This is a difficult question since the county can not handle this issue in isolation. The state, in pursuing cuts to health care and other critical services, also cut local assistance for myriad services, leaving a budget problem local governments will have to address.

In general, however, I support—and will support in the upcoming budget process—securing and back filling funds to protect needed services, such as care for children, the elderly, mental health and chemical dependency, and protect services that serve other vulnerable populations.

Human services funding is not only important to helping those in need in our community, it is also money well spent to reduce future needs.  Human service programs help us to save money by providing assistance to people before their needs become critical and impact our public health and public safety programs even more.

I believe that we must make difficult choices, however, in order to realistically make this commitment. Innovation and efficiencies, as well as targeted cuts, must be embraced in order to free up resources—sound bites and promises won’t pay the bills.  Part of the motivation for my 2% health care premium proposal is to protect front line service providers from layoffs, and front line services from cuts.

We have to have an honest dialogue, and I look forward to working with you to accomplish mutual goals.

I want to set the foundation for a new prosperity, improving the quality of life in King County for working families. We need real transit and transportation choices, sensible and humane criminal justice, responsible preservation of our environment, and genuine regional leadership. Ultimately, our job is to make government work for people, to hold fast to our progressive principles, and not to get hung up on defending parts of the status quo that are no longer working.

I have been active in my local school, West Seattle High School, nearly since graduation. I co-founded its site council, serving on its alumni association board to raise scholarship funds, and started and still serve on the board of its foundation. And through my work in the legislature and on the council I have supported youth and school programs in the Highline, Seattle and Vashon school districts.

As King County Executive I will fight for investment in our schools, provide the transportation and other infrastructure needed so parents can spend less time commuting and more time with their kids, and assist families in participating in their children’s lives.

King County is the regional provider for most of our criminal justice system, and has a special responsibility to be a leader in responding to and preventing domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Unit, Protection Orders Program, and other County functions focused on protecting victims must be preserved despite current budget shortfalls. Prevention and response require not only police, but a continuum of public and private programs aimed at stopping the cycle of violence and abuse.

I have been a strong supporter of human service programs as a King County Councilmember and state legislator. Private nonprofit programs such as the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center and others in the community are indispensible to providing assistance to victims and education to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.

That means infrastructure investments should be tied to apprenticeship requirements. It means that local, small contractors should have a shot at parts of big public contracts. It means that we should re-invest in K-12 and higher education, rather that slashing as the legislature has just done. The “big winners deserve it, and tough luck to the rest of you” ethic celebrated by the 1980s Republicans and their progeny should be cast aside for a new, but very old-fashioned way of thinking: We are one. We are all in this together.

Everyone needs to have the chance in our society to fulfill his or her potential, through education, training, and fair and equal treatment.

I served for a decade on the board of the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, and we built or preserved many units of affordable housing in one of the region’s most affordable neighborhoods. I believe that we have to use both public and private means to create the amount of housing needed for a growing and economically diverse population of nearly 2,000,000 people.  As the county council member representing much of South Seattle and Southwest King County I have been a strong supporter of affordable housing projects in these communities.

Obvious examples are the need to continue to fund senior center programs and health programs for our seniors. Studies have shown that seniors who have opportunities to interact with each other and build a support network have fewer health problems and enjoy a higher quality of life. As our population ages it is fiscally wise and morally imperative that we provide services to our seniors to keep them connected and contributing to our community.

We have a moral responsibility to help provide assistance for the elderly.  I have been a lifelong supporter of the West Seattle Senior Center and have witnessed firsthand the difference they have made in many seniors lives. 

There are many non-profit organizations out there that are doing wonderful projects to provide more affordable housing.  Even during this downturn, King County can help by streamlining permitting and working to co-locate county services in or near new housing.    The county can also work to incentivize developers to include more affordable housing in projects that they create. These are tough budgetary times for King County, so we need to harness the creativity and innovation that this region is known for to develop innovative new ways for government to partner with private developers.

I helped secure the county dollars for Northwest Harvest to create a much needed new distribution facility, and have always been a strong supporter of our food banks, including the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks in my district. Food banks are currently stressed by dramatically increased demand and lower donations and government support.  We must assist these critical lifeline programs and their key role in assisting those in the greatest need.

We need to promote innovative ways to increase capacity while protecting livability in urban areas that have access to transit and services. Accessory dwelling units and developments such as cottage housing that use shared parking can provide much more compact development with less negative impact on neighbors and the environment.

As King County Executive one of my chief responsibilities is to ensure a strong transit system at Metro and Sound Transit. Good transit is a key part of the affordability equation. The combined cost of housing and transportation can be overwhelming for many. We must promote affordable and convenient transit to lower the living costs and provide access to economic opportunity.