Black Lives Matter and Police Reform.

I stand with the movement, and we need to enact police reform now.

I wholeheartedly stand with and support the Black Lives Matter movement, joined several of the protests in the city, and had the opportunity to talk to other people that were out protesting and in solidarity with the movement. What happened to George Floyd was an American tragedy. What has happened to countless other African-Americans while in police custody or during interactions with police is a stain on our great nation. America is experiencing a real reckoning at the moment. In all honesty, as a white male, I don't know what it's like to walk in an African American's shoes. I don't know what it's like to have interactions with the police and fear for my life; I don't know what it's like to shop in a store and get followed around by security. I don't know what it's like to have that experience. But what I can do is I can listen to our communities of color, I can fight and protest for what is right, and I can use my voice to enact real change.

A big part of this change would be police reform. The legislature should fully support local police accountability efforts. I agree (as Gov. Inslee does) that at the state level, we need to establish a task force or agency to investigate in-custody deaths, and make it state law for officers to report their colleagues' misconduct while on the job (I know of a few municipal governments around the county that are already doing this.) I would also restrict the use of chokeholds and tasers.

COVID-19.

Our fight against COVID-19.

I’d like to thank all of the health care workers, grocery store employees, and all of the front-line workers who have worked tirelessly over the last several months and have been out there day in and day out doing all of the heavy lifting to get us all through these very tough times.  They are the real heroes.

We are all so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world.  As a long-time resident of Seattle, I’ve seen our city transform over the years in exciting and phenomenal ways.  But the last several months have been extremely challenging for all of us.  

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community and the world cannot really be underestimated.  It has completely changed the conservation.  The world is a vastly different place than it was just a few short months ago.  As I talk to everyday voters, there’s a lot of fear and uncertainty out there.  The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested us in ways never before seen in our lifetimes.

It has impacted our community, families, and businesses.  No one has been immune from its effects.  I couldn’t have imagined just a few short months ago that we’d be at where we’re at today.

I’ve been in the private sector for my entire professional career and, like many people I’ve met recently, my industry has been devastated by the economic impacts of the pandemic. This is part of the reason I’m running for office and got into this race to begin with. I’ve experienced first-hand the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic.

I want to be in this fight to get our state, city, community, and district back on its feet and back to work.

So many of the social equity issues that I’m passionate about - healthcare, senior care and advocacy, homelessness, affordable housing, worker wage disparity, transportation issues, support for underrepresented communities, the plight of small businesses - have been thrust to the forefront as a result of the pandemic.  In some ways, it has exposed many of the inadequacies and inequities in society.

We’re seeing how the pandemic is disproportionately impacting our communities of color, how small businesses and service industry employees like store clerks and restaurant workers are entering into an uncertain future not knowing if their businesses will reopen or if they’ll even have a job in the end.  Being in the travel and tourism sector myself, I wonder how long it will take for tourism to return to our area, and if the level of tourism will ever come back to pre-pandemic levels.

These are the issues I worry about and the things that frankly keep me up at night.

I do think the road to recovery from this will be tough, and, like so many times during the pandemic, it will sometimes seem like we’re running in place or we’re taking two steps forward and one back.  But I want to take on this fight and I’m up for the challenge.

Supporting our Small Businesses.

Supporting and Safeguarding our Struggling Small Businesses.

Our local small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and part of the fabric of our community. We must do everything we can do protect them.  It saddens me when I walk around my neighborhood and see that so many local businesses have permanently shuttered as a result of COVID.

As your State Representative, I will introduce and cosponsor legislation aimed at helping our small businesses recover financially, and return back to pre-COVID levels in order to safeguard those businesses and the many good jobs that they support.

One of the primary obstacles that is killing small business in Washington is the B&O Tax (or Business & Occupation Tax).  It is essentially a tax on gross income.  This tax is applied before businesses pay their employees, rent, or any other bills.

This leads to a situation where businesses get taxed whether they make money or lose money, since the government takes their portion before any expenses can be paid. A business can be in the red and not making any money at all, however, the government gets paid before the business owner even does. This is wrong, and this doesn’t encourage success. This is especially hard on startups and small local businesses as this system disproportionately impacts smaller local businesses. As your State Representative, I will fight to reduce or entirely eliminate the B&O Tax.

LGBTQ+ Issues & Advocacy.

I will be a strong advocate in Olympia when it comes to LGBTQ+ protections, rights, and freedoms.

Some of the biggest issues still facing the LGBTQ+ community today is employment discrimination, youth homelessness, housing discrimination, and violence.  This needs to end now.  In Olympia, I will introduce, co-sponsor and, support any and all legislation aimed at putting a stop to any form of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.   

The sum of our individual parts is what makes a community great.  Diversity makes us unstoppable.  I will actively seek to include members of the LGBTQ+ community in my campaign, and, once elected, onto my legislative staff.

I am a huge advocate for the work that the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) does in its mission to promote LGBTQ+ tourism in our community, support LGBTQ+ businesses, and provide much-needed scholarships to our next generation of success stories.  As a gay man, husband, and dog dad, I find such inspiration in the mission of the organization and the results they’ve shown over the years.  It’s all about supporting our community and giving back.  We need more organizations like this one.

Some of the most fun and rewarding volunteer work that I do is with the OUT Foundation and its fitness initiative OUTWOD.  As a fitness enthusiast myself, I’m an ambassador for OUTWOD which supports the LGBTQ+ community through inclusion, fitness, and sport.  Their mission is to “remove the barriers that block LGBTQ+ individuals access and participation in health and wellness, ensuring their success.” It’s all about staying healthy on both the inside and outside.  We’re a team and we’re all in this together. 

Reforming our State’s Tax Structure.

We need a fair and equitable tax code now.

One of the greatest challenges that our state faces is reforming our antiquated tax structure.  Washington State has one of the most regressive tax structures in the country.  Instead of an income tax, we have a hodgepodge of sales, excise, and property taxes to keep the state moving.  This leads to a situation where those earning the least are paying a higher percentage of their earning to taxes, while the richest amongst us are contributing the smallest percentage of their total income.  We need a system that is fair and equitable for all Washingtonians, and one that doesn’t penalize lower-income families.  We need to be less reliant on property, sales and excise taxes, and more reliant on having a fair state income tax that works for everyone.

Affordable and Equitable Transportation.

We need affordable and equitable transportation that serves everyone.

According to the Washington Post, Seattle has the sixth-largest ridership nationwide when it comes to the percentage of people who use public transportation to get to work.  So many in Seattle rely on it.

As a community, we need affordable, efficient, and equitable transportation for all of our residents.  And it’s incumbent on us to develop, promulgate, and enact transportation policies and plans that support health, equity, and the environment.

What’s paramount is prioritizing investments in public transportation overall, but also emphasizing investments in low-income neighborhoods, and communities of color to order to provide greater access to all public transport options.

According to Sound Transit, light rail to Ballard is due to be completed in 2035 - I think we can get there faster than that.