A quick reminder that our next Seattle Builders Council breakfast is Thursday, November 2nd, at 7:30AM at the usual spot, the Blue Star Cafe in Wallingford.

Also, you may be hearing from us about making a financial contribution. We’d like to end this year strong.

Why is Smart Growth Seattle so important?

Take a look at the answers (from a Crosscut article) to these questions from the two candidates for Mayor.

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There it is: Yes.

And whether it is, “Yes!” or “Yes.” or even “Yes?” each candidate has given in to the pressure to agree to a policy that is perhaps the single worst “tool” we could use in Seattle to address housing prices, rent control.

​Both candidates support impact fees, too. And while impact fees are legal, litigated and rationally connected to things that actually benefit growth, they are still inflationary and unnecessary in Seattle. As I wrote in an editorial in the Seattle Times, this will only make things worse for people who need housing in our city.

Now some people have said things like, “Well, candidates say a lot of things while campaigning. It doesn’t mean they’re going to do those things.”

And this is exactly why we are asking for your help and support and the end of the year. If you’ve already contributed thank you! With broad support, we can keep being your voice in City Hall, Olympia, in the community and in the media pushing for more housing of all kinds, in all parts of the city for people of all levels of income.

Regardless which candidate wins, the people who build and operate housing will need a full time voice making this case in 2018.

When it comes to the two City Council seats, I think it is likely that we’ll see Lorena Gonzalez re-elected and Teresa Mosqueda elected. Neither of these candidates would be considered champions of our issues, but they are both better than their opponents. I can’t vote for either one, however, because I their answers to the questions above are also, “Yes.”

I won’t give you extended speculation about why all the candidates are either anti-growth or at least not pro-housing, but it’s enough to know that the voters of the city continue to be restless and easily captivated by solutions that seem to punish people they see as responsible for growth — Amazon, builders, developers, and land lords — and don’t ask very much of them. We need to work on changing that over the longer term. To keep making that case, we need your help.