Wallyhood contacted newly-elected Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera to see if she wished to say hello to her new constituents in Wallingford, and she quickly replied and worked with her staff to provide us with an introduction. Many of the issues and concerns in Wallingford mirror those across the city, but we did ask her to speak to our community in particular. Our neighborhood is split between two districts, with Councilmember Rivera representing the southern portion (below 50th) in District 4, and Councilmember Dan Strauss representing people above 50th in District 6. We intend to contact Councilmember Strauss’s office to see if he would be interested in sending a similar note from his district perspective.
Hello Wallingford Friends!
I am so honored and thrilled to be writing this “introduction.” It is a great privilege and responsibility to represent you as Councilmember for Wallingford, and all of District 4.
My first 2 months in office have been jam-packed with things like appointing a new councilmember; hiring staff; meeting the Directors of the committees I chair and vice-chair; trying to make it to as many community meetings as I can; responding to constituents – and many other responsibilities of this role I’m so fortunate to fill.
I am very focused on public safety as the number one priority, and I know it is a priority for many Wallingford residents as well.
I have regular meetings with SPD Chief Adrian Diaz, and North Precinct Captain Lori Aagard (Wallingford is in the North Precinct.) I have visited the city’s CARE and 911 centers to learn more about our public safety systems and needs and will be attending North Precinct’s roll call soon. I’ve also met with small businesses who have been the victims of multiple break-ins. I want to learn as much as I can about where the city is, and how we can make positive and apparent changes.
I’m also laser-focused on bringing accountability to city departments and programs. I’m Vice Chair of the Finance, Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee and am looking forward to taking an active role there. I am Chair of the Libraries, Education and Neighborhoods committee, which means I’ll work closely with the upcoming Families and Education Levy, among other important issues.
Something I am very excited about is visiting our small businesses on neighborhood walks, where I will be bringing various city departments together to address issues of interest or need. Wallingford will certainly be a neighborhood where we will hold one of these walks.
It’s important to me to learn first-hand what the D4 residents and businesses are thinking.
I encourage you to reach out to me or my office! You can contact us at [email protected], or 206.684.8804. We have also begun In-District office hours if you’re interested in having a meeting with me 1:1, which you can schedule here. And if you’d like to receive my newsletters and emails, you can sign up with this link.
I am humbled by the privilege of representing District 4 and take my responsibility seriously. I’m looking forward to meeting many of you in the coming months and years.
Sincerely,
Maritza
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“I want to learn as much as I can about where the city is, and how we can make positive and apparent changes.”
“Where the city is” where Chief Diaz and his boss, Mayor Harrell, are sandbagging following the lead of what other departments have been doing for years (or decades) and offloading non-criminal calls for service to other roles who can a handle them equally well for less than sworn officers, thereby both wasting taxpayer dollars and (more important if you’re worried about crime!) preventing officers from spending their time on police work that prebents and solves serious crime:
https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/01/09/op-ed-the-seattle-police-department-has-an-efficiency-problem/
I hope you’ll get on this ASAP on behalf of D4.