After 12 years of current leadership
failing to solve our biggest problems like homelessness,
it's time for change.
And as we recover from this pandemic,
we need an executive who understands how hard
working families in King County have struggled
to make ends meet even before this crisis.
I'm the son of refugees from White Center
and worked as a janitor at my own high school,
and despite great adversity,
I built a successful career in the private sector
and now I represent my community in the state Senate.
We can build a brighter future
for every family in King County.
We can build a community
where everyone has a safe place to call home.
Every senior can age in place with dignity,
and every parent can provide for their kids.
We can achieve all of this if we had an executive
who will act with the urgency needed,
to actually solve problems.
For years, the communities I grew up in
haven't gotten the same investments
to support working people
that made my success possible.
And as a result, residents of South King County
got sick and died from COVID-19
at twice the rates
of those in other parts of the county.
Those deaths were preventable
if the county had prioritized every community's safety.
The pandemic wasn't the first crisis
where our current leadership neglected working families
who've been pushed out of their neighborhoods.
The status quo has given us
12 years of unaffordable housing,
longer commutes, inaction on climate change,
and worsening gun violence in our communities.
We need bold solutions
implemented with transparency and accountability.
And I have the private and public sector experience
to get things done. Let's get to work.