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| Jennifer Hesse, Everett City Council candidate (Position 3) for Everett, WA 2017 |
DM: Everett City Council candidate, Jennifer Hesse joins LCI today to talk about her run and what she would like to see happen in Everett. Thanks for being with us, Jennifer. What inspired you to run for City Council this year and how has the campaign gone so far?
JH: Hi David, thanks for having me! I am running for city council because Everett residents are not being heard by their current representatives. It is important for us to listen to the communities we are impacting with our decisions and take their opinions into account, especially if we do not live in those neighborhoods. It is also for this reason I am for districting Everett - Everett city council currently has no member living anywhere near the Berkshire location where they have chosen to put low-barrier housing, which effects only those in the area.
DM: What are the most important issues you want to deal with as a part of Everett City Council?
JH: In short - transparency, communication, and districting.
The people of Everett should be as involved as they wish to be in every step of the decision making process. Behind the scenes meetings must be properly recorded and available for the public. I would also like to strengthen the volunteer programs in our area and look into drug crimes as a health concern rather than a legal one.
DM: Out of all of the issues, which are in your opinion, not being fairly addressed yet by the Council and how would you like to work with them in getting things changed?
JH: As I mentioned before, the Berkshire location and low-barrier housing has been a process wrought with problems - transparency, communication, and location of the representatives being chief among them. From the day I first received an email from a Berkshire neighborhood resident, I listened, visited the area, walked around, and realized exactly what he was saying. We are paid not to make decisions that help us as individuals, but rather to represent the entire city of Everett. We need to reach out and go out of our way to understand what the problems are.
DM: What are your other plans towards making progress in Everett with other council memebers?
JH: I very much would like to see Everett's social voluntary programs grow, which is something the current members appear to be supportive of. I would love to work with them and expand these programs.
DM: Ideally, what would you like to see accomplished within the first 100 days on council?
JH: We need to be looking at the decisions made without all facts heard and considered and look into wording of ordinances recently passed to ensure clear language that will not be able to be construed later on. I have witnessed too many of these issues in this past year and we need to take a step back and fix these problems before we can move forward.
DM: If you could give one message to the voters within Everett before they cast their decision by the primary, what would it be?
JH: Your voice matters, your livelihood matters, and your safety matters. I promise to hear everyone's concerns before deciding on any motions.
DM: For those who would be interested in getting involved with your campaign, donations, and more information, what links can you provide for readers such as Facebook and website?
JH: Please find me at www.facebook.com/HesseforEverett, where you can contact me directly, view all stances on issues, and respond to any of them. This is a place to agree, disagree, and for all of us to learn.
I am not fundraising - this is a decision I made based on a huge flaw I have seen in this system for years - thousands of dollars are raised for local elections. And where does that money go? Into signs and paper that will be thrown away! I prefer using money by giving to charities that serve our city and its citizens. If you would like to be involved with my campaign, please give to charities that serve Everett and make a short announcement of support through it, volunteer, and be a voice for your neighborhood.
DM: It's been a pleasure to speak with you about your campaign for Everett City Council. Closing, what final information would you like to leave for those reading?
JH: It would be my pleasure representing you. Please don't hesitate to contact me - let me know what's important to you so that I can fight for you. Thank you.
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| Jennifer Hesse at Thornton A Sullivan Park for Green Everett Partnership (June 17, 2017) |
This contribution is from Seattle-based independent journalist, David Malekar, Editor in Chief for the Liberty Chronicle Independent; and publishes content to other online publications.