In this episode intern Emma Young had a chance to interview Ethan Hunter, candidate for Seattle City Council District 4. The Seattle Municipal Primary Election will be held August 6. Learn more about the candidates running for office in your community at www.Vote-USA.org!
Transcription
School shootings are on the rise in the U.S. The Washington Post counts 237 school shootings since the Columbine shooting in 1999. In Washington state, there have only been three school shootings according to the K-12 School Shooting Database: Frontier Middle School in 1996, Marysville Pilchuck High School in 2014, and Freeman High School in 2017. Of the three, the Marysville Pilchuck High School shooting was the only one in the Seattle Metropolitan Area. In this incident 5 were killed and one was injured. In one Seattle Times article called “What we know about school mass shootings since Columbine and how to prevent them”, the author argues that focusing on fostering an inclusive school climate would be one of the most productive actions to take to reduce school shootings. It will be up to the local and state governments to determine the best path forward.
Another issue they will have to take up is salary increases for civil servants. Seattle is one of the most expensive cities in which to live in the country. The wages paid to city’s civil servants often leaves them unable to afford the costs of the city. The National Low Income Housing Coalition cites that the minimum salary needed to afford a studio apartment is $56,640. The starting salary for Seattle public school teachers is only $56,947 as of October 2018, leaving them barely able to afford to live in the city in the smallest living space possible. Prior to October, many would not have been able to afford it at all, since all teachers received a 10% salary increase. The starting salary for firefighters of $72,900 and for police officers of $81,444 is not enough for them to afford larger than a two bedroom apartment. These civil servants are so crucial to the city but can not afford to live here, which is why some are arguing for wage increases.
Seattle along with cities across the whole country have been deeply affected by the opioid crisis as well. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported 179 deaths in Seattle due to drug related incidents, of which 123 were caused by opioids. The DEA Seattle Field Division anticipates that deaths will only continue to rise in the area due to opiate addiction. The opioid crisis touches every part of Seattle from stressing police resources, causing increased lawlessness, and disrupting communities.
Seattle as well as Washington state as a whole has taken a multi-pronged approach to combating the opioid crisis...(Transcription edited, only 4000 characters allowed)
