Podcasts about charter commission

This week, Laurie Dean and Dan are talking about the City Charter amendments which will be on the August ballot and are joined by Mark McDonald who served on the Charter Commission.

On this episode of Wedge Save America: After their department earned an unprecedented double consent decree, the Minneapolis police union earns a historically large 21.7% pay increase as part of their new contract; the plan to add an additional elected member/crackpot to the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation dies at the Charter Commission; Taylor Dahlin joins us to talk about becoming a vacant building activist; President Biden gives way to Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president in 2024; Senior political analyst Josh Martin auditions to replace Larry Jacobs in a classic meme. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

  We're discussing St.Louis's efforts to reform city government, with Charter Commission Secretary, Scott Intagliata, along with Michael Wesley Jones, of the StLouis American Newspaper. ----- In hour two its 8th ward Alderwoman and mayoral candidate Cara Spencer, and social justice activist Darryl Gregory Gray,along with Tangazo host Hank Thompson. ----- We will focus on the state of St.Louis, the good, the bad, the homeless and what needs to be done regarding, crime, public school education and issues related to the future of the city. ------

Soldotna City Council member Lisa Parker became at the age of 19 the youngest person in Alaska to achieve elected office when she won her election to the Anchorage Charter Commission. In 1975 that commission unified the City of Anchorage with the Borough of Anchorage into the municipality that it is today. Like our guest last week, Jane Angvik who also served on the Charter Commission, Lisa Parker was a borough representative because where she was living at the time, near Baxter and Tudor in what is today East Anchorage, was outside the city limits. After graduating from American University with a degree in Political Science, Lisa assisted in the establishment of the the Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska. Throughout her diverse varied career, she has served as the Planning Director for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, as government and community relations manager for both an international manufacturing company and a Cook Inlet oil & gas company, and last year she finished a 6 year stint on the University of Alaska Board of Regents. She is currently in her 14th year on the Soldotna City Council.Link to Anchorage Charter Bill of Rights.  

Anchorage Charter Commission member Jane Angvik ran for the Anchorage Charter Commission not too long after she had moved to Anchorage in 1973. What she had learned during her time working for the Greater Anchorage Borough Planning Department was that the City of Anchorage and the Borough of Anchorage hated each other – they couldn't stop suing each other, and the State of Alaska had grown weary of the drama. The ridiculous conflict even resulted in the loss of life. This is Jane Angvik's recollections of her time serving on the Charter Commission. For the rest of Jane Angvik's life story listen to the previous episode which covers her childhood in Minnesota all the way to her administering the oath of office to Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance two weeks ago. 

This 161st episode of Tangazo - a Podcast from KDHX, will have something for everyone, with social, political and cultural matters being discussed. ------   Social Justice activist Reverend Darryl Gregory Gray, along with Dr. Jazmine Nolan-Echols PhD, former Chairman of the StLouis Charter Commission, join me in the 1st hour for an insightful, informative and compelling discussion, on the cities efforts to further streamline city government. -----   Ron Himes, founder of our magnificent StLouis Black Repertory Theater Company was on hand to talk about the Blk Repertory's new production of Timbuktu, debuting last evening at the Edison Theater on the Washington University campus. -----     We were privileged to be there for opening night to witness another spectacular performance by the StLouis The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. ------   Timbuktu is a dazzling play, a musical drama that we thoroughly enjoyed along with our guest, Sheila Reed, of St.Louis Public radio and former State Representative, James Whitmore. Andreal Hoosman and Nicole Adewale along with hubby Abe Adewale, Clement and Marsha Cann, were just a few of the many friends, I spotted enjoying opening night of TIMBUKTU! Book by Luther Davis, music and lyrics by Robert Wright , at the Edison Theater at Washington University. ----- 

Today's guests are Bonnie Prosser Elder and David Zammiello, the volunteer co-chairs of Mayor Ron Nirenberg's 15-member Charter Review Commission, formed last November to explore amendments to the city charter for voters to consider on the Nov. 5 ballot. 

"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Janie Farrar, Council President Pro Tem – At Large! Approved reappointment of Ryan Hanson to the Charter Commission to a Second Four-Year Term, Community Development Director Kyle Klatt provided an update on Port activities, accepted a $20,000 Grant from the Wings Foundation to Purchase an Additional 125 Boulevard Trees, approved Police and Fire Department Reorganization. Chiefs Sather and Warner recommend the reorganization of the Police and Fire Departments, transferring some Police duties to the Fire Department. Jay Owens, Red Wing City Engineer, announced he was leaving to work for MnDOT at the end of April.

Dr. Jazzmine Nolan-Echols, St. Louis City Charter Commission Chair joined Megan and Tom with a recap of the Charter Commission 1st meeting.    (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

The restructuring of of power at Minneapolis City Hall in 2021 turned out to be a bigger deal than people realized at the time. Now the unelected (judicially appointed) Minneapolis Charter Commission seems ready to give voters another ballot question that would concentrate power in the mayor's office: reducing the number of city department heads subject to a confirmation vote. Potentially affected departments include directors of Public Works, Planning, Civil Rights, Health, Regulatory Services. Josh Martin joins me to talk about why certain members of the Charter Commission feel this change is necessary. We also talk about why we think it's a terrible idea that voters should be giving attention to early, before it sneaks up as a question on your 2024 ballot. Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Red Wing Mayor Mike Wilson with a recap of the City Council meeting on Monday, introduction of new Red Wing Public Library Director Dan Brower, presentation by Red Wing Area Seniors Executive Director, Kim Wojcik requesting Council support for a ADA-Accessible community garden at Featherstone Park, Human Rights Commission presentation by RedHeart RedHeart on updates to Oath of Office, Mayor confirmed Al Quarnstrom to the Charter Commission, Port Authority update by Kyle Klatt, and passed 2024 City Budget, CIP & Levy by 5- 2 vote.

11/16/23 @ 9 AM – 9:30 AM - "Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Red Wing Mayor Mike Wilson with a recap of the City Council meeting on Monday, a presentation by representatives of the Goodhue County Resource Center, gave summary of last year's work and possible funding in 2024. Board and Commission appointments, Hugh Brown to Sustainability Commission, Jenifer Majerus to Heritage Preservation Commission, and Katie Nolan to Arts & Culture Commission. Alan Quarnstrom was appointed to Charter Commission. Kyle Klatt gave Port Authority update and Avanti project. Also, talked about the Port receiving $1.99 million in grant funding to complete port improvements at two industrial sites. Presentation on the former Bauer Built building and after Council went into closed session, they voted to decline offer to purchase the property.

Host Jen Miller speaks with Rob James, Chair of the Avon Lake Charter Review Commission, who gives an overview of the Commission, and explains Issue 28, the Proposed Charter Amendment that will appear on this November's ballot. Upcoming events happening in Avon Lake: October 27, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM: Holy Spirit Ladies Guild Garage and Bake Sale at Holy Spirit Parish's Fr. Mosovsky Hall October 27, 6:00-7:30 PM: Trick-or-Treating at Towne Center Community Campus Main Street Care Center October 28, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM: Shred Day at the Ellen Trivanovich Aquatic Center Parking Lot October 31, 6:00-7:30 PM: HalloweenTrick-or-Treating November 3: Deputy Clerk of Council Application Deadline November 6, 7:00 PM: Collective Committee Meeting November 7, 6:30 AM-7:30 PM: Election Day November 10: Human Resources Director Application Deadline For information about these and future events/meetings in Avon Lake, please visit www.AvonLake.org/Events.

"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Council member Janie Farrar filled in, Presentations: Liz Magill on funding needs for Hope & Harbor Homeless Shelter and Goodhue County Resource Center, and Frank Klipsch with American Cruise Lines on how thrilled about docking in Red Wing - cruise passengers love it. Appointments - Herbert Perkins to HRC & Mallory West to the Charter Commission, Kyle Klatt with an update on Port Authority, changed date for cannabis and hemp use public hearing to Monday, September 25. Passed preliminary levy increase of 16.5 %.

On this Tuesday topical show, Crystal chats with Rob Saka about his campaign for Seattle City Council District 1. Listen and learn more about Rob and his thoughts on: [01:10] - Why he is running [05:31] - Lightning round! [14:12] - What is an accomplishment of his that impacts District 1 [17:46] - City budget shortfall: Raise revenue or cut services? [23:29] - Climate change [25:29] - Transit reliability [28:08] - Bike and pedestrian safety [30:22] - Public Safety: Alternative response [35:00] - Victim support [40:56] - Housing and homelessness: Frontline worker wages [43:03] - Small business support [47:30] - Childcare: Affordability and accessibility [51:38] - Progressive revenue options [53:41] - Difference between him and opponent As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Rob Saka at @voterobsaka.   Rob Saka I am a Seattle Public Schools dad of three, attorney, justice reform advocate, Air Force Veteran, and West Seattle resident. As the son of a Nigerian immigrant, I overcame abject poverty, a traumatic and unstable home life cycling through the foster care system, to rise in the ranks of the U.S. Air Force, earn my college and law degrees under the G.I. Bill, and achieve success as an attorney and policy advocate in Seattle and King County. I grew up in the foster care system in Minnesota until my father was able to rescue me at nine years old. We moved out west and settled in low-income apartments in Kent, blocks away from a justice center that would later house some of my childhood friends. Growing up, I watched my dad work numerous physically demanding low-wage jobs. As a single father, he ended up settling for any honest work he could get to put food on our table. I went on to earn my college degree under the G.I. Bill at the University of Washington where I met my wife, Alicia. After quickly moving up the Enlisted ranks, I earned a rare Deserving Airman Commission and served as an Intelligence Officer. After 10 years in the military, I resigned my commission to focus on serving others as a civilian attorney. I thought I could help others in my community better overcome some of the systemic barriers I had navigated growing up if I was armed with the power of the law. After graduating law school from the University of California, Hastings Law, I moved back to Seattle to practice law at Perkins Coie. I have tried my best to bring my unique brand of servant leadership and passionate advocacy in service of communities across this city, including by serving on nonprofit boards such as the Seattle Urban League, representing fellow Veterans in need pro bono, via the Seattle Stand Down Initiative, helping underserved microentrepreneurs start and grow their businesses, volunteering to be head coach for my daughter's Little League baseball team, and much more. In 2018, King County Executive Dow Constantine appointed me to serve on the once per decade Charter Commission where I helped champion and pass several voter-approved ballot measures to reform our justice system and protect workers. In 2021, the King County Council appointed me to the nonpartisan Districting Committee tasked with redrawing King County Council districts using Census data. In 2022, Mayor Bruce Harrell appointed me to serve on the Seattle Police Chief Search Committee responsible for helping to select the next Chief of Police.   Resources Campaign Website - Rob Saka   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Well hello - today I am thrilled to be joined by a candidate for Seattle City Council in District 1, Rob Saka. Welcome, Rob. [00:01:03] Rob Saka: Thank you, Crystal - appreciate the opportunity to share this virtual space here with you and your audience. [00:01:10] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Well, I guess what I'm starting off wondering is - why are you running? [00:01:17] Rob Saka: Yeah, so great, great question. So just a little bit about me first. I'm a - Crystal, I'm a public school dad of three - three young kids. I'm an Air Force veteran, attorney, community safety advocate. I had the pleasure of serving on a lot of boards and commissions, most recently the Seattle Police Chief Search Committee. Before that, I served - I got nitty gritty, waist deep in US census data and helped redraw the legislative boundaries in King County using a process that runs parallel to state and federal redistricting. Before that, helped champion and pass a brand new justice reform framework right here in Martin Luther King County - and that voter's ultimately approved. And, you know, so I live in Delridge with my family and look, I'm grateful - as an Air Force veteran, I went to law school. In the last 10 years, I've been helping organizations and individuals of all sizes start and grow their businesses and be successful. And I'm grateful, Crystal, where I am today personally and professionally. But I'm also someone who overcame the foster care system for the first nine years of my life - cycling in and out, in and out, mostly in - before my father, who is a Nigerian immigrant, was able to finally rescue me from those circumstances at age nine. And, you know, me and my dad - he ended up raising me as a single parent, ended up sort of struggling growing up, our struggles continued together. But I was born in Minneapolis and moved out West like middle school age - landed in South King County in Kent, so proud to have called - proud to call West Seattle my home today, lived in Seattle for over 15 years. But, you know, particularly during the formative years of my childhood - you know, adolescence - grew up in South County in Kent. And, you know, so let's just say I have a non-traditional background and journey and path to where I am today. And I grew up in Kent - in the valley in Kent - that were blocks away from the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, Crystal, that would later house some of my childhood friends. And sadly, some of them would be sentenced for their crimes by judges who are now my professional mentors in the legal community. And so I've always felt this continuing, ongoing - not just responsibility, but duty - duty to make sure that more people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities and walks of life are able to not only achieve their true potential in life, but thrive. And part of my calling, part of the way I've been able to do that is through justice reform and making sure more people that look like me and you and others, you know, aren't like - more specifically more Black and brown folks - aren't overly represented in the criminal justice system here. And so I mentioned some of that work. And I fought to hold bad police accountable in the past, and I'll continue to do that, you know, going forward if elected in Seattle City Council. But public safety has been weighing heavily on my heart and my mind, Crystal, as a dad - dad in the city, just a dad from Delridge. And I understand the need - as a Black man growing up in this country, I understand the need to have better police because I've experienced police brutality firsthand. And better police - not no police, not defund police, but better police - and I fought to hold bad police accountable, continue that work going forward. But the stakes have never been higher to make sure that we have the public safety resources and prevention and response and intervention capabilities - both, all - that we need to meet the challenges we're currently facing. And I was - been personally disheartened by some of the current direction of the Seattle City Council in particular, and I'm here to focus on solutions. The stakes for this city have never been higher - for my kids, for kids across this entire city. But I couldn't be more energized and excited at the opportunity that we all have to bring about the change that I think people are so desperately yearning for. So that's why. [00:05:31] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. Well, before we dive into all of the details and long discussion we're gonna have, we are adding a new element into our candidate interviews this year, which is a bit of a lightning round - just short form yes or no, or choose one answers. And so starting with this little group - This year, did you vote yes on the King County Crisis Care Centers levy? [00:05:56] Rob Saka: Yes, happily. [00:05:57] Crystal Fincher: This year, did you vote yes on the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services levy? [00:06:03] Rob Saka: Yes, yes - that benefits everybody. Not just 'cause I'm a vet - heck yes. [00:06:08] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote in favor of Seattle's Social Housing Initiative 135? [00:06:13] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:06:16] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote in favor of Bruce Harrell or Lorena González for Mayor? [00:06:21] Rob Saka: I voted for Mayor Bruce Harrell. [00:06:24] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote for Nicole Thomas Kennedy or Ann Davison for City Attorney? [00:06:29] Rob Saka: Ooh, yeah, it's - rock and a hard place - but given the choice between an abolitionist and someone super duper hefty and strong on public safety, I voted for Ann Davison. [00:06:43] Crystal Fincher: In 2022, did you vote for Leesa Manion or Jim Ferrell for Prosecutor? [00:06:48] Rob Saka: Leesa. [00:06:49] Crystal Fincher: In 2022, did you vote for Patty Murray or Tiffany Smiley for US Senate? [00:06:54] Rob Saka: Senator Murray. I helped knock on doors for her in 2010. Of course, yeah. [00:07:00] Crystal Fincher: Do you rent or own your residence? [00:07:03] Rob Saka: Today, I own - grateful for that - but I'm a lifelong renter and other unstable and insecure housing before that, but today, I own. [00:07:12] Crystal Fincher: Are you a landlord? [00:07:14] Rob Saka: No. [00:07:15] Crystal Fincher: Would you vote to require landlords to report metrics, including how much rent they're charging, to help better plan housing and development needs in the district? [00:07:25] Rob Saka: Maybe. Curious to understand more about what specific set of problems that would help address-- [00:07:34] Crystal Fincher: We can get more into all the detail. We'll keep these to yes or no right now. Are there instances where you support sweeps of homeless encampments? [00:07:45] Rob Saka: I support better connecting our unhoused neighbors with shelter and services, and some people call it sweeps, some people call it restoring encampments or whatever, but-- [00:07:57] Crystal Fincher: Is this a yes or a no? [00:08:01] Rob Saka: I support connecting people with, better connecting people with shelter and services. So I guess under your framing, yes. [00:08:08] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to provide additional funding for Seattle's Social Housing Public Development Authority? [00:08:15] Rob Saka: Maybe. We need to figure out where that's gonna come from, but I'm inclined to do it. I'm looking forward to working with the authors of the original bill - that I voted for - to figure out what the funding solution looks like. [00:08:28] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with King County Executive Constantine's statement that the King County Jail should be closed? [00:08:36] Rob Saka: As a principle - long-term, yeah, long-term, but yeah, we still have issues and challenges today that require incarceration, and so-- [00:08:52] Crystal Fincher: Moving on to - lightning round, lightning round. Do you agree with King County Executive Dow Constantine that the Youth Jail should be closed in 2025? [00:09:02] Rob Saka: Maybe. [00:09:04] Crystal Fincher: Should parking enforcement be housed with an SPD? [00:09:10] Rob Saka: Maybe. [00:09:11] Crystal Fincher: Would you vote to allow police in schools? [00:09:17] Rob Saka: Yes, if that's what the community wants. [00:09:19] Crystal Fincher: Would, do you support allocation in the City budget for a civilian-led mental health crisis response? [00:09:25] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:09:26] Crystal Fincher: Do you support allocation in the City budget to increase the pay of human service workers? [00:09:31] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:09:33] Crystal Fincher: Do you support removing funds in the City budget for forced encampment removals, and instead allocating funds towards a Housing First approach? [00:09:42] Rob Saka: No. [00:09:44] Crystal Fincher: Do you support abrogating or removing the funds from unfilled SPD positions and putting them towards meaningful public safety measures? [00:09:53] Rob Saka: No. [00:09:55] Crystal Fincher: Do you support allocating money in the City budget for supervised consumption sites? [00:10:00] Rob Saka: No. [00:10:01] Crystal Fincher: Do you support increasing funding in the City budget for violence intervention programs? [00:10:08] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:10:10] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose a SPOG contract, or Seattle Police Officers Guild contract, that does not give the Office of Police Accountability and the Office of Inspector General subpoena power? [00:10:22] Rob Saka: Yes, I worked on it at the county level - yes. [00:10:26] Crystal Fincher: So you oppose it, they should have subpoena power? [00:10:28] Rob Saka: Yeah, absolutely. I believe an effective civili-- well, we can talk about it, but yeah, yeah. [00:10:32] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose a SPOG contract that doesn't remove limitations as to how many of OPA's investigators must be sworn versus civilian? [00:10:45] Rob Saka: Help me understand this question - is it - so-- [00:10:47] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose basically lifting the cap, removing limitations? Would you oppose a contract that doesn't remove those limitations as to how many of OPA's investigators must be sworn versus civilian? [00:11:03] Rob Saka: No. [00:11:03] Crystal Fincher: Meaning should - okay, gotcha. Do you oppose a SPOG contract that impedes the ability, do you oppose a SPOG contract that impedes the ability of the City to move police funding to public safety alternatives? [00:11:20] Rob Saka: Would I oppose a SPOG contract that removes? [00:11:23] Crystal Fincher: That impedes the ability of the City to move police funding to public safety alternatives? [00:11:31] Rob Saka: Yes, provided it doesn't impact, yeah. [00:11:34] Crystal Fincher: Do you support eliminating in-uniform off-duty work by SPD officers? [00:11:43] Rob Saka: No. [00:11:45] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to ensure that trans and non-binary students are allowed to play on the sports teams that fit with their gender identities? [00:11:53] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:11:55] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to ensure that trans people can use bathrooms or public facilities that match their gender? [00:12:00] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:12:02] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Seattle City Council's decision to implement the JumpStart Tax? [00:12:08] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:12:10] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to reduce or divert the JumpStart Tax in any way? [00:12:15] Rob Saka: No. [00:12:17] Crystal Fincher: Are you happy with Seattle's newly built waterfront? [00:12:23] Rob Saka: Yes. Maybe. Could be better. [00:12:26] Crystal Fincher: Do you believe return to work mandates, like the one issued by Amazon, are necessary to boost Seattle's economy? [00:12:34] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:12:36] Crystal Fincher: Have you taken transit in the past week? [00:12:40] Rob Saka: No. [00:12:41] Crystal Fincher: In the past month? [00:12:43] Rob Saka: No. [00:12:44] Crystal Fincher: Have you ridden a bike in the past week? [00:12:48] Rob Saka: No. In the last month - yes. [00:12:51] Crystal Fincher: Should Pike Place Market allow non-commercial car traffic? [00:13:00] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:02] Crystal Fincher: Should significant investments be made to speed up the opening of scheduled Sound Transit light rail lines? [00:13:09] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:11] Crystal Fincher: Should we accelerate the elimination of the ability to turn right on red lights to improve pedestrian safety? [00:13:19] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:21] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever been a member of a union? [00:13:23] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:25] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to increase funding and staffing for investigations into labor violations like wage theft and illegal union busting? [00:13:33] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:35] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever walked on a picket line? [00:13:39] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:13:40] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever crossed a picket line? [00:13:42] Rob Saka: No. [00:13:44] Crystal Fincher: Is your campaign unionized? [00:13:49] Rob Saka: No, no one in my-- [00:13:52] Crystal Fincher: You would know if it was. [00:13:53] Rob Saka: Yeah. [00:13:54] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. If your campaign staff wants to unionize, will you voluntarily recognize their effort? [00:14:00] Rob Saka: Yes. [00:14:02] Crystal Fincher: See, and that's the end of the lightning round - quick and painless. And now we can get into our deep conversation where we can get into all of the nuance. Wanted to start out talking about, you know, a lot of people look to work that candidates have done to get a feel for what they prioritize and how qualified they are to lead. Can you describe something you've accomplished or changed in your district and what impact that has had on its residents? [00:14:28] Rob Saka: Yeah, so a couple of things. I kind of - as I mentioned, I served on a number of boards, appointed boards, and commissions at the county and city level. And particularly with respect to my prior work in the King County Charter Commission where kind of basically changed the landscape for, you know - at the constitutional, the basic framework of the county, made a number of changes that voters ultimately approved and signed off on that, you know, helped make King County a better place. And therefore this district and the city, entire city a better place. So more specifically, you know, I'm really proud of a lot of the work that I did in the justice reform space. You know, I'm one of the co-architects, the reason why in this county we no longer elect our sheriff, we appoint our sheriff. Why? Because I believe in effective civilian oversight of law enforcement. Also, you know, one of the lightning round questions earlier was about, you know, granting the civilian Office of Law Enforcement Oversight or whatever - the parallel office, whatever it's called, at the city level - them subpoena power. And I helped champion and pass that at the county level to make sure that the civilian Office of Law Enforcement Oversight has subpoena power and voters approved that. And, you know, also with respect to the inquest process, when someone is killed by law enforcement, you know, I helped add safeguards and protections and making sure that that process is more fair and transparent for all, more specifically by adding and allowing the families of the deceased to be represented by, you know, have legal representation and clarifying what constitutes an in-custody death situation. So, you know, that's sort of like the package of justice reform work that I'm proud to have been a part of and help lead. And then there's this whole issue of workplace protections. It is now unlawful in this county to discriminate against workers on the basis of, you know, their status as family caregivers or their status as a veteran, including veterans who were dishonorably discharged as a direct result of their, you know, their trans and queer status. Some, you know, as we know, when Trump took office, you know, he did what Trump does and unfortunately, a lot of people were given paperwork and discharged, many dishonorably, from the military. And so now in this county, you can no longer - so it's not just the people of, absolutely, you know, like everyone benefits from that, not just the people in the county. And selfishly, look, as a veteran and someone who has - with three young kids - and I have my own family caregiving obligations, but so my DNA and fingerprints are clearly all over that. But we know that everyone, everyone benefits, again, when they can show up to work without fear of reprisal, retribution, discrimination, because of one of those things. [00:17:46] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. Well, I wanna talk about the City budget. The City of Seattle is projected to have a revenue shortfall of $224 million beginning in 2025. The City's mandated by the state to pass a balanced budget. So the only options to address that deficit are either raising revenue or cutting services. Which one of those is, or what combination of those, is your approach? [00:18:12] Rob Saka: Yeah, it might be a more - I respectfully, you know, reject the paradigm - it's one or the other, you know, cutting or modifying maybe. And we can consider new revenue opportunities, but I think my starting place is operating within existing state law, meaning, you know, we have to have a balanced budget and start with whatever City budget we do have in place. And, you know, so that's my starting point. We need to identify what's working well, like working well spending-wise - what kind of, you know, I personally support audits of city budgets - independent, third-party audits even of city budgets, potentially across the board to identify and regular ongoing like monitoring and systems evaluations to make sure we're getting the bang for our buck and making sure whatever dollars we're spending are wisely spent. And we can shift, you know, reshift or, you know, reallocate resources to areas of greater need and greater impact potentially, but depending on the opportunity. And then from there-- [00:19:25] Crystal Fincher: I guess starting in the frame, just to help clarify the frame. So if we are working within the City budget and starting with the existing City budget, what we're moving to needs to be $224 [million] slimmer than what currently is. So I think audits are wonderful things, I think they're actually an underutilized resource for many - and not a tool of punishment, but a tool of discovery. But if you do have to cut, if you are starting from the point of - let's take this budget and see where we can trim - where are you starting? What, where would you prioritize those cuts? [00:20:03] Rob Saka: Yeah, I'm not gonna prioritize any specific area. I'm not gonna come in and target any specific area. Instead, I'm gonna approach it with a curious mind and, you know, figure out what are those programs and services that are well delivered, well administered, and we're seeing results for. And what are, you know, other opportunities where they either need potentially additional investment or maybe reinvestment and kind of going from there. And then, you know, that's kind of like the framing that I kind of view this as. And then from there, if an existing - so if everything, after all that work, you know, it's a set of, you know, it's a spectrum, a set of analysis that kind of run side-by-side and in parallel. But, you know, from there, let's look at - so take the issue of homelessness, for example. Homelessness is certainly a Seattle problem, but it is not a Seattle-only problem. The issue of homelessness in this city is a regional problem, it's a county problem, it's a state problem, and it's a federal problem. And it's a shared - so I think not only should we not try and solve the issue - whatever the issue is, whatever the challenge is - alone and in a silo. We need to look to those other partners and other governments for design, helping to co-design and co-engineer the policy solution - Step one. Step two is we also need to look to them for, you know, like help funding the specific solutions as well. So, you know, I would push for more - that's one area where I would push for more funding of, you know, like the shared responsibility model. And from there, let's explore public-private partnerships - building housing, affordable housing - you know, there's organizations and private organizations, including some companies who, you know, want to contribute and help address the problem. And so working collaboratively with them to figure out what's doable, how we can potentially close some of those gaps and fund them. And then let's look at new revenue opportunities after that. And I know there's this new Progressive Revenue Task Force - or whatever it's been rebranded, it's called something else in Seattle now, but - and then let's look at new revenue potentials and opportunities. But there's like, I kind of think about it more than just like - yeah, I try to avoid the either or-- [00:22:43] Crystal Fincher: I mean, but isn't that, wouldn't that be the position that you're in when you're elected? You have to trim the budget by $224 million - absent finding new revenue, which is going to take a little bit to trickle in and get started anyway. So you're going to have to make that call as a councilmember, right? [00:23:01] Rob Saka: I'm going to have to make the call to be the, be a responsible steward of whatever dollars we are spending. I'm going to have to make the call of being, you know, doing my due diligence to make sure that we're operating within the existing City budget, identifying, you know, system deficiencies and opportunities to improve and streamline and allocate and sometimes reallocate resources. Yes. [00:23:27] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. Okay. So let's talk about climate change. On almost every measure, we're behind on our 2030 climate goals, while experiencing devastating impacts from extreme heat and cold, to wildfires and floods. It's been really challenging and anticipated to see things like that with increasing frequency. What are your highest priority plans to get us on track to meet the 2030 goals? [00:23:53] Rob Saka: Yeah, so climate change is an issue that's really important to me personally and my family. And having talked to a lot of people throughout this district, it is one that I know is weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of a lot of people - I wouldn't say that supersedes public safety in the issue of, in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but it is very important, it's very urgent. So my specific plans and proposals from a policy perspective to address climate - make sure we have a, we actually bring to life climate justice and we're seeing and building out climate resiliency across this district and hopefully across the City as well. This - District 1, first of all, as you probably know, now includes South Park and Georgetown due to redistricting. And those are some of the most historically, you know, at-risk communities. The life expectancy of folks is lower there in the Duwamish Valley. We need to build out more sustainable communities and more resilient communities. So I support things like - we also need to cut down the amount of greenhouse gases as quickly as possible. And part of that is, you know, we need to encourage and incentivize people using 100% electric vehicles. You can do that at the city level in part by building out our infrastructure and charging battery infrastructure to support that across the city. So that's part of my plan. Another part is we need to get people, again, out of those single-occupancy vehicles that are producing the most greenhouse gases and into public transit. And so we need to, therefore, expand our public transit options. And not only as we expand out options and service, we need to expand reliability and the quality, overall quality of the experience. And I do know, just having talked to a lot of people - 7,000+, knocked on 7,000+ doors personally in this district. My campaign has knocked on an additional 12,000 outside of that. You know, there are some people, a lot of people that want to take public trans and get out of their cars, but unfortunately they just don't feel safe. They don't feel safe when they're on the bus. Crystal, they don't feel safe when they're on the journey from their homes to the bus stop. They don't feel safe when they get off the bus to wherever the destination they're going, whether it's downtown or wherever they're going. And so we can build out and expand and drive reliability and predictability and accessibility and our transit options. But if no one's feeling comfortable to take the bus, it's a nice shiny object that's effectively akin to a art project. We need to make sure we create the experience that is in-line with people's expectations as well and making sure we're doing both things in parallel. And also, you know, we need to - and part of my plan includes - working collaboratively with labor organizations to find the best opportunities and build the pipeline for those jobs, working class jobs, in sustainable fields and making sure that those are well-funded. And, you know, we create - everyone is able to share in the benefits of a sustainable economy that's diverse. Also building out and improving our green building codes and sustainable building standards, environmental standards - strengthening those. Those are just some of the things that, you know, kind of how I view the opportunity at the Seattle City government level, from a policy standpoint, to make further progress and accelerate our impact on addressing the climate challenges we face. [00:28:08] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. So how would you look to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in your district? [00:28:17] Rob Saka: Yeah, so we need to - one's low-hanging fruit. One is bike safety. So we need to add more protective barriers to bike lanes where possible, where feasible. I think there's an opportunity for more bike lanes, but I think we're at a decent place there - we're better off in bike lanes today in this district than we are in pedestrian safety improvements and enhancements. I'll tell you - 7,000 doors I knocked on personally, Crystal, and all over this district - and I started right here in my own community in Delridge. And then I sort of branched off, fanned out to other parts of the district and, you know - Admiral and Fauntleroy and Alki. And then, you know, South Park. And for the last month before the primary, I came back home - came back home to Delridge and High Point and, you know, other more disadvantaged communities, historically underrepresented communities like South Park. And I was struck by a couple of things. 'Cause when I was at those, like the "more affluent" parts of the district - I was amazed, Crystal - like the potholes were few. When there were potholes, they were quickly patched and repaired. Amazingly, shocking - there were sidewalks on both sides of the streets. And then when I came back home, particularly to Delridge - more specifically, like when you get further east of Del, anywhere east of Delridge, you go, the Delridge corridor - Crystal, there's many neighborhoods and communities that don't - not only do they not have one sidewalk, they don't have any sidewalks, period. We need to build out our, like, and building out, investing in basic sidewalk infrastructure is a huge opportunity to address pedestrian safety in this district. And I plan to do just that. [00:30:22] Crystal Fincher: Well, I want to talk about public safety a bit, and starting with alternative response. While a number of jurisdictions, definitely around the country - but even in our own region, in the county - have rolled out alternative response programs to better support those having behavioral health crises, Seattle has stalled in implementing what is a widely-supported idea by voters and residents in the City. Where do you stand on non-police solutions to public safety issues, and what are your thoughts on civilian-led versus co-response models? [00:30:54] Rob Saka: Yeah, so it's imperative. It's an essential part of my plan and my public safety package - to actually stand up, fund, and deliver this - and work collaboratively with my fellow council members and the mayor to do so. We've, sort of as you alluded to, Crystal - we've kind of languished a little bit, been in the sunken place a little bit, if you will - talking about this great opportunity, and we just can't seem to get unstuck and unblock ourselves. Meanwhile, you mentioned a few other jurisdictions right here in the county, across the state, that have done it - but some great comparators, I think from a population standpoint, geographic scope and size, are Denver and Albuquerque. We literally do not need to recreate the wheel here. Instead, we need to just humble ourselves and look to how, specifically, other jurisdictions have been successful. What works? Now, also, at the same time, understanding every single thing that they did well is not gonna port over, make a direct, logical, one-for-one - mean it'll automatically work out well here in Seattle, but we don't need to recreate the wheel. Let's look to what's been successful in other jurisdictions - I named a few that would be good comparators. With respect to, but that is an essential part of public safety, not the only part. Yeah, we need to hire more police officers and train them and make sure they have the tools and resources they need to be successful, set and enforce the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in the communities where they operate, and hold them accountable swiftly if they fail to carry out their duties in a just, equitable, constitutional manner. So that's also an essential part. But back to the first, the question here. Yes, I support these civilian-led responses. It's an urgent thing and we need to treat it as such. And for the co-response versus civilian-led response, I think that's gonna be a situation-dependent thing. I know they have various models in other jurisdictions. And if it's pretty clear, we need to develop some good, sharp, clear, consistent guidelines about what that response looks like. But I'll tell you, Crystal, when I - I volunteered for a 911 shift downtown, you know, at the call center downtown Seattle, and I was struck by two things. One, the mounting list of calls - queue of calls - that, like, deserves ordinarily some sort of police response of some sort, but because of staffing levels, no one was gonna get to it for hours, maybe some cases days. And also, I sat sitting side-by-side next to the frontline call center operator and listening to the calls, I definitely heard a few calls that someone was in a clear crisis situation and they needed a response of some sort, but a badge and a gun and armed response and a uniformed response was not at all what they need. We've seen how that's a formula for disaster. We, you know, we can train police officers - and yeah, we're gonna train them better, make them better, and hold them accountable, but we're not gonna train our way out of bad responses. Like, they don't need to be leading and frontlining a lot of these crises calls, especially when maybe the call earlier, someone might've been trying to take their life, that's conceivable, and then they respond to someone who just needs help. He needs a, they need a social worker or behavioral mental health crisis. We can't train our way out of that with uniformed gun-badge responses. So, but it's a situation-specific - to answer your question, you know, again, about the different models options. It's a situation-specific kind of analysis. [00:35:00] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. I wanna talk about victims - a lot, and we hear people talk about victims and oftentimes mischaracterize what victims say, but both from, you know, anecdotal conversations and numerous studies, victims overwhelmingly want two things - to make sure what happened to them doesn't happen to them or anyone else again, and help getting beyond their - support and help to get beyond and to restore what was lost or damaged or hurt. And we don't do a good job from a governmental standpoint, or as a community, supporting people who have been victimized. And so often that feeds into very unhealthy outcomes later on down the line. What can you do in your capacity as a City Councilperson to better support victims of crime? [00:35:55] Rob Saka: Yeah, so great, great question. I think the best - so all of these issues - highly complex, nuanced. So let's double click, dive a little deeper. So we talked about the imperative a moment ago to, you know, from my perspective, to hire more police, public safety, empower them, set and enforce the highest standards, and hold them accountable. Also the co-equal important policy plan that I have to stand up, fund and implement, you know, these civilian-led responses. But also a very, very important part of this whole equation is prevention - making sure that we don't have to, people don't have to experience crime to begin with. Making sure that people - that crime victims, if you will - you know, not only they don't feel the sentiment and have the experience of like, not wanting that to happen again to someone else, but also they don't feel the sense of like, we need to kind of restore and bring a sense of whole and completeness to whatever traumatic experience happened to them. So prevention is really important and crime prevention is really important. And why is there crime? Well, it's complex, not just one thing, but you know, rising inequality, lack of access to resources, unequal opportunities, poverty, you know, lack of mental behavioral health services and support. And I think building out programs and services anchored and oriented around addressing those root causes will go a long way in preventing crime to begin with and minimizing our impact. Because yes, we need effective prevention and address the root causes, if you will, but we also need to make sure that we have, you know, our whole like policy plans and funding strategy reflects, you know, making sure we can contemplate and resource the realities of today and have good interventions as well. So, you know, all of those things must and should coexist in parallel, in my view. [00:38:17] Crystal Fincher: Okay, so I just wanted to clarify on that last one. I think your points about prevention and your plans to hire more police certainly speak to some other aspects, but specifically when it comes to supporting victims - people who have been - unfortunately, while you're working towards prevention and doing the other things, it is, there are going to be more people who are victimized unfortunately, even while we're reducing crime. But what could you do to better support victims, people who have been victimized, and people who do need help? [00:38:55] Rob Saka: Yeah, so great question. The number one thing is making sure we have effective intervention and response capabilities. And, you know, we do that in part through making sure we have well, you know, well-resourced, trained set of public safety apparatus - firefighters, police, paramedics - and to make sure that people have the responses that they need and expect. Making sure if someone has been like victimized by property crime or whatever it is, that, you know, they can reasonably expect an officer to show up and, you know, take a report, and hopefully investigate that, and follow up, and show up in a timely manner. But also, you know, depending on the nature of the victimization for crime victims, we also need to do a better job of making sure people have access to services and - like trauma response and support services - and they're better taken care of from a mental health perspective as well. And help them navigate and better help them navigate everything - like, you know, talking about crime in abstract, you know, without a specific like fact pattern, it's a little tricky. But I do think at a high level, there is a huge opportunity to better help people navigate the various systems, structures, services, and programs that currently exist today once - for victims - and then build out and expand those as well. [00:40:56] Crystal Fincher: I see. I wanna talk about housing and homelessness and in particular, one thing called out by experts as a barrier to the effectiveness of the homelessness response is frontline worker wages that don't cover the cost of living. Do you believe our local nonprofits have a responsibility to pay living wages for our area, and how can you make that more likely with how the City bids for and contracts for services? [00:41:24] Rob Saka: Yeah, I think that is some of the most important work going on - in any profession, in any discipline, in any - like the direct frontline work that, you know, our professionals across a variety of disciplines are doing directly on a day-to-day basis with our unhoused neighbors. And inflation is rising exponentially. You know, wage increases haven't kept up just across the board, especially in government and in nonprofit contracted work. So yes, I support, you know, making sure they have living wages because as a policy matter, like you sort of, your priorities show up in what you support and what you fund. So that doesn't also mean at the same time, you know, wouldn't look for - in the issue of homelessness, for example - wouldn't look for opportunities to perform, you know, like initial or like regular ongoing systems checks to analyze performance and, you know, figure out what's working well and, you know, knock down barriers to success and, you know, things like that. But yeah, I mean, I, these workers have a tough job. So I support living wages. [00:43:03] Crystal Fincher: And I wanna talk about the larger economy - well, larger to the City and district, at least. And the City has a very, very vibrant business economy. Some of the largest corporations in the world headquartered here and nearby, as well as a really vibrant small business community that really spans the range across the board. But they have a number of challenges that they're trying to deal with and get beyond. So when it comes to your district, what can you do? I guess, one, what do you think the biggest challenges facing small businesses in your district are and how can you address those needs? [00:43:43] Rob Saka: Yeah, the biggest challenge is facing this district. You're right, like, to first address - kind of how you prefaced that question, I like that framing - yeah, we have a vibrant economy with companies and businesses of all sizes. And, you know, the only challenge is it's not - the benefits that provides our region, you know, aren't always equally shared and distributed and those opportunities aren't always equally shared. And look, I grew up in Kent, you know, and - in the valley in Kent, like I said - and my dad, if we know what we know about Kent, the economy runs on two things - agriculture and warehousing district. It's always been a warehousing district. Today, there's this big, fancy Amazon fulfillment center - it's like the crown jewel of the Kent warehousing district. And I'm glad it's there, personally. And great, you know, but before that was there and long after it, something else, maybe. It's always been a warehousing district, always will be. And my father was a frontline warehouse worker in Kent. And I found my path to other opportunities in tech, you know, through the military and law school and other things, but we need to make sure more people have access to those opportunities. But to answer, you know, that kind of follow-up question there about what can I do? What can I best do to support small businesses if elected? Well, one, I don't view my role as like prescribing, you know, setting forth prescriptive menu changes for a restaurant, for example. But where I can help, and I've talked to small businesses - small business owners, their workers, their customers - and the number one opportunity that I see to help support them and help make sure that they're successful is public safety. There, someone told me the other day - a small business owner with an office downtown told me the other day that their workers don't feel safe coming to downtown. So how can you impose these hybrid work requirements, which I generally support, as long as there's some - I also like the flexibility, especially, and value the flexibility as a parent of young kids to have, you know, like a couple of days to work from home, work remotely. But how can you impose these across the board, agnostic of whatever the attendant circumstances is, you know, requirements for working from the office based on some arbitrary number or some executive's gut feeling about what sparks innovation the most when people, when their workers don't even feel safe. And then their customers oftentimes don't feel safe. How are we going to stimulate the economy if people - we need to get more people, not just from this district, into these businesses across the district and across the city, but we need to get more people from, you know, South County and, you know, people from the Eastside and other parts of the state and like wanting to come here and spend their money and feel comfortable and invest here as well. So I think public safety is the number one opportunity that I see and I hear over and over and over again from small business owners, their workers, and customers. [00:47:30] Crystal Fincher: Right, and I wanna ask you about childcare, which is a challenge faced not only by people with kids, you know - challenge faced primarily with them - but the effects are felt throughout the entire community. It's people's largest expense next to housing, frequently. And now the annual cost of childcare tops that of college annually. So it's just an astronomical expense and sometimes just the accessibility - just is there childcare available near you - is a challenge. What can you do as a City councilmember to help families in your district with this? [00:48:10] Rob Saka: Yeah, it's a unique problem that I understand firsthand, not only as someone with childcare responsibilities - my number one job in life is the parent of these three kids - but also someone who experienced, you know, like pre-K childcare from a place of need in under-representation. And look, I mentioned I grew up in and out of foster care for the first nine years of my life - mostly in. And, you know, when I wasn't in foster care during that time, you know, sometimes I was in a, like a Head Start program or a funded program of some sort. Usually it was not being watched by whoever could watch me. And raised by soap operas. And I'm grateful, like I said, where I am today personally and professionally, not because of some of those, you know, lousy experiences, but I'm grateful because I am where I am despite some of those lousy circumstances. And you look at the research and you look at the data on people, on kids who have been exposed to like, like pre-K programs and preschool programs, been in those programs. And you look at their life outcomes. They perform generally better in school than their peers who don't have some sort of preschool program and are just sort of like, kind of how I was describing and how I grew up most of the time. Their graduation rates are higher, their college attendance rates are higher. Like their life outcomes are generally better. And so one opportunity that I see long-term - I got two terms in me if I win. One is not enough to get done what I intend to get done, and two is like just a sweet spot. I don't believe in mandatory term limits, but there's nothing wrong with self-imposed ones. So I have two terms - towards the end, I wanna actually build out and fund preschool program for all. And make sure that more people have that opportunity. And make sure more people have access to quality affordable childcare - and educational, like a learning environment that's gonna help them, and help communities, and help us long-term. So really, really urgent challenge. And also part of that, like childcare workers are some of the most underpaid folks too. And they do work, and they do work for us. And I know firsthand, a lot of them put their - they were some of the most unsung heroes during COVID. They, a lot of workers, but like talking about this specific question, a lot of them put their health and safety on the line for poor wages, uncertain working conditions - to make sure more people could work. And make sure more kids are able to be successful long-term. And so they're grossly underpaid. So there's been other jurisdictions that have been successful, at least in terms of like starting to think about, how to better pay and how to better fund universal preschool programs for all. And so I'm curious to figure out creative ways to do exactly that on Seattle City Council. [00:51:38] Crystal Fincher: And the last thing I just wanna touch on is - back to a budget issue - those Progressive Revenue Task Force recommendations that did come out, especially now before this revenue shortfall. So if dramatic cuts are to be avoided, there does need to be some new revenue in place. Do you support, or will you be advocating for any of the recommendations from the Progressive Revenue Task Force, or any other ideas you have? [00:52:11] Rob Saka: Yeah, thank you, Crystal. So, we talked a little bit about my, like kind of how I view the budget and operating with the existing - looking to additional government partners at all levels, and funding sources, and public-private partnerships - and then expanding, looking at new revenue sources. But you asked a question about potential new revenue sources. And from this report, I'm most keenly interested in learning more about the vacant home, vacant lot tax idea. That seems to be - potentially, I don't know - I would love to learn more and explore and closely study, examine the feasibility of that. But that seems to be just the most low-hanging fruit opportunity in terms of one, creating revenue. We shouldn't just create revenue for the sake of it. You know, it should have a purpose and an incentive and disincentive structure behind it. I think that will help address the affordability crisis, and making sure we have beneficial use of living space at all times, and incentivize people to actually use stuff. So, but, so that's one thing I'm keenly interested personally in learning more about and exploring. Yeah. [00:53:41] Crystal Fincher: Got it. In the last couple minutes we have here, there are people trying to make a decision between you and your opponent - and two new candidates, no incumbent in this open seat race - and people just searching for who best aligns with their values and who is best suited for this role. What do you tell voters who are trying to make up their minds? [00:54:04] Rob Saka: Yeah, so we have a very clear choice in this race. The contrasts have never been more clear. We can choose the business-as-usual approach and, or we have an opportunity to bring about some change. And I'm a strong Democrat, you know, make no apologies about that - matter of fact, I'm the strongest Democrat in this race 'cause I'm the only one that's been endorsed by our home local Democratic Party, the 34th District Dems, shout out to them. And I'm a strong progressive. And, you know, I also need to think we need to better incorporate progressive values, equity, and make sure things not only are equitable by design - I think we do that well in Seattle - but also equitable in implementation. And is it truly equitable in implementation? And being willing to humble ourselves and figure out if that's not the case, what's the solve? What's the fix? What's the solution? And the issue of public safety, there's - I've been entirely consistent about this whole time. We need to stand up civilian-led responses. We need to hire more police and empower them to carry out their public safety mandate and hold them accountable. We need to also focus on crime prevention in parallel. So that's my plan. There's complexity and there's nuance there. And, you know, despite some of the rising crime and gun violence in this district - South Park, someone was shot and I think killed earlier today. And the issue of gun violence isn't one shared equally across this city and across this district. Certain communities, including the one I live in - in Delridge, are more impacted and bearing the brunt of it more than others. So it's just remarkable to see that after all these shootings, my opponent still thinks that defunding the police by 50% was a good idea. I think it was a bad idea. And that doesn't mean we can't hold bad police accountable. I fought to do that. I fought to do exactly that at the county level and I'll continue to do that and accelerate that work. But yeah, the issue of public safety has never been, the contrast has never been clear. And look, if people like the current direction of the Seattle City Council - the current approach, the toxicity, the divisiveness, the performative ideological-based, you know, acts and gestures rather than a collaborative approach focused on solutions, I'm probably not their candidate. But I am here to bring about the change I think people so desperately want and need - a collaborative, responsive government that centers equity, progressive values, and a little healthy dose of common sense as well. So yeah. [00:57:23] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you so much for your time and for sharing more about your candidacy with us today - much appreciated. [00:57:32] Rob Saka: Thank you, Crystal - appreciate you. [00:57:34] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

"Minute with Mayor Mike Wilson" News Director Greg Taylor talks with Red Wing Mayor Mike Wilson with a recap of the City Council meeting on Monday, Budget Workshop prior to meeting, Introduced and recognized Red Wing Fire Department and badge pinning and Baby Freya, who was born in an ambulance April 20th, swearing in of Charter Commission members, Public Comment: People spoke out about the Human Rights Commission being put on 90 day hiatus due to liaison resigning, Consent Agenda, approved hiring firm to conduct a Red Wing Community Survey, and discussed Red Wing Marine Museum Lease.

John and Josh Martin have teamed up for the 2023 city election year to cover Minneapolis DFL conventions in all 13 wards. In this episode we recap what's happened so far (aside from Ward 5, whose convention endorsed incumbent Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw after we recorded). What did we learn in wards 3 and 12? Why was the Ward 5 convention cancelled? Josh takes his pundit hat off in Ward 8 (his home ward). John remixes Mayor Frey's "state of the city" address to a classic song. We ponder crime stats and what Mayor Frey is calling the "downtown rebound." Will Josh take the mayor's advice and return to work in the office downtown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays? We talk about the what's next for the Charter Commission on government structure (more appointment power for the mayor?). John celebrates the unanimous Planning Commission decision to legalize corner stores. The city's rent stabilization work group produced an unwanted result for rent stabilization opponents, but it did serve as a successful delay tactic. At John's urging, Josh reveals a piece of himself and forms a bond with the audience. Follow Josh Martin on Twitter: @JoshMartinMpls Watch: https://youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: https://twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

We're back for Week 7 of explaining things! Topics: Northern Township proposal work session, extension of city services without further annexation Ridealong with a Beltrami County Sheriff's Deputy! The Charter Commission recommendation for a council code of conduct Beltrami County Jail wrongful death lawsuit Highlights from Chatabout last week, with Sheriff Jason Riggs and Mayor Prince. Blotter Correspondent Randi Su Tanem

The Portland city council voted last month to indefinitely table a proposal from the city auditor to create a new Transparency Advocate position. Instead, they passed a different transparency resolution introduced by commissioner Dan Ryan. We talked with Portland City Auditor Simone Rede following that vote, and she told us more about the city's Charter Commission the proposal came out of and the community engagement process that led up to the council's actions. Ryan joins us to share his perspective on efforts to improve transparency in the city council, explain what his council-passed resolution would do and what he hopes to see from the auditor's office in the coming months.

Ben talks with journalist, storyteller and musician Samuel James about his podcast “99 Years“, which he describes as a Black exploration of the deliberate creation of the whitest state in the nation. They talk about the erasure of Black history from Maine, Portland’s Charter Commission, Malaga Island, and Maine’s history of racist place names. Cate…

Eli is back!   Eli and Tim talk about Robyn Bailey's interview.  Also, they eplore PPS' decision to disallow students from watching their friends play sports in the city.   Also, they dig into Charter Commission questions #1 and #3.

Portlanders are less than two months away from voting on Measure 26-228, a proposal to radically reshape the city's form of government, and supporters and opponents of the charter reform package are both pressing their cases.Melanie Billings-Yun, who co-chaired the Charter Commission that developed the proposal, and Sol Mora, campaign manager for the reform proposal advocacy group Portland United for Change, were guests on Straight Talk this week to make their case for the ballot measure.Also appearing this week was Vadim Mozyrsky, who was one of three Charter Commission members who voted against the package, and is now campaigning in opposition to it as part of a group called the Partnership for Common Sense Government.

Portlanders are less than two months away from voting on Measure 26-228, a proposal to radically reshape the city's form of government, and supporters and opponents of the charter reform package are both pressing their cases. Melanie Billings-Yun, who co-chaired the Charter Commission that developed the proposal, and Sol Mora, campaign manager for the reform proposal advocacy group Portland United for Change, were guests on Straight Talk this week to make their case for the ballot measure. Also appearing this week was Vadim Mozyrsky, who was one of three Charter Commission members who voted against the package, and is now campaigning in opposition to it as part of a group called the Partnership for Common Sense Government.

Eli and Tim get the pleasure of speaking with friend of the podcast, Tae Chong.  His reasons for leaving the Portland City Council and some of his takeaways from his term of service to the City of Portland.  Tae gives us a quick look at the Charter Commission procdure and why voters NEED to pay attention to what they will be voting on in November.  

In 1970 Alaska repealed its abortion law making abortion legal here three years prior to Roe vs Wade. One Alaskan senator who voted to legalize abortion – three separate times as he will point out -- was Joe Josephson. That same year he lost the democratic primary for the senate race to replace Bob Bartlett who had died in office; Republican Ted Stevens went on to win that election.  Josephson started his career in politics in the late 1950s as a young staffer for territorial delegate Bob Bartlett (later US Senator); he was vice-mayor of the city of Anchorage under Elmer Rasmussen, served on the municipal charter commission, the Anchorage Assembly, and served  as an AK senator in the mid-1980s acting as unofficial defense counsel for Gov. Bill Sheffield during his impeachment trial. Joe Josephson has five children, one of whom is AK House Representative Andy Josephson. Mr. Josephson who is almost 89-years-old still works full-time as an attorney and this interview was recorded at his law office. The sound quality for the first half of this interview is less than ideal,; apologies to our listeners.

John is joined by Jason Garcia (@jasoncomix) and Josh Martin (@JoshMartinMpls) for a conversation about the recent history of the Minneapolis Charter Commission, why this volunteer body is important, and our opportunity to fill 11 of the 15 seats with new appointments in 2022 -- APPLY TODAY! Apply for an open seat on the Minneapolis Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/current-openings/ If you still have questions, attend an info session this evening, March 21: https://bit.ly/charter-info-mpls Star Tribune article quotes Hennepin County chief judge criticizing the blind nature of the appointment process: https://www.startribune.com/judge-removes-commission-chair/98150214/ Josh's Google Docs Directory: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ujl3dviCW3xaLyrYy9oGU4r-_a52FmggadmjzihXEEk/ Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

This episode is a quick recap of the work from the Charter Review Commission (episode 6), parts of this episode is audio taken from the Public City Council Meeting on January 11, 2022. As we round off our season, we will be following the final steps of the San José constitutional convention and finishing our coverage on boards and commissions. Intro song by mias. City Council Jan. 11th Meeting (Charter discussions begin around 1:15) Memorandum from the City Attorney's Office --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/onlyinsj/message

We are excited to bring you this episode of the #squarepizzapod. This week, Greg is in conversation with Jason B. Allen, Owner, Educational Entities, LLC. One fun fact you will learn about Jason is his immense dedication to equity and equality in education. In this episode:What keeps him in this line of work Work with Profound Gentlemen Leading the first Charter Commission school for girls in ATLEngagement with the school board in ATL His work at Educational Entities Bio: Jason B. Allen is a 17-year educator currently teaching Special Education in Atlanta. He leads Lillie's Foundation, serving Atlanta grandparents raising school-aged children. Additionally, he runs educational entities, including The Educators Voice blog, Speak Black Man podcast, and Students for Equity group. Support the show (http://Scherm.co)

Eli educates Tim on Portland city government.  

Christmas, does the culture set us up for depression over it? Jo Co Commissioner Baertschiger joins me later to talk cannabis money, the recalls, other issues of county concern including the Charter Commission work.

Committees have been appointed to write statements supporting the measures, but the Commission has not been able to identify people to write statements against the measures. https://loom.ly/QNwf4aE #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyCouncil #CharterReviewCommission #CharterAmendmentMeasures #SupportingStatements #OpposingStatements #VotersPamphlet #November2022GeneralElection #HomeRuleCharter #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

The Clark County Charter Review Commission this week voted to place six charter amendment proposals on the November 2022, general election ballot. https://loom.ly/mw7e_eQ #ClarkCountyWa #CharterReviewCommission #AmendmentMeasures #2022GeneralElectionBallot #CharterAmendments #Voters #ClarkCountyCouncil #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

John is joined by redistricting enthusiast Josh Martin for a conversation about redrawing political boundaries in Minneapolis. It's a process that happens every ten years, and it's already underway for City Council and Park Board. Based on data from the 2020 census, the ideal City Council ward should have a population of 33,073.38. The city's most populous ward -- Ward 3 -- currently has a population over 43,000. As the map drawing process kicks off, this is creating ripple effects across the city, as boundaries for less populated wards shift to take on additional population. We talk about the guidelines being used by the Commission's redistricting advisory group, which is made up of commissioners (appointed by a Hennepin County judge) and residents (appointed by the Commission). We also talk about some of the specific changes and concerns that have come up early in the process. Such as, Is it appropriate to consider a council member's home address during the map drawing process? Is Ward 6 at risk of losing its status as the Somali ward? Why did someone submit a map that divided the Wedge neighborhood into three different wards? Will Ward 4 gain an Aldi? We get into some of the arguments for and against downtown Minneapolis having its own ward -- rather than divided between three council members. John makes a pitch for everyone within the sound of his voice to apply to be on the Charter Commission. Not only does the Commission draw our political boundaries, they have the power to put charter amendments on the ballot (they unanimously put the strong mayor charter amendment on the ballot, in a city where voters approved it by just a single percentage point). We close the show by talking about another idea with some interesting implications working its way through the Charter Commission: moving city elections from odd to even years. Links Existing City Council boundaries: https://districtr.org/plan/80467 First draft of a redrawn City Council map: https://districtr.org/plan/80467 First draft of a redrawn Park Board map: https://districtr.org/plan/71683 Find more information about the process and submit comments and maps to the Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/charter-commission/ Sign up to speak at a future redistricting public hearing (select "commission"). The next one is in December. This list will be updated as hearings are scheduled: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/redistricting/ Whenever you see openings (there's a bunch coming in 2022), please apply to be on the Minneapolis Charter Commission: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/boards-and-commissions/charter-commission/ Follow twitter.com/JoshMartinMpls for more information about redistricting and other city happenings. A photo of the Portland Charter Commission: https://www.portland.gov/omf/charter-review-commission Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

With two weeks to gather his thoughts and recover from a November 2 gut punch, John is joined by Jason Garcia for a wide ranging conversation about the state of Minneapolis politics heading into 2022. John feels bad. Jason feels less bad. It's unclear if this makes things better or worse: we're less than a year from people ramping up city council campaigns for the 2023 election. 2022 gives us a chance to elect the Hennepin County Attorney, County Sheriff, and County Commissioners. We talk about the city council's rightward shift, our new strong mayor system, the unprecedented infusion of big business money into the 2021 election, the state of alternative media, our hopes for the future of the Charter Commission, and so much more. We also take a look back at the David Wheeler episode. Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Charter Commission

The Clark County Charter Review Commission has scheduled two town hall sessions to discuss proposed amendments to the county charter for consideration of placing onto the 2022 general election ballot. https://loom.ly/nBt5W2o #ClarkCountyWa #HomeRuleCharter #CharterReviewCommission #Commissioners #TownHallSessions #2022ProposedAmendments #GeneralElectionBallot #ClarkCountyCharter #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Barry Clegg, Head of the Charter Commission in Minneapolis, helped develop the first ballot question in Minneapolis on Government powers in the City Council and Mayor's office, plus Mike Max on a great win by the Timberwolves, and what Viking is giving out full sized candy bars this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2021 Concord School District Charter Commission At Large candidates Clint Cogswell, Elizabeth "Betty" Hoadley, Roy Schweiker, and Robert Washburn gather in the CSD Meeting Room for this debate moderated by Tony Schinella. Candidate William Ardinger was unable to attend but did provide a statement. A co-production of Patch, ConcordTV, and WKXL

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John's guest is David Fey from Faith in Minnesota. David served as Deputy Mayor during RT Rybak's first term beginning in 2002. Speaking from his experience in Minneapolis City Hall, David explains why he's telling people to vote no on ballot question 1, which would shift control over the city's non-police departments to the mayor. John expresses his ongoing confusion over why the Charter Commission forced us into having this conversation as the police department has imploded in the year and a half since four of their officers murdered George Floyd. David says, "The police department is the most dysfunctional and least accountable department in the city, so the idea of expanding that model to the rest of the city departments - on the face of it - is really alarming." We talk about the implications of this power shift; why it might not actually be about good government; the benefit of bringing transparency to police policymaking that's currently done behind closed doors in the mayor's office; what should be done about rogue council members (Lisa Goodman, I'm talking about you); and the value of city hall that's equally accountable to all 13 wards in the city. David also talks about his support for questions 2 and 3. Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

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John's guest is Cam Gordon, who represents Ward 2 on the Minneapolis City Council. First, we get Cam's reaction to the recent legal back and forth over the public safety charter amendment (this episode was recorded before the Minnesota Supreme Court's decision to allow voters to decide Question 2). John asks how Cam assesses the quality of the advice the City Council receives from the City Attorney's Office. And how should voters assess the effect of the "strong mayor" charter amendment? What's the public safety agenda if a charter change fails this November?What is Cam's reelection pitch to voters when he's knocking on doors (especially in light of the doorbell camera footage that's been sent into the Wedge LIVE tipline)? John asks Cam about his too-nice approach to dealing with mean tweeters? And the times he faced off with right wing media figure John Stossel, and local TV lawyer Joe Tamburino. We talk about the Mayor's PAC, the politicization of the chief, disinformation, and a gullible district court judge. Cam responds to John's constant frustration with conventional wisdom around the state of our failing public safety system: "so many officers left there was no way they the department could possibly spend all the money we've given them..." We talk about housing, the 2040 plan, boarding houses (why limit who can operate them?) -- and the history of ending occupancy limits based on the definition of family in the zoning code. What's Cam learned in his nearly 16 years on the City Council? We talk about the Charter Commission's anonymous interviews with city department heads (which the Commission used to promote their strong mayor amendment -- Question 1 on your ballot) and whether there is a rebellion at City Hall. Cam says the way it should work is that staff answers to actions of the Council as a body, not individuals (John suggests those rules don't apply to Lisa Goodman). John pushes Cam on neighborhood group funding. Cam talks about how a strong mayor system would shift power away from lower voter turnout parts of the city. How have personal relationships at City Hall changed over the course of the pandemic and social distancing? We finish the episode with recommendations and a Cam Gordon beard time-lapse. Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

The two leading proponents of forming a consolidation charter commission talked on “Behind The Headlines” about the opposition and hesitancy they are encountering.

www.commsolutionsmn.com- Last fall, the Minneapolis Charter Commission expertly tabled a resolution from the City Council to disband the Minneapolis Police Department. Now outside funding from George Soros' Open Society has given money to circulate a petition to go around the Charter Commission and get the question to change the charter on the ballot this coming November. Now all of these special interest groups like OutFront MN, ISAIAH, Our Justice, Socialist Alternative, MN Hospitality Union, Women for Political Change, Recall Mike Freeman, Take Action MN, Reclaim the Block, and more have all joined together to roll out the astroturf and get this pushed through using a group called Yes Minneapolis. If you look at the campaign finance report 78% of the donations come from people and groups outside of MN. Tides Advocacy, Black Visions Collective, and the National ACLU, have all donated tens of thousands of dollars each. Even the Minneapolis Teacher's Federation supports this measure. They are out of control! The question is super confusing, and it's on purpose. All I can say is that you need to "Vote No". This gets rid of the police department and replaces it with a Department of Public safety that may hire police officers, as needed. It also takes the authority away from the Mayor's office (Jacob Frey), who currently supports this. Where is the organized opposition to this, by the way? Do you really want this to pass? The numbers say "no", but there needs to be a rising up. The surrounding suburban cities are all seeing a rise in crime that can be traced back directly to Minneapolis residents. Minneapolis, as the largest city in the region, has a responsibility to the other metro cities that it's actions affect. Maybe local mayors and police chiefs should get together and sue the city for an injunction. It's time to do something before the entire Metro area inherits the rise in violent crime we've seen in Minneapolis, and the whole place gets a lot more dangerous. Also, it's history lesson week... great. Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We've launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don't forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

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The Clark County Charter Review Commission at its June 30, 2021, meeting appointed Sherwood neighborhood resident Bridget McLeman to fill an open at-large seat on the commission. https://loom.ly/qOe7EHg #ClarkCountyCharterReviewCommission #AtLargeSeat #BridgetMcLeman #HomeRuleCharter #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

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Portland holds City Charter Commission elections on Tuesday June 8, 2021. Voting takes place in the Community Center from 6:45 am until 8:00 pm. I spoke with Peter McLaughlin of the Peaks Island Council about what the issues are in this seemingly run-of-the-mill process. As it turns out - quite a lot. From whether to strengthen the mayor's role to how city council districts are apportioned and more, the Charter is our City's founding document. If you want to hear from the candidates directly, here is the link to the candidate forums hosted by PIC and moderated by Peter: Charter Candidate Forums.The pre-episode content you heard is our island update. I'm experimenting with doing "dynamic insertion" of the weekly island update/community calendar. Most of the time, this technology is used for ads, but because we are proudly listener-supported, we can put it to better use for listeners. Let me know what you think at chris (at) peaksislandradio (dot) com.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=FRFUWGPGNC4JA)

www.commsolutionsmn.com- A year ago, the Minneapolis City Council was dead set on not defunding, but dismantling, the Minneapolis Police Department. To do this, they would have to change the city charter, which required a police presence, including minimums per capita. The Charter Commission wasn't having any of that. Either a "yes" or "no" vote on the proposal would put the issue back with the City Council for certain approval. Instead, they decided to table the proposal, putting it on hold for 90 days... and past the date of the election, tying the council's hands. Now there is a "citizen-led" group (with the help of the ACLU, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and a whole mess of other radical groups) called Yes For Minneapolis that has one goal: to finish the work that the city council couldn't get done. They circulated a petition to change the city charter, removing the police department entirely, and replacing it with the Department of Public Safety. They may or may not have to hire police at all, depending on the situation. What? Have they looked at the exponential rise in crime, shootings, and murder in Minneapolis? I can't think of a worse solution. Yes For Minneapolis is made of a bunch of also ran groups like Sex Workers Outreach Project Minneapolis, Reviving Sisterhood, Reclaim the Block, Education for Liberation, Women for Political Change, and others. Why are the 5% leading the 95% around? Why is the majority so scared of these radical groups? They are working to get this on the ballot for this coming November. You had better pray that this goes over like lead balloon, because once the police are gone, all the criminals will come here and the suburbs will be in their sights as well. Minneapolis needs to learn to be a good neighbor to the rest of the metro area. They are not an island unto themselves. Should they succeed with this proposal, they should come under an avalanche of lawsuits from the surrounding cities. They have a duty to do their fair share in protecting and serving the Metro area. Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode, Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast!” You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy! Don’t forget that you can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify!

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In this hour Stephen Henderson speaks with Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence about South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, his comments about racism in America, and his relationship with other Black members of Congress. Then, Detroit City Councilmember Raquel Castaneda Lopez and Richard Mack, a member of the Detroit Charter commission talks about the commission’s proposed changes, the state’s reaction, and the direction the commission would like to see the city head in.

John is joined by guest co-host PeggySue Imihy. The guest is Kate Knuth, candidate for mayor of Minneapolis. We start the show by playing PeggySue's theme song. Then we poke fun at a rival podcast host. John expresses disappointment in PeggySue's late decision to become a city delegate and reveals he takes pleasure in the pain of Ward 10 candidate David Wheeler. Kate and PeggySue bond over their shared heritage in the suburbs of NE Minneapolis. John asks Kate if she thought she'd ever run for office again after three terms in the state legislature (2007-2013), the urgency she felt to run for mayor, and if she's ready for things to get mean. Kate disputes Mayor Frey's fear-based framing of this year's choices for mayor. We talk about what a potential Department of Public Safety would look like at the end of the next mayoral term, why Kate would succeed where all other mayors have failed, her resistance to making big promises she can't back up. PeggySue asks about the Roof Depot site, and pushes Kate to get specific about whether soldiers on street corners was the right approach for Operation Safety Net. As someone who's spent a career working on climate change, what does "Kate Knuth, Climate Mayor" mean for housing policy, transportation, street design, and energy policy? PeggySue demands more housing. I nominate PeggySue for the Planning Commission. John asks, what does rent stabilization accomplish? Does Kate support the strong mayor charter amendment? PeggySue bashes the Charter Commission. We close the show by pressuring (bullying?) Kate into revealing better "fun facts" than the ones on her website. PeggySue: "The fun facts on your website are bad." Here's what we unearthed: Did you know Kate Knuth used to rollerblade along the shore of Lake Michigan to her job sequencing moth DNA at the Field Museum in Chicago? Or that she has an irresistible urge to dance whenever she hears the song Timber by Ke$ha? And something else about a pet millipede named Milton. We hope you'll soon be able to check kateformpls.org for these updated fun facts. Watch this episode and view other clips: youtube.com/wedgelive Join the conversation: twitter.com/wedgelive Support the show: patreon.com/wedgelive Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

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Not only is Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey running for re-election, he’s also dealing with twin crises after one of the most difficult years in the city’s history. Frey joins as the first guest in the new season of ‘Beers with Blois,’ focused on candidates in the 2021 Minneapolis election, to discuss the ongoing public safety debate and divide, rent and housing, preserving downtown, the “strong mayor” government structure proposal floated by the Charter Commission, having a kid during amidst a tumultuous first term, and so much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're celebrating Episode 200 with one of the best episodes yet! Jeff & Emily have the quick six local news headlines, followed by an overview of the most recent City Council meeting. Then, a deep dive into the Charter Review Commission - a look at some of the most important political work taking place in Portland right now. Radio is yours - help us keep on putting out the only daily news podcast in PDX!

The Hawaii County Charter Commission's Chair, Doug Adams, talked with Island Conversations host Sherry Bracken in March, 2019, about the process the Charter Commission was following, who was on the Charter Commission, why some specific amendments were proposed, and more.   The process is quite interesting! The next Island Conversations program is with 3 members of the League of Women Voters--Sue Dursin, Donna Oba, and Toni Withington.  They will talk about the 16 Charter Amendments on the ballot, and give the pros and cons as gleaned from those who testified for or against the amendments.   That program air on the radio on Sunday, Sept. 27, on the Big Island of Hawaii at 6:30 a.m. on KWXX (101.5 Kona, 94.7 Hilo), and at 7 a.m. on B97.1 Hilo and B93.1 Kona.  It will be posted as a podcast Sunday around 6 a.m. and til forever wherever you get Island Conversations as a podcast, or at kwxx.com and b97hawaii.com

Susan Lerner is one of the city's leading experts on ranked-choice voting. As Executive Director of the nonprofit Common Cause, she was instrumental in the campaign during New York City ballot initiative to bring ranked-choice voting to New York City primaries and special elections. That measure, as part of a slate of Charter Commission recommendations, passed last November and goes into effect in 2021. But while an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers voted in favor of the change - there's still a lot of confusion about what it is, how it will work - and who stands to benefit.

Now that Labor Day has passed, we're fully into election season.  There's an important election taking place in Clark County, though, that you might not be paying attention to - the race for the Charter Review Commission.  What is the Charter Review Commission, and what affect does it have on YOUR daily life? Six candidates join Shannon and Harold to talk about it:Terri Niles - https://www.facebook.com/niles4clarkcounty/Eric Labrant - https://labrantforcharter.com/Michael Martin - https://electmichaelmartin.org/Kelsey Potter - https://www.facebook.com/kpotter4clarkcounty/ Maureen Winningham - https://www.facebook.com/Maureen4Charter-106329157754864/ and Eric Holt - https://www.facebook.com/Eric-Holt-for-Charter-Review-Commission-101688544895455/ Plus, Jennifer Colin from Minute Man Press Vancouver North (https://www.vancouver-north.minutemanpress.com/) stops by to tell us about her union business, and a special discount available to our listeners!Remember working people in Southwest Washington, this is YOUR podcast! Email us at podcast@swwaclc.org and let us know what you think about the show, and what you'd like to hear in future episodes!Now that Labor Day has passed, we're fully into election season.  There's an important election taking place in Clark County, though, that you might not be paying attention to - the race for the Charter Review Commission.  What is the Charter Review Commission, and what affect does it have on YOUR daily life? Six candidates join Shannon and Harold to talk about it:Terri Niles - https://www.facebook.com/niles4clarkcounty/Eric Labrant - https://labrantforcharter.com/Michael Martin - https://electmichaelmartin.org/Kelsey Potter - https://www.facebook.com/kpotter4clarkcounty/ Maureen Winningham - https://www.facebook.com/Maureen4Charter-106329157754864/ and Eric Holt - https://www.facebook.com/Eric-Holt-for-Charter-Review-Commission-101688544895455/ Plus, Jennifer Colin from Minute Man Press Vancouver North (https://www.vancouver-north.minutemanpress.com/) stops by to tell us about her union business, and a special discount available to our listeners!Remember working people in Southwest Washington, this is YOUR podcast! Email us at podcast@swwaclc.org and let us know what you think about the show, and what you'd like to hear in future episodes!

The Charter Commission has requested an additional 90 days to study the proposed ordinance to abolish the Minneapolis Police department. There were finally adults in the room! Johnny Heidt with guitar news, and a fun nature story with Joe.

Councilmember Jenkins joined Chad to discuss the upcoming Charter Commission vote on sending a charter change to the ballot, the increase in crime in Minneapolis, and staffing levels at MPD. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The proposal would dismantle the city’s troubled police department and replace it with what supporters say would be a more holistic approach to public safety. If the commission advances the plan, a final decision would be left to voters in November. MPR News update for August 5, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Today’s meeting will not include public testimony, but the commission’s chair says he expects the first public hearing to take place early this month. MPR News morning update for July 1, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.  

Going Deeper with Meg Gage, Part Two, Meg’s professional work has been in progressive philanthropy. She started the Peace Development Fund and Proteus Fund, and co-founded the Traprock Peace Center. At the time of this interview (2017), Meg was quite busy addressing Amherst town politics on the Charter Commission, which led to the demise of Amherst Town Meeting and the beginning of the Amherst Town Council.

Going Deeper with Meg Gage, Part One, Meg’s professional work has been in progressive philanthropy. She started the Peace Development Fund and Proteus Fund, and co-founded the Traprock Peace Center. At the time of this interview (2017), Meg was quite busy addressing Amherst town politics on the Charter Commission, which led to the demise of Amherst Town Meeting and the beginning of the Amherst Town Council.

Jan 6th 2020 Why the Charter Review Commission is a Dud

Dec 27th 2019 The Mystery Behind the Charter Review Commission

We break down the Idaho Attorney General's Office report on the Charter School Commission's controversial closed-door meeting. Then new State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield joins the podcast to give an update on the K-12 education task force.

Several Idaho charter schools were attacked and vilified by members of the Idaho Charter School Commission at a meeting the members thought was “closed”. Fortunately someone recorded the session, at which members disparaged the schools, students, management and indeed all residents of Jerome, Idaho. In this Episode 67 Special Release of Reality Check, Jeanne interviews Dr. Christine Ivie, Superintendent and Principal of Heritage Academy Charter School (https://heritageacademyid.org) in Jerome, Idaho. Dr. Ivie’s school and several other Idaho charter schools were attacked and vilified by members of the Idaho Charter School Commission at a meeting the members thought was “closed”. Heritage Academy’s student body has a large majority of students of color, more economically disadvantaged students and more English learners than other Idaho charters. It has succeeded in raising scores for its students. Idaho’s Charter Commission needs members who actually believe in and support charter schools. The chairman and other members of the commission who expressed such disdain for the charter community need to resign. Tune in to hear the sad details of the attack on these charters and the plan to fight back.

Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Sr. Advisor to the President of Hunter College/CUNY, a formidable public servant, a member of the NYC Charter Commission, outlines the four focus areas under the Commission's consideration: Elections, Governance, Finance, Land-Use.

Craig sits down with Nancy Derringer and Violet Ikanomova of Deadline Detroit to talk about the stories that our readers cared about this week.  

Craig speaks with Deadline Detroit reporter Violet Ikanomova about the fractured Detroit Charter commission.  

Episode 147: The 2019 City Charter Commission Narrows Its Focus by Max & Murphy

Part Two of my interview with Robert Ball, one of Portland’s leading developers and has been a successful real estate investor, developer, manager, and owner. His career has spanned over 25 years, creating large scale projects along with the formation of real estate development, sales, and management companies. Robert volunteers as a reserve police officer for the Portland Police Bureau and holds the rank of Commander. He was awarded the Police Medal (for valor,) two Distinguished Service Awards from the Oregon Peace Officers Association, and many other commendations and citations. He has served on Portland’s Charter Commission, several nonprofit boards, and has been active in civic, neighborhood and community projects. He won the 1997 NW Examiner Award for Public Safety and was listed on the Business Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list for outstanding leadership in business and civic affairs. http://robertball.com Enjoy! Sponsor: Annie Weller, Business Coach & Consultant http://www.annieweller.com Produced and edited by Greg Nibler Recorded at the Funemployment Radio Studios in beautiful Portland, Oregon

Robert Ball is one of Portland’s leading developers and has been a successful real estate investor, developer, manager, and owner. His career has spanned over 25 years, creating large scale projects along with the formation of real estate development, sales, and management companies. Robert volunteers as a reserve police officer for the Portland Police Bureau and holds the rank of Commander. He was awarded the Police Medal (for valor,) two Distinguished Service Awards from the Oregon Peace Officers Association, and many other commendations and citations. He has served on Portland’s Charter Commission, several nonprofit boards, and has been active in civic, neighborhood and community projects. He won the 1997 NW Examiner Award for Public Safety and was listed on the Business Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list for outstanding leadership in business and civic affairs. http://www.robertball.com Enjoy! Sponsor: Annie Weller, Business Coach & Consultant http://www.annieweller.com Produced and edited by Greg Nibler Recorded at the Funemployment Radio Studios in beautiful Portland, Oregon

Four-Year City Council Terms Suggested as Charter Commission Holds its First Meeting

ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SILVER ACCUSED OF TAKING MILLIONS IN BRIBES, CUOMO DELIVERS STATE OF THE STATE/BUDGET ADDRESS, FREE COLLEGE?, TOUR BUS CRASH INVESTIGATION, LANDMARK LOST, CHARTER COMMISSION, CALNON LOOKS AHEAD TO NEW YEAR