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-Hello! I'm Joe McDermott.
As your King County Councilmember, Sound Transit Boardmember
and member of the Seattle King County Board of Health --
building a just, equitable, and thriving King County
is the mission for my work every day.
Strong transit options mean opportunity for everyone.
That's why I fought to include West Seattle in light rail expansion
and am leading the effort to secure a tunnel
for light rail in West Seattle.
It's also why I'm delivering Rapid Ride bus service
to Delridge and Burien, and ensuring Metro and Sound Transit
prioritize equitable fares and equitable fare enforcement.
Solving our homelessness crisis means solving our housing crisis.
That's why I passed legislation dedicating
$660 million in lodging taxes to affordable housing and am shaping
the Council's work creating a coordinated, regional response
for homelessness services.
With firearm deaths in America exceeding 35,000 a year,
gun violence is a public health crisis that we must address.
That's why I introduced and passed the King County Gun Safety Action Plan,
common sense laws and programs focused on saving lives.
And a thriving King County means we must be a welcoming King County.
When I joined the hundreds of people at Sea-Tac airport
protesting Trump's first illegal travel ban targeting Muslims,
it became crystal clear that we needed to step up locally
to support our immigrant and refugee friends and neighbors.
I partnered with Executive Constantine and the Seattle Foundation
in developing the Immigrant and Refugee Resilience Fund
and sponsored the creation of the King County Immigrant
and Refugee Commission to support residents across King County.
A just, equitable, and thriving King County is possible,
no matter the challenges we face.
I would be honored to continue this mission with you
for the next four years.
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