For the first time in fifty years Seattle has a choice. We can continue to treat our most precious asset, our downtown neighborhoods, as containment zones for the addicted and the mentally ill, or we can build a new system of care, away from the city center, and not dependent on the county or the state. It’s time to take the destiny of our city back into our own hands.

When we say once and for all, we mean once, and for all the people affected by the epidemic. For the old people afraid to leave their apartments, for the middle class family that had to move away from the city because the streets became too dangerous for their kids, for the employee who got assaulted at work by a mentally ill person who is to ill to live in the city, for the business owner who’s business has been broken into 3 or 4 or 9 times over the last five years. For the cops, the firefighters, the EMT’s and the emergency room workers who feel hopeless and trapped in a constantly dangerous work environment. For the mental health workers and counselors and psychiatrists who know that there clients and patients would be far better served by a long term facility away from the dangers of drugs and predatory criminals in the city. For the parents of the addicts waiting for the call that there child is dead or has committed some dreadful addiction related crime.

How will we solve the problem?

By treating the epidemic as the number one problem. As the existential threat to downtown and all the surrounding neighborhoods. We must solve the addiction epidemic now once and for all.

As one of two council members for the entire city, I will propose and pass legislation needed to implement the necessary changes to the way we deal with addiction and mental illness in the city of Seattle. I will propose the following policies:

• Amend the public drug use law to eliminate language prioritizing diversion. This will return diversion to a post arrest and post trial status.

• The city of Seattle has no jail of its own. The city must build a temporary secure facility away from the city neighborhoods to handle the influx of people into the jail and a new treatment system. We can do this in months not years. We can use military or FEMA resources to assist us in this construction. Cost to construct $6 Million. Cost to operate annually $7.5 million.

• To offer the choice jail or treatment we will need to build a city run temporary addiction treatment center away from our city center neighborhoods. This facility will cost $6 Million dollars to construct using sprung building technology and can be completed in 3-6 months. Staffing costs can be held down in the beginning by requesting assistance from the US Military for medical personnel to assist with detox and general medical needs. Estimated costs of operation annually $8 million dollars. Financing for this housing project can be found in Jumpstart dollars that currently go to Permanent Supportive Housing projects for addicts.

• With new jail space the city can begin enforcing the law. Arrest, charge and convict every person committing crimes on the streets of Seattle no matter how small those crimes are. Ending Seattle’s fifteen year policy of not charging and convicting people of crimes. Ending this policy will allow for post trial diversion to treatment programs with real consequences for failure.

• Every person convicted of any crime and specifically the crime of possessing drugs or using drugs in public or committing crimes associated with addiction must be assessed for level of addiction, place of legal residence and history of violence. Those who are non-residents can be convicted and then transported back to thier place of legal residence. Those residents who are non-violent can be offered post trial diversion to an appropriate long term, secure treatment center. Late stage addicts will be offered a multi-year treatment and work program. Failure to complete treatment will result in serving the original sentence. Cost of this one time transport could be as high as $50 million dollars. This is a bargain compared to committing to housing, jailing and providing medical services to severe addicts for years at a time. For reference Seattle is about to pay $52 million dollars to housing providers to cover the cost of non-payment of rent and destruction of apartments by the addicted and mentally ill in “Permanent Supportive Housing”.

• We will need to build a temporary 250 bed mental health treatment center away from our city center neighborhoods. This facility will cost $6 million dollars to build and $10-12 million dollars to operate. Funding can be secured from $50 million in savings not paying for damages and unpaid rent in Housing First buildings.

• Finally we will need to site finance and build, two permanent, city run, state of the art treatment centers. One for addiction services and one for mental health services. Each with 250 bed capacity. These facilities will likely cost $100 million to build and $50-60 million to operate annually. These facilities are an investment in safe and welcoming streets and public spaces that will raise property and development taxes in the city. In addition these city run treatment centers will provide good living wage jobs rather than low wage subsistence level non-profit shelter and PSH jobs. Every method must be put on the table to finance and to build these secure facilities away from our city center neighborhoods. Funding can come from funds we already spend on shelters and PSH. Funding is also likely to be secured by a Republican on the City Council working with the federal government to end Housing First and transfer patients and funding to this economically viable and compassionate solution.

• The mentally ill wether housed or living on the streets of Seattle must be evaluated for their own safety and protection. Those who are a danger to themselves or others or who have become gravely disabled need to be prepared to transfer to long term residential care facilities.

• Ending Seattle’s “We Can’t” policies of no jail, no cops, no long term residential treatment for the addicted and the mentally ill and no respect for the businesses and the emergency service workers who hold it all together, can save our city.

The goal of permanent safe housing for the mentally ill and the severely addicted is a noble goal. A goal that needs to be achieved now, but not at the expense of the citizens and the business establishments in our city and not at the expense of the addicted and mentally ill who are harmed by living in environments with easy access to drugs. We have all seen the damaging effects of permanently housing the severely addicted and the severely mentally ill in our city center neighborhoods first hand. The threat to our city’s decline is not exaggeration. Businesses are failing left and right because the environment is hostile to civilized society. Citizens are moving from our neighborhoods. We are on track to be the next San Francisco if we do not solve the existential threat posed by using the city as an experimental lab.

At Savage Citizens we support permanent long term residential treatment facilities for those whose mental and substance use disorders make them unable to act in ways that are beneficial to Seattle society. As a city we cannot wait to act. First create temporary secure hospital facilities to immediately help the thousands of people in our streets who are sick from addiction and mental illness. Then pass legislation to fund and build Seattle owned and operated long term addiction and mental health treatment facilities away from downtown city center.

This goal is achievable. In a few short months we can have safe streets for all. In two years we can have a city unlike any American city we have seen in the last fifty years. The severely mentally ill, the addicted, the residents, the business owners, the cops, the firefighters, the counselors and the jail guards all deserve a safe, civilized prosperous city. The status quo offers no dignity.

Housing First policies are at the heart of the problem. These federal guidelines for funding bring the most addicted and anti-social individuals who are classified as “chronically homeless” into housing in our neighborhoods without any mandatory abstinence or participation in treatment.

There are open air drug markets around most housing first buildings. Many fatal overdoses take place in housing first buildings or involve housing first recipients. The buildings are violent. Emergency Services are called to the buildings at a rate 18 times higher than comparable apartments.

As your At Large City Council person I will work to close these programs as soon as possible and offer limited time leases to people who have completed multi year city treatment programs and who have proven a commitment to rejoining society. I will also offer leases to our first responders especially those who have recently joined Seattle PD and Seattle Fire.

No one has the right to infringe on our citizens and visitors right to enjoy the benefits of a safe, clean and orderly public transportation system. As your Council member I will commit to instituting policies that ensure:

• No one will be allowed to sleep on our public transport

• No one will be allowed to use drugs on our public transport.

• No one will ride our public transport for free without a city issued disability pass.

• I will ensure that Sound Transit installs manned fare gates and stations at all light rail platforms.

• I will work with the City Council to use state grant funding to create a dedicated SPD Transportation Security force.

• All buses and trains being operated by Sound Transit in the city will have SPD Transportation Security officers on board to ensure our citizens and visitors safety.

• Hold King County accountable to provide inviting, safe and friendly platforms at all stations in the city.

I have always supported the Seattle minimum wage and have always paid in excess of the wage to my employees. I recognize the need for housing that will provide a safe, stable housing at a monthly rental rate of 30% of the Seattle minimum wage. This is a conservative value. That to provide for workers being able to live a financially stable life and have disposable income creates stability and prosperity in our city. The city must step in and provide housing that achieves this goal.

• Savage Close the Gap Plan.The gap is what a person in Seattle who works a 40 hour a week minimum wage job makes and the cost of an average studio apartment. I propose a direct subsidy currently roughly of $520 to the 10-12,000 workers in the city in this position. We can offer this immediate relief in months not years. Seattle can save money by not building as much costly permanent subsidized housing. Funds for this program are already available in the Housing Levy dedicated housing fund. This plan saves money overall and offers stability and hope to those who are working to build there American Dream. We propose this plan to be up for expiration or renewal in five years as we evaluate housing conditions at that time.

• Keep the successful MFTE program. Eliminate proposed increased fees, reduced AMI thresholds, and burdensome operational requirements.

• Continue to work with all parties on the best method of governance for the Seattle Social Housing Developer.

• Lead an effort to make maximum zoning and permitting changes to promote apartment and condo building in the Downtown, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, South Queen Anne and the International District.

It is a critical to restore public respect and admiration for our city first responders. No more will we allow City Hall to treat our police with suspicion and the assumption of wrongdoing. Our police force deserves our support as they bravely put themselves in harms way everyday to keep us safe. When we as citizens call, they come running. We want to help the victims of crime, and will support SPD.

I will back our police by writing ordinances and voting for measures that give our law enforcement agencies the scope of authority they need to arrest criminals.

I will lead the effort to build our own city jail that will allow our police department to do the job of taking the bad guys off our streets.

I will thank our first responders by continuing to budget for the highest pay in the state and celebrate their dedication to our city with signing bonuses and quality pensions.

We want our police officers to live and work in our city. I will legislation to create first responder housing in the city. I will honor our first responders publicly in awards ceremonies and parades.

I will sponsor first responder games to encourage recruitment and to teach our children that our police and first responders are our cities heroes.