by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 29 September 2015
On (or before) November 3rd, Seattle voters are being offered a great opportunity. This year, for the first-time ever, voters will elect a City Council representative for the neighborhood district in which they reside – and for the first-time ever, starting in January 2016, our neighborhoods will have a City Councilmember responsive to, residing in and representing their district, and its needs.
This opportunity, to vote by district, carries with it a greater than ever responsibility to gather information. For instance, for District #4, which includes Fremont east of Aurora along with the University District, Eastlake, Ravenna, Wedgewood, and Laurelhurst, has two candidates – both of them names unfamiliar to casual voters.
In two separate columns, Fremocentrist.com introduces these two candidates, allowing them a chance to speak about their campaigns and their plans to, eventually, serve Fremont.
- Click here to meet Michael Maddux
- Click here to meet Rob Johnson
More Candidates To Meet
The new District system for Seattle City Council also will give voters two at-large candidates, in positions #8 & #9.
These candidates are:
- At Large #8 – Incumbent Councilmember Tim Burgess
- At Large #8 – Candidate Jon Grant
- At Large #9 – Candidate Bill Bradburd
- At Large #9 – Candidate M. Lorena Gonzalez
Our Two Districts, For The Good & The Bad Of It
The other seven Concilmembers will represent districts drawn based primarily by population, as each district contains roughly the same number of registered voters. The map, which will be re-drawn every 10-years, currently divides Fremont in half – a good or a bad situation depending on who is viewing the glass.
Fremont west of Aurora falls into District #6, and shares its City Councilperson with Ballard and Greenwood. If that Councilperson does a bad job, or voters elect someone who doesn’t represent Fremont, we will have another option – going to our District #4 Councilperson. Right now, voters in District #6 have to choose between:
- Candidate Catherine Weatbrook (profiled on Fremocentrist.com in June)
- Incumbent Councilmember Mike O’Brien (profiled on Fremocentrist.com in June)
Fremont will have to share our two Councilpersons with other, often significantly larger and/or more vociferous, neighborhoods. Our District #4 Councilperson will have, as part of their constituency, the University of Washington – the largest non-profit organization in Seattle, and a whole community of its own, with its own security, land use and laws.
Our District #4 Candidates
Fremont voters have a responsibility to elect wisely, and well, the candidate that will best represent their interests and their issues. Please read the Fremocentrist.com profiles of candidates Rob Johnson and Michael Maddux, to learn more about what they promise to do for our community.
For yet more information, visit the candidates’ websites (Michael Maddux.com and Rob4Seattle.com) and consider attending upcoming public forums, to hear the candidates speak for themselves. Seattle Channel will be filming a debate, at University Heights Center, on October 1st (reserve a seat through Stranger Tickets) and another public debate will be held October 14th at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford at 7p.
Follow-Up Articles
- Michael Maddux
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, 25 September 2015
- Rob Johnson
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, 25 September 2015
Related Articles
- A Pizza Picnic, & District #6 Candidate Profiles
- by Kirby Lindsay Laney, 9 June 2015
- What Is Charter Amendment 19?
- by Kirby Lindsay, 21 October 2013
©2015 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.