Just after the turn of the year to 2023, Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen announced that he would not seek re-election to the District 4 seat that he has held since 2019. Like many other seats on the City Council, Pedersen’s is up for reconsideration in November. District 4 includes Wallingford and something of a mixed bag of other neighborhoods in north Seattle (e.g., Eastlake, Fremont, Laurelhurst, Maple Leaf, University District, View Ridge, Windermere). Pedersen, who distinguished himself on a left-leaning Council as a centrist, has weathered some particularly tumultuous times for the city during his tenure.
As Councilmember Pedersen has been a friend to Wallyhood (which means, he knows that we exist and even showed up at a Wallyhood gathering at Murphy’s Pub last summer), we thought it would be both appropriate and fun to ask a few questions in the wake of his big announcement. The questions we posed:
- What gives you the most satisfaction about your time on the Council?
- What was most frustrating?
- As you finish out your term as District 4 councilmember, what are your priorities for the next several months on the City Council? What initiatives did you start that you most hope will be continued in the future?
- District 4 encompasses diverse but relatively affluent neighborhoods (e.g., Fremont, Wallingford, U-District, View Ridge, Windemere, etc.). As a district representative, has it been difficult reconciling the needs and concerns of the various neighborhoods?
- What enacted or potential city or county policies have the greatest potential to change the Wallingford neighborhood, for better or for worse?
- Future plans and aspirations? Have you had your fill of public life, or might you consider some different flavor of public service?
- Is there anybody in particular that you hope will succeed you? Can we expect you to endorse somebody once the race gets underway?
- Do you have any interest in meeting up with Wallyhood at Murphy’s or some other neighborhood venue, preferably when it is warmer, when you can share what you really think (off the record)?
Councilmember Pedersen responded in a very timely manner, and in some detail. So much detail, in fact, that we thought we’d need to split his answers into at least a couple of posts. But to streamline things, we decided to hyperlink his answer to Question #1 over to his list of accomplishments on his City Council website. His preface to the original answer, and those to our other seven questions are below.
- What gives you the most satisfaction about your time on the Council?
I enjoy hearing back from constituents who appreciate my office working hard on their behalf, either helping them to resolve a problem with City government or explaining a policy proposal — and I enjoy getting things done for Seattle’s District 4 (the 100,000 people from Eastlake to Wallingford to Wedgwood). While I have another year to go, here are some highlights from the past 3 years…
- What was most frustrating?
Having to spend so much time working against ill-conceived or half-baked ideas, such as when a majority of City Council ended the Navigation Team that addressed homeless encampments or when the majority of City Council pledged to defund the police by 50%, which contributed to 400 officers leaving our City short-staffed. It’s much easier to go along to get along at City Hall because asking direct questions and pushing back creates uncomfortable conflict with colleagues you see every day, but it became necessary especially in 2020 and 2021. In general, I came to the position to listen more to constituents and resolve tough urban problems, but I’ve had to spend so much time on “defense” trying to lift up the common sense concerns of constituents to colleagues who seemed more focused on responding to vocal activists on social media. I’m hopeful that 2023 can be the most productive year.
- As you finish out your term as District 4 councilmember, what are your priorities for the next several months on the City Council? What initiatives did you start that you most hope will be continued in the future?
In the year ahead, my office is focusing on 3 things:
- Increasing Safety, including community safety and transportation safety (crosswalks, sidewalks, school zone camera enforcement, bridge maintenance, etc.).
- Preventing displacement of Seattle residents and preserving tree infrastructure by making sure most new real estate development assisted by the government (such as upzoning) focuses on boosting low-income housing close to frequent transit.
- Ensuring fiscal responsibility so the people’s tax dollars are invested as effectively as possible, especially as homeowners, renters, and small businesses feel the pinch of escalating property tax costs.
I hope all of these priorities continue in the future.
- District 4 encompasses diverse but relatively affluent neighborhoods (e.g., Fremont, Wallingford, U-District, View Ridge, Windemere, etc.). As a district representative, has it been difficult reconciling the needs and concerns of the various neighborhoods?
While reconciling the needs and concerns of the various neighborhoods is always challenging, it has been workable for me because I ran for office already very familiar with ALL the District 4 neighborhoods based on my previous experience at City Hall, my widespread engagement in Northeast Seattle (rather than just in one neighborhood or on one issue), and my doorbelling every block in early 2019. It’s important to highlight that your City government already has entire City departments helping to address the needs of those less fortunate: the Office of Housing, Human Services Department, Department of Education & Early Learning. Even our emergency first responders have a mission to serve others. As you know, all the local taxpayers, including employers and property owners, contribute financially to this system that employees 12,000 City government workers. So the city government departments and the taxpayers are really doing the heavy lifting already. Moreover, the hybrid election system we have (citywide Mayor, 2 citywide Councilmembers, and 7 District Councilmembers) and Council committee structure helps City Hall to maintain balance across ALL neighborhoods. Even though I represent much of Northeast Seattle, as Chair of the Transportation Committee, I was active in facilitating resources and attention to West Seattle to restore that bridge and to South Seattle to address traffic-related fatalities.
- What enacted or potential city or county policies have the greatest potential to change the Wallingford neighborhood, for better or for worse?
This Spring, some of the most troubling ideas are actually coming from our State capital in the form of potential land use changes: There seems to be a cabal of townhome developers, bloggers, and policymakers who want to impose a statewide requirement to give away development capacity – a public resource – for free to the private market, with no tangible public benefits such as inclusionary low-income housing. They are proposing developer giveaways via State legislation (HB 1110 / SB 5190) which will be even worse than the low fees paid by developers under Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) because there would be NO fees for low-income housing. There are also proposals requested by townhome developers and their lobbyists (such as HB 1078) that will result in the loss of more tree canopy in the midst of our climate crisis and heat island problems. Residents should contact their State Representatives, including those in the 43rd and 46th Legislative Districts as well as member of the Housing Committee in both the House and Senate. Let’s decide these important land use policies at the local level here in Seattle.
- Future plans and aspirations? Have you had your fill of public life, or might you consider some different flavor of public service?
Although I’m not a career politician, I’ll always be open to helping out to solve problems in our community. My financial analysis experience from the private sector has been so valuable at City Hall because it enables me to quickly, yet deeply evaluate the costs and benefits to the public of various proposals. Unfortunately, many elected officials look to interest groups for their positions on legislation and/or pick up talking points from activists, rather than doing their own financial analysis. Each time I return to the private sector, I’ll want to foster those skills that are applicable in both arenas, so I could return to formal public service at any level and be effective. Local government needs more pragmatic people experienced in both governing and in the private sector to understand how to craft the most sensible policies. Anyone happy to see me leave the halls of power at the end of 2023 had better not get too used to it .
- Is there anybody in particular that you hope will succeed you? Can we expect you to endorse somebody once the race gets underway?
I’d be happy to hand the reins to another qualified and pragmatic public servant selected by voters this November who will continue to prioritize constituents over interest groups, push for more effective local government services, and produce substance instead of slogans on Twitter. Frankly, it’s insulting to the office of Councilmember for novices who are ideologically rigid to think they can synthesize the views of 100,000 people, watchdog the City’s $7 billion budget, and get things done with diverse personalities when they have no real experience governing. Pithy tweets, puffed up resumes, and online Op Eds are not governing. They also need to focus on the basics of local government, such as safety. For a highly functioning and safe city, the highest levels of local government need more seasoned and sensible practitioners with relevant experience getting things done.
- Do you have any interest in meeting up with the Wallyhood editors at Murphy’s or some other neighborhood venue, preferably when it is warmer, when you can share what you really think (off the record)?
Yes! I love Murphy’s Pub!