1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,437 ♪♪ 2 00:00:06,339 --> 00:00:07,974 -My name is Ethan Hunter. 3 00:00:08,008 --> 00:00:10,310 I am running for city council in District 4, 4 00:00:10,343 --> 00:00:12,779 and I am often asked, why am I here? 5 00:00:12,812 --> 00:00:15,715 I'm here because Seattle lacks a clear moral voice, 6 00:00:15,749 --> 00:00:18,651 calling attention to the issues that threaten our future. 7 00:00:18,685 --> 00:00:20,653 I am here because we need safe schools 8 00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:22,222 where we teach reading and writing, 9 00:00:22,255 --> 00:00:23,656 not duck and cover. 10 00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:25,325 I am here because suicide rates 11 00:00:25,358 --> 00:00:27,360 among 15 to 24-year-olds 12 00:00:27,394 --> 00:00:28,495 are at their highest level 13 00:00:28,528 --> 00:00:31,164 since 2000, and action is required. 14 00:00:31,197 --> 00:00:32,132 I am here to speak 15 00:00:32,165 --> 00:00:33,333 for our most vulnerable 16 00:00:33,366 --> 00:00:34,868 so they have access to services 17 00:00:34,901 --> 00:00:36,269 that have been stripped away. 18 00:00:36,302 --> 00:00:37,704 I am here to support salaries 19 00:00:37,737 --> 00:00:39,939 that draw exceptional civil servants. 20 00:00:39,973 --> 00:00:40,840 I am here to fight 21 00:00:40,874 --> 00:00:42,342 the landslide of unsheltered, 22 00:00:42,375 --> 00:00:46,780 a problem which has increased by 46% since 2017. 23 00:00:46,813 --> 00:00:48,782 I am here for families like mine, 24 00:00:48,815 --> 00:00:50,550 devastated by an opioid crisis 25 00:00:50,583 --> 00:00:51,918 that has spiked 70% 26 00:00:51,951 --> 00:00:54,154 in our area since 2018. 27 00:00:54,187 --> 00:00:55,321 And I am here, 28 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:56,122 for it is time to make 29 00:00:56,156 --> 00:00:57,223 uncomfortable decisions 30 00:00:57,257 --> 00:00:58,992 about things like the environment 31 00:00:59,025 --> 00:01:00,360 so that we can look back with pride 32 00:01:00,393 --> 00:01:01,361 in the 2050s 33 00:01:01,394 --> 00:01:03,296 at what we did in the 2020s. 34 00:01:03,329 --> 00:01:04,664 So, when those running the city 35 00:01:04,697 --> 00:01:06,399 and for council want the issues to be 36 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:08,435 places and things instead of people, 37 00:01:08,468 --> 00:01:10,437 it is up to us to stand up, 38 00:01:10,470 --> 00:01:11,838 speak up, and say, 39 00:01:11,871 --> 00:01:13,273 "This is not right." 40 00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:14,674 That is why I am here. 41 00:01:14,707 --> 00:01:16,476 And I do this even though others may take 42 00:01:16,509 --> 00:01:17,610 special interest money, 43 00:01:17,644 --> 00:01:18,545 which I will not, 44 00:01:18,578 --> 00:01:19,779 even though I am young 45 00:01:19,813 --> 00:01:21,448 and most have more experiences, 46 00:01:21,481 --> 00:01:22,849 and even though I am the only 47 00:01:22,882 --> 00:01:24,751 working class candidate running. 48 00:01:24,784 --> 00:01:25,985 But the battles we must tackle 49 00:01:26,019 --> 00:01:27,187 are generational. 50 00:01:27,220 --> 00:01:28,488 The battles we must tackle 51 00:01:28,521 --> 00:01:29,522 will not be solved easily 52 00:01:29,556 --> 00:01:30,757 or in a few years, 53 00:01:30,790 --> 00:01:32,826 but we are in the battle of our lives, 54 00:01:32,859 --> 00:01:33,893 and because of that, 55 00:01:33,927 --> 00:01:35,428 it is time for the next generation 56 00:01:35,462 --> 00:01:36,930 to take the helm in Seattle 57 00:01:36,963 --> 00:01:38,698 as is happening nationwide. 58 00:01:38,731 --> 00:01:39,833 Thank you, and I look forward 59 00:01:39,866 --> 00:01:41,835 to serving you on city council.