housing in our city today.
Many politicians will say they are committed to building affordable housing but likely do not understand the actual problems that everyday people face when it comes to renting or buying a home. In this first year on the council, I’ve worked hard to improve the Home in Tacoma 2 project, especially by concentrating on increasing home-ownership opportunities for middle-income Tacomans. As your city council member, I want to make Tacoma an affordable place to live – whether it is for the short term or long. We need to build more affordable housing in Tacoma and I am determined to do this quickly but not at the expense of quality or safety.
Crime Prevention
District 4 residents and businesses experience a disproportionate amount of crime compared to the rest of our city.
This issue is near and dear to me because I know first hand what it means to feel the burden of crime around my own home. There have been 3 murders in a 3 year span within a few blocks of my home. I personally called 911 on 2 of those murders because they occurred just one block from my front door. We should all feel safe in our own homes.
There is no single path to decreasing crime in our community and it will take a multitude of solutions to effectively reduce crime and take the burden off our business owners and community members. Addressing the root causes of crime through emphasizing education, good-paying jobs, and stable housing goes hand in hand with community safety measures like maintaining a well-funded, well-staffed, and well-trained police force and alternative response teams.
I attended the 10-week Community Police Academy to understand how 21st-century policing works and how we are implementing it in Tacoma. Since the unfortunate death of Manny Ellis, a significant portion of the current police force is new. They have received new training requirements which emphasize de-escalating situations and how to safely engage when those tactics are not successful. I have met with not just the police chief but assistant chiefs, lieutenants, sergeants and patrol officers. I’ve asked hard questions and gotten honest and unvarnished answers. I have seen first hand that not only are our police officers professionals but that they care about our city. I believe in supporting policies that ensure our police officers can both be successful in their role in enforcing our laws but to do so in a fair and equitable manner.
Supporting Small Businesses
As a business owner myself, I want to grow and sustain the many lively and flourishing businesses in District 4.
So many of the businesses in our district are small, family-owned and run by people of color and immigrants. They provide a rich culture and depth to our community. Areas such as McKinley and Lincoln District have unique identities and communities that require tailored solutions to their problems. Issues facing businesses in the Proctor district or downtown are different than those facing businesses here and so the way that the city interacts with these businesses needs to be unique as well.
I have visited and spoken to business owners across my district and city. I have heard significant feedback that we need to address crime in these areas and make it easier to run a business here. We also need to solve issues regarding public health and grease traps. I am committed to working with local business owners to find solutions that work for all of them – not just large, wealthy businesses.
I will work to continue to remove red tape for small business owners, advocate of increased access by ensuring that city documents are available in the languages that small business owners in District 4 speak, reduce crime and homelessness, and support the diverse and rich businesses in my district.
Supporting our Seniors
Here in Tacoma, we are changing how we provide senior services. Thanks to a great partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma, we are saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars that can be invested right back into services for seniors. We will be transitioning out of the existing senior centers and moving the services to the four community centers. These four community centers have more modern fixtures, are more ADA-compliant, and we will be able to have multi-generational programming to build stronger community and familial ties. Here in District 4, the programming and free meals provided by Lighthouse Senior Center will be moved to the Eastside Community Center. However, I completely understand the growing pains associated with this change for our seniors and I am committed to walking alongside them and making this transition as easy and comfortable as possible. I have visited Lighthouse several times within the last month and have heard people’s concerns and worked to bring them to ECC. I joined the Parks Policy Advisory Group to ensure I can continue to advocate for the needs of seniors for the long term.