Jamie Fackler Outlines Vision for Seattle's District 2 Council Seat
Jamie Fackler, running for Seattle City Council in District 2, shares his stance on housing affordability, public safety, transportation, and more while emphasizing his opposition to corporate influence in local politics
What a City Councilmember Does and Why It Matters
Seattle City Councilmembers make decisions that impact nearly every aspect of daily life in the city—from housing and policing to transportation, parks, public utilities, and how tax dollars are spent. They pass laws, approve the city budget, and oversee city departments. They also play a key role in setting long-term plans for growth and development, negotiating labor contracts, and holding agencies accountable to the public.
For residents concerned about housing costs, neighborhood development, public safety approaches, or transportation accessibility in Seattle, the makeup of the City Council directly affects these quality-of-life issues.
Why Fackler Is Running
Jamie Fackler, who describes himself as a union leader, community organizer, and father, says his motivation for running stems from seeing neighbors priced out of communities they helped build.
"I see families that are holding on by a thread—rents keep climbing higher and wages are staying the same. And we see more folks sleeping on our streets. And then we've got luxury units in this community that are empty," Fackler said. "I see a city government that still works just fine for the wealthy and the well-connected, while the rest of us are told to wait our turn. To me, this is a crisis of—it's not a crisis of resources, but it's a crisis of priorities."
On Seattle's Budget Shortfall
With Seattle facing a $244 million budget deficit, Fackler advocates for progressive revenue solutions rather than cuts.
"We've stood up some Progressive Revenue Task Force and taken some steps in that direction—I think it's worth looking at that. It's worth looking at expanding JumpStart taxes," Fackler explained. "Prop 1A is a excess compensation tax."
He also mentioned that others have "floated the idea out there of a flat tax and then possibly some exemptions," which he thinks is "worth looking at."
His core philosophy on taxation focuses on addressing income inequality: "At the heart of it, I think Seattle has—what's really making it hard for folks in this community is income inequality. And I think that should be a focus of our taxes in this city—that progressive revenue should be addressing that.”
Public Safety Approach
Regarding safety in District 2, Fackler identified issues at 12th and Jackson as a major concern. Rather than criminalizing addiction, he emphasized the need for stable housing and support services.
"With folks that are addicted, we need to get their housing stabilized first and foremost—and then we can work on some of the harder issues related to that," Fackler said. "I don't think that criminalizing drug addiction, criminalizing the addicts is really a healthy way to solve that problem. I think that we need to provide mental health services and treatment services to those folks."
He also supports expanding the CARE team to respond to non-crisis situations that don't require armed police, allowing officers to focus on emergencies like burglaries and domestic violence.
For youth violence and gang activity, Fackler believes in addressing root causes: "We need to be looking at the upstream solution as to why kids are getting involved in drugs and gangs—and that's really about folks not feeling supported in community or in school."
Surveillance Technology and Civil Liberties
On surveillance technology, Fackler strongly opposes weakening Seattle's current surveillance ordinance. When initially asked if he supports any weakening of the current ordinance, he clarified his position: "No, I don't support weakening it. I think that it's critical to maintain folks' civil liberties, certainly in this current national political climate."
His concerns center on how surveillance data could be weaponized, particularly by federal authorities. He specified that surveillance should only be used in limited circumstances: "I'd say surveillance [is appropriate when] court ordered, authorized by a judge for criminal investigations. I think that's an appropriate use of surveillance."
Fackler also opposed the Council's decision to allow SPD to implement expanded surveillance technologies, answering "No, I don't" when directly asked about this policy change.
When discussing potential federal attacks on civil rights, particularly those targeting trans people and immigrants, Fackler connected the issue back to surveillance: "I've got real concerns about our surveillance and how that's going to be misused." He cited a recent example of police presence at Denny Blaine Park targeting trans individuals as an instance where enforcement appeared to be serving "a wealthy homeowner's agenda" rather than public safety needs.
Homelessness and Housing
Fackler criticized the city's approach to homelessness, noting that despite spending approximately $60 million on encampment sweeps over the last two years, homelessness has increased by 25%.
"That's squandering our money, really that's sweeping things under the rug," he said. "What it's addressing is visible homelessness, and it's not solving the problem."
He proposed redirecting those funds: "Imagine if that money was spent—if we spent $120 million on homeless shelters or on permanently affordable housing, what kind of situation we'd be in? Or, if we invested $30 million in mental health and treatment and addiction services, what kind of situation we'd be in?"
Regarding tenant protections, Fackler opposes any rollbacks, stating, "The cheapest time to address homelessness is before people become homeless."
On social housing, he supports full funding and expansion of Seattle's recently established Social Housing Developer, describing it as effectively a land trust: "That's a real key part of the solution to housing affordability—is creating housing that's held in trust for community that's permanently affordable."
Urban Planning and the Comprehensive Plan
Fackler expressed disappointment with Seattle's draft Comprehensive Plan, calling it a "tremendous missed opportunity" for the 20-year planning document.
"I look to the wonderful, beautiful, beloved cities of the world, like Paris, and you have mid-rise around parks and transportation," he explained. "Seattle has these real gems of parks, and we aren't seeing the mid-rise around that."
He specifically advocated for more mid-rise development around parks, transportation hubs, and schools—areas "where people want to be."
Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
When asked about addressing the stark 10-year life expectancy gap between parts of District 2 (like Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley) and wealthier Seattle neighborhoods, a disparity largely attributed to air pollution according to Crystal Fincher, host of the Hacks & Wonks podcast, Fackler acknowledged the issue and focused on solutions.
"Reducing pollution on Interstate 5 is probably a key thing," Fackler stated, recognizing the geographic reality that "I-5 runs the length and prevailing winds blow all that exhaust and diesel fumes and everything else into Beacon Hill and D2."
His approach to addressing these environmental disparities focuses on several strategies. First, he emphasized the importance of reducing car dependency: "Getting folks out of their cars—again, incentivizing public transit options—is going to be a real key piece to that." He believes encouraging greater use of public transportation would help reduce overall emissions in the area.
Fackler also proposed working at the state level to address pollution sources: "Advocating for increased emission standards on the state level as part of our legislative priorities, I think, would be another key piece to that."
When asked about balancing environmental concerns with development along transportation corridors, Fackler expressed frustration with current urban planning approaches that create environmental and safety problems: "Developing along transportation corridors... I think a lot of our planning really creates these situations where we're having to deal with problems later on." He cited safety issues for pedestrians along MLK Way as an example of poor planning that has environmental and public health consequences.
Ultimately, Fackler circles back to transit as the most significant intervention: "Anything that we can do to encourage folks to use more public transit is going to be probably our biggest key for reducing pollution and increasing lifespans of folks in our community."
Transportation Safety
Fackler highlighted safety concerns around light rail stations on MLK Way, noting the disparity in safety measures compared to other areas.
"We can look at light rail stations on the Eastside at-grade and there's protective barriers for cars and pedestrians. Even at-grade light rail crossings in SODO have guards that prevent cars from crossing the tracks while the trains are going. Why is that not in Rainier Valley?" he questioned.
He pledged to push SDOT for swift safety solutions: "I'd be looking to the transportation folks as far as what solutions can we implement right now that will reduce speeds at those stations and also make it faster for crossings and effectively safer for pedestrians."
Ethics, Transparency, and Personal Disclosures
When asked about potential changes to the City's ethics rules, Fackler firmly stated: "I don't support a rollback of city ethics." He advocated for more transparency regarding elected officials' financial holdings.
"I don't think folks are disclosing what they're holding in stocks, specifically—you know, like our councilmembers holding tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Amazon stocks, or Microsoft stocks, or Google stocks. I think that's worth knowing, like, where folks' money is specifically, like in specific funds, as they're voting on things."
As part of his own transparency, Fackler disclosed that he is a landlord, owning a rental property that he and his wife purchased over 20 years ago: "My wife and I own a rental property, a home that we purchased over 20 years ago when I was working as a carpenter and she was working as an administrative assistant." They later purchased another home when her father passed away, keeping the original property as a rental.
Fackler noted that they rent the property below market rate: "We rent it below market rate and just trying to keep the mortgage and the taxes paid on it." He mentioned that despite property taxes increasing "like 40% during the pandemic," they "really tried to avoid raising the rent" and "held off as long as we could," resulting in "a couple of years where we took some losses on it."
When asked whether small landlords should be held to different standards than large landlords, Fackler responded, "I suppose it's important to hold everyone to the same standard. You know, small landlords, there can be good actors and bad actors in small landlords and large landlords, right? And corporations and individuals. But I think it's fair that everyone is held to the same standard."
Labor Relations and Police Accountability
As someone with a union background, Fackler discussed the Seattle Police Officers Guild's expulsion from the Martin Luther King County Labor Council. While he acknowledged he wasn't directly involved with MLK Labor at that time, he indicated he likely would have supported the expulsion then.
"I think at the time, I think it probably was fair to do that," Fackler said. "If I was faced with that same decision, I probably would have voted the same way."
When asked if he'd feel differently today about SPOG's status with the Labor Council, Fackler was more measured, noting improvements while expressing ongoing concerns. He didn't take a definitive position on whether SPOG should be readmitted now, instead stating he would want to see SPOG's commitment to shared values.
"I'd want to understand what their commitment is—SPOG—to some shared values around changing and addressing historic harms," he explained. "How committed are you to changing the approach and honoring people's civil rights and civil liberties? Do you align with the shared values of MLK Labor?"
Fackler also expressed concerns about accountability, noting: "We don't have current accountability measures" and referenced the current SPOG president's "inflammatory" public statements. He emphasized that for an agency with the power to "strip people of their civil rights completely," he would expect "more compassion and kind of professionalism."
How Fackler Frames His Candidacy
Fackler positioned himself as a progressive candidate with a consistent record of opposing corporate interests.
"When corporate PACs spent $13 per vote trying to buy District 2 City Council seat in 2023, I voted against them and helped Tammy win re-election," he said. "I'm going to bring union organizing and shop steward mentality to the City Council and the fight to protect folks—whether that's around discrimination or federal improprieties coming from the federal government—and stand with folks to make this a more affordable city."
About the Guest
Jamie Fackler
Jamie Fackler is a candidate for Seattle City Council District 2.
Resources
Podcast Transcript
[00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I’m your host, Crystal Fincher. 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.
Seattle City Councilmembers make decisions that shape nearly every part of daily life in the city - from housing, policing, to transportation and parks, public utilities, and how our tax dollars are spent. They pass laws, approve the city budget, and oversee city departments. They also play a key role in setting long-term plans for growth and development, negotiating labor contracts, and holding agencies accountable to the public.
In other words, if you care about the cost of housing, how your neighborhood is changing, how public safety is handled, or how easy it is to get around Seattle - you should care who sits on the City Council.
District 2 includes the neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Brighton, Chinatown International District or the CID, Columbia City, Dunlap, Genesee, Hillman City, Lakewood/Seward Park, Little Saigon, Mount Baker, New Holly, North Beacon Hill, Othello, Rainier Beach, Rainier View, Rainier Vista, South Beacon Hill, and Yesler Terrace. This race will help determine not just the future of the district, but the direction of the city as a whole.
So we're talking to candidates to see where they stand, what they've done, and who they are - not just as policymakers, but as people.
Today, we're pleased to welcome District 2 candidate Jamie Fackler. Welcome!
[00:01:48] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, thanks, Crystal. It's a real honor to be on your podcast, and yeah, I feel like I've arrived here. So thanks.
[00:01:56] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you. Well, we are going to get started with a lightning round, as we do in our candidate interviews. These are very quick yes-or-no questions, or just a few words. We're going to zoom through these. If you don't have a quick yes or no, we'll just call it a waffle, which is fine - and you'll have the chance to expand upon anything you want to expand upon when we get to our general, open-ended answer questions.
So we will get started in our lightning round - starting with, do you own or rent your residence?
[00:02:30] Jamie Fackler: Own.
[00:02:31] Crystal Fincher: Are you a landlord?
[00:02:32] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:02:33] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever been a member of a union?
[00:02:35] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:02:36] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever walked on a picket line?
[00:02:38] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:02:39] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever crossed a picket line?
[00:02:41] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:02:42] Crystal Fincher: Is your campaign staff unionized?
[00:02:44] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:02:45] Crystal Fincher: If your campaign staff wants to unionize, will you voluntarily recognize their effort?
[00:02:49] Jamie Fackler: Absolutely.
[00:02:50] Crystal Fincher: What political party do you identify with?
[00:02:53] Jamie Fackler: Democrat.
[00:02:54] Crystal Fincher: Have you used the Seattle Public Library system in the past month?
[00:02:58] Jamie Fackler: I've used the King County Library system.
[00:03:00] Crystal Fincher: Have you been to a Seattle City Council meeting in person in the past year?
[00:03:05] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:06] Crystal Fincher: Have you or someone in your household ever relied on public assistance?
[00:03:10] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:11] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever been stopped or questioned by police in Seattle?
[00:03:15] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:16] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever worked in retail or a job where you had to rely on tips?
[00:03:20] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:21] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever owned a business?
[00:03:23] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:24] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever managed a team of 10 or more?
[00:03:27] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:03:28] Crystal Fincher: 100 or more?
[00:03:29] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:03:30] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever reported someone's misconduct in your workplace?
[00:03:34] Jamie Fackler: Yes, I have.
[00:03:35] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever fired someone?
[00:03:37] Jamie Fackler: Yes, I have.
[00:03:38] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite park in District 2?
[00:03:41] Jamie Fackler: I'd probably say Seward Park is my favorite park.
[00:03:48] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite restaurant in the district?
[00:03:50] Jamie Fackler: Well, that is a tough question. We're going to waffle on that because there's so many good ones.
[00:03:56] Crystal Fincher: Okay. What was the last live performance you saw in the district?
[00:04:00] Jamie Fackler: In the district? Let's see here. I went to Joketellers Union at the Clock-Out a couple weeks ago.
[00:04:09] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite song?
[00:04:16] Jamie Fackler: It's one by the Clash, I think. And I can't remember the name - sorry.
[00:04:24] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite album?
[00:04:27] Jamie Fackler: Oh boy. Yeah, I think my favorite old album is Pink Floyd Animals.
[00:04:33] Crystal Fincher: What's the last song you listened to?
[00:04:37] Jamie Fackler: That's a good question. Let's see. I think it was something by Sturgill Simpson.
[00:04:47] Crystal Fincher: What's the most recent book you read?
[00:04:51] Jamie Fackler: It was a book on housing. It was a book on affordable housing - the title escapes me right now.
[00:05:05] Crystal Fincher: What was the last sports event you attended in Seattle?
[00:05:08] Jamie Fackler: Good question. It was a basketball game at Yesler Terrace that my son played in.
[00:05:22] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite cafe or coffee house in the district?
[00:05:27] Jamie Fackler: Well, Redwing - down the street from me - is pretty good.
[00:05:30] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever contested a traffic ticket?
[00:05:34] Jamie Fackler: Yes, I have.
[00:05:35] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever served on a jury?
[00:05:37] Jamie Fackler: No, I haven't.
[00:05:38] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever been arrested?
[00:05:40] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:05:42] Crystal Fincher: Have you taken transit in the past month?
[00:05:45] Jamie Fackler: Yes, I have.
[00:05:46] Crystal Fincher: In the past week?
[00:05:51] Jamie Fackler: Not in the past week.
[00:05:52] Crystal Fincher: Have you ridden a bike in the past month?
[00:05:57] Jamie Fackler: Ridden a motorcycle in the last month.
[00:06:00] Crystal Fincher: Have you ridden a bike in the past month?
[00:06:03] Jamie Fackler: I have not ridden my bicycle in the past month.
[00:06:06] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the City Council's decision to rezone parts of SODO to allow residential housing?
[00:06:15] Jamie Fackler: No, I don't.
[00:06:17] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to delay adoption of the Comprehensive Plan past 2024?
[00:06:23] Jamie Fackler: No, I do not.
[00:06:24] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to put Proposition 1B on the ballot, alongside 1A in the social housing vote?
[00:06:33] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:06:33] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to divert JumpStart revenue from its original purpose to address the budget deficit?
[00:06:44] Jamie Fackler: That's a... That's a tough one, but I think in principle, to the extent...
[00:06:52] Crystal Fincher: Yes or no? Or waffle?
[00:06:54] Jamie Fackler: I'd say, well, you know, it saved a lot of city jobs.
[00:06:58] Crystal Fincher: Okay, so that's a waffle. We'll call it a waffle.
[00:07:00] Jamie Fackler: It's a waffle, yeah.
[00:07:02] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to allow SPD to implement expanded surveillance technologies?
[00:07:09] Jamie Fackler: No, I don't.
[00:07:10] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to allow SPD to use tear gas and blast balls for crowd control in certain circumstances?
[00:07:21] Jamie Fackler: I'd say no.
[00:07:23] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to reinstate SOAP and SODA laws restricting people from certain areas?
[00:07:29] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:07:30] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to make street racing and attending a street race a crime?
[00:07:38] Jamie Fackler: Is that like making extra illegal - street racing? Boy, um... You know, I'm...
[00:07:49] Crystal Fincher: Okay, we'll call it a waffle.
[00:07:50] Jamie Fackler: We'll call that a waffle. I'd like to know more about that specifically.
[00:07:54] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Council's decision to use the SCORE jail to detain people arrested in Seattle?
[00:08:01] Jamie Fackler: No, I do not.
[00:08:02] Crystal Fincher: Was it worth lowering or modifying standards to recruit new officers?
[00:08:07] Jamie Fackler: I'd say no.
[00:08:09] Crystal Fincher: Was the money spent on recruiting and hiring new officers worth it?
[00:08:21] Jamie Fackler: I think that remains to be seen, but uh - yeah.
[00:08:26] Crystal Fincher: Does SPD have a problem with how it treats women?
[00:08:30] Jamie Fackler: Absolutely.
[00:08:31] Crystal Fincher: With how it treats Black and Brown people?
[00:08:33] Jamie Fackler: Absolutely.
[00:08:35] Crystal Fincher: Would you have voted to ratify the Seattle Police Officers Guild, or SPOG contract?
[00:08:42] Jamie Fackler: As it was, I would not have, because I don't believe it had substantial accountability measures attached to it.
[00:08:48] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote for a SPOG contract that lacks meaningful accountability provisions like civilian oversight with subpoena power?
[00:08:55] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:08:56] Crystal Fincher: Should the scope of the CARE department be included in or limited by the SPOG contract?
[00:09:02] Jamie Fackler: I think it should be separated from the SPOG contract. I think that - yeah, I think we should have some - yes. So it should be separate.
[00:09:11] Crystal Fincher: So, no - it should not be limited by the SPOG contract.
[00:09:14] Jamie Fackler: Correct, yeah.
[00:09:16] Crystal Fincher: Do you think facial recognition should be banned in city use?
[00:09:24] Jamie Fackler: In this current... current climate and this current state of the country, I'd say - yes, it should be banned.
[00:09:31] Crystal Fincher: Did Seattle ever "defund the police"?
[00:09:34] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:09:35] Crystal Fincher: Should we have a design review board?
[00:09:42] Jamie Fackler: That is a tough question.
[00:09:46] Crystal Fincher: Okay, so are we waffling?
[00:09:48] Jamie Fackler: We're... We're waffling - to an extent, I think that...
[00:09:52] Crystal Fincher: Remember, we have open-ended questions later, so we'll just zoom through this.
[00:09:55] Jamie Fackler: Let's waffle on that one. Let's waffle on that one.
[00:09:57] Crystal Fincher: Should public comment time be allowed to be limited without prior notice?
[00:10:05] Jamie Fackler: No.
[00:10:06] Crystal Fincher: Do you support the Ferdinand Festival Street?
[00:10:12] Jamie Fackler: Ferdinand Festival Street - yes, I do.
[00:10:14] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the city policy of closing Lake Washington Boulevard to cars, and only allowing bikes and pedestrian access for 10 weekends during the spring and summer?
[00:10:23] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:10:24] Crystal Fincher: Do you support expanded weekend closures of Lake Washington Boulevard?
[00:10:28] Jamie Fackler: Beyond the 10?
[00:10:30] Crystal Fincher: Mmm hmm.
[00:10:33] Jamie Fackler: Potentially - yeah.
[00:10:36] Crystal Fincher: Is that a waffle, or is that a yes? Sounds like waffle.
[00:10:44] Jamie Fackler: It's a little bit of a waffle.
[00:10:45] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Do you plan to increase funding for investigations of labor violations like wage theft and illegal union busting?
[00:10:53] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:10:54] Crystal Fincher: Do large corporations in Seattle pay their fair share of taxes?
[00:10:58] Jamie Fackler: No, they do not.
[00:10:59] Crystal Fincher: Do small businesses pay their fair share of taxes?
[00:11:02] Jamie Fackler: Yes, they do.
[00:11:03] Crystal Fincher: Do you support the rent stabilization bill that just passed in the recent legislative session?
[00:11:11] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:11:12] Crystal Fincher: What's your go-to karaoke song?
[00:11:18] Jamie Fackler: I think the best one I ever did was White Wedding.
[00:11:25] Crystal Fincher: How interesting.
[00:11:26] Jamie Fackler: That was the best one. My best performance was White Wedding. I'm more of a supporter at karaoke.
[00:11:33] Crystal Fincher: What show, what TV show do you like to binge?
[00:11:40] Jamie Fackler: We've really been liking Andor.
[00:11:43] Crystal Fincher: What's the first concert you ever attended?
[00:11:49] Jamie Fackler: Without my parents? With my parents, we saw Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn at the Whatcom County Fair. And then the most memorable was the Beastie Boys and Fishbone at Western Washington University. I feel like 1986, I think.
[00:12:05] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite Seattle sports moment?
[00:12:10] Jamie Fackler: Oh. Boy. Um... I'd have to say I think it was, you know, the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl. And really, it was the parade after that - that was like my favorite moment.
[00:12:29] Crystal Fincher: What's your comfort food?
[00:12:38] Jamie Fackler: Oh, it's going to be Ezell's fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy, I think.
[00:12:44] Crystal Fincher: Are you an early bird or a night owl?
[00:12:47] Jamie Fackler: I'm more of the night owl.
[00:12:48] Crystal Fincher: What's a hobby people wouldn't expect that you have?
[00:12:53] Jamie Fackler: Oh, um - birds. I enjoy bird watching - specifically, like birds of prey, falcons and hawks, and all that.
[00:13:07] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite neighborhood in District 2?
[00:13:11] Jamie Fackler: Oh, good question. Boy, I think the CID is probably one of my favorites.
[00:13:22] Crystal Fincher: Who's a Seattle-based artist or musician that you love?
[00:13:29] Jamie Fackler: Well, I think like, you know, there was like, Jimi Hendrix, right? That was the first one, right? That was the first, the first love - yeah.
[00:13:39] Crystal Fincher: What about people who are alive now?
[00:13:42] Jamie Fackler: Oh, that. That's a tough one. We're going to waffle - I mean, there's so much good local music, but, um, yeah.
[00:14:04] Crystal Fincher: All right, we'll stick with waffle.
[00:14:04] Jamie Fackler: I struggle with picking the favorites, so-
[00:14:06] Crystal Fincher: What's a book you wish more people read?
We can waffle.
[00:14:20] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, let's, let's - I'm just trying to think about what was some of the most influential stuff? I think like, as a kid, it was really, I was really, um - I read a lot like Herman Hesse, in kind of my, um, early...
[00:14:32] Crystal Fincher: All right, we're waffling. We gotta get through this.
[00:14:35] Jamie Fackler: Sorry, sorry.
[00:14:36] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite rainy day activity?
[00:14:43] Jamie Fackler: I think just curling up on the couch with the family, watching - watching shows. Yeah.
[00:14:49] Crystal Fincher: What's your favorite Sound Transit station name?
[00:14:51] Jamie Fackler: Well, I think my favorite one was University - the former University one.
[00:15:04] Crystal Fincher: All right. Have you voted in every general election in the past four years?
[00:15:09] Jamie Fackler: Yes, I have.
[00:15:10] Crystal Fincher: Every primary election in the past four years?
[00:15:13] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:15:14] Crystal Fincher: Have you made any political endorsements that you regret?
[00:15:20] Jamie Fackler: Um, no, I don't think so.
[00:15:25] Crystal Fincher: Have you made any political donations that you regret?
[00:15:31] Jamie Fackler: I feel like I probably gave Bob Ferguson too much money this year.
[00:15:34] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote for Bruce Harrell or Lorena González for Seattle Mayor?
[00:15:40] Jamie Fackler: Lorena González.
[00:15:42] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote for Ann Davison or Nicole Thomas Kennedy for City Attorney?
[00:15:47] Jamie Fackler: Nicole Thomas Kennedy.
[00:15:49] Crystal Fincher: Same year - Sara Nelson or Nikkita Oliver for City Council?
[00:15:53] Jamie Fackler: Nikkita Oliver.
[00:15:55] Crystal Fincher: In 2022, did you vote for Leesa Manion or Jim Ferrell for King County Prosecutor?
[00:16:01] Jamie Fackler: Leesa Manion.
[00:16:03] Crystal Fincher: In 2023, did you vote for Tammy Morales or Tanya Woo?
[00:16:07] Jamie Fackler: Tammy Morales.
[00:16:09] Crystal Fincher: In 2024, did you vote for Alexis Mercedes Rinck or Tanya Woo for City Council?
[00:16:14] Jamie Fackler: Alexis Mercedes Rinck.
[00:16:16] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote for Nick Brown or Pete Serrano for State Attorney General?
[00:16:20] Jamie Fackler: Nick Brown.
[00:16:22] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote for Bob Ferguson or Dave Reichert for Governor?
[00:16:25] Jamie Fackler: Bob Ferguson.
[00:16:27] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris for President?
[00:16:31] Jamie Fackler: Kamala Harris.
[00:16:32] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote to approve the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or AFIS levy, on this year's April 22nd ballot?
[00:16:40] Jamie Fackler: Well, now you got me, Crystal. I did not vote in that special election.
[00:16:45] Crystal Fincher: The one that we just had?
[00:16:46] Jamie Fackler: The one that we just had.
[00:16:47] Crystal Fincher: Okay. This year on Seattle's social housing initiative in February, did you vote for Option 1A, 1B, or neither?
[00:16:56] Jamie Fackler: 1A.
[00:16:56] Crystal Fincher: Will you be voting for Claudia Balducci, John Wilson, or Girmay Zahilay for County Executive?
[00:17:03] Jamie Fackler: Well, I think I'll be voting for Girmay.
[00:17:08] Crystal Fincher: Will you be voting to reauthorize the Democracy Voucher Program in the August election?
[00:17:12] Jamie Fackler: Absolutely.
[00:17:13] Crystal Fincher: Will you be voting to pass the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy renewal in the November election?
[00:17:19] Jamie Fackler: Yes.
[00:17:20] Crystal Fincher: Okay, well, that concludes our lightning round - a lengthier round than we're normally used to - but we'll keep it moving, we'll keep it moving.
Now we're going to shift into the heart of the convo with our open-ended questions. So to start, why are you running for City Council?
[00:17:39] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, thanks. So really, you know, when I look around the community, I see that neighbors are getting priced out - they're getting priced out of communities that they helped build. I see families that are holding on by a thread - rents keep climbing higher and wages are staying the same. And we see more folks sleeping on our streets. And then we've got luxury units in this community that are empty. I see a city government that still works just fine for the wealthy and the well-connected, while the rest of us are told to wait our turn. To me, this is a crisis of - it's not a crisis of resources, but it's a crisis of priorities. I'm a Seattleite - a guy who came up through the trades, I'm a union leader, a dad to a teenager, and a community organizer. And I've seen firsthand what happens when we fight for each other. And I really think that now is one of those times, and that's why I'm stepping up.
[00:18:34] Crystal Fincher: In recent campaigns, there's been a lot of talk about the importance of representation in District 2. What does representing the people of District 2 mean to you, and why do you think you're the right person to represent those people right now?
[00:18:50] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, that's a good question. You know, for me, it's about really kind of like, in union work and in organizing, it's about, you know, there's a lot of issue organizing that goes on, and that's stuff that's widely felt and deeply felt. You know, we have a lot of shared interests throughout this community - we do have a diverse community, very - the most diverse in the, in the state, and one of the most diverse legislative districts in the country. And so really, that's about understanding what is the, what are the broadest and deepest felt issues, and really advocating for those. And I bring some experience to that from union organizing and in that issue organizing. And I'll bring that approach of inclusiveness and collaboration to that.
[00:19:45] Crystal Fincher: Now, Seattle's facing a $244 million budget shortfall, and recent fixes have been one-time measures like diverting JumpStart funds - without addressing the structural problem that exists and that's driving that deficit. What specific long-term solutions would you support: new revenue, permanent cuts, or both - and what specifically?
[00:20:10] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, so, you know, we've stood up some Progressive Revenue Task Force and taken some steps in that direction - I think it's worth looking at that. It's worth looking and expanding JumpStart taxes. You know, Prop 1A is a excess compensation tax. You know, at the heart of it, I think, you know, Seattle has what's what is really, you know - it's just driving displacement and really making it hard for folks in this community is income inequality. And I think that should be a focus of our taxes in this city - that progressive, you know, revenue should be, should be addressing that. You know, so we'd look to, I'd look to, you know - there's, there's also the possibility, you know - some folks have floated the idea out there of a flat tax and then possibly some exemptions - you know, I think that's worth, worth looking at. But there has been a lot of work done on progressive revenue and be looking to expand on that and implement some of those.
[00:21:17] Crystal Fincher: Ahead of past major events like the Major League Baseball All Star Game, the city increased police presence and encampment sweeps, saying that was needed to create a more welcoming environment. But in places like the CID, that approach backfired - people stayed away, businesses suffered, and the promised benefits did not materialize. Experts say truly welcoming cities prioritize basics like bathrooms, seating, transit, and activating public spaces. With the World Cup coming, do you support the same approach? And if not, what should the city do differently to ensure District 2 actually benefits from the World Cup coming to Seattle?
[00:21:59] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, that was really disappointing to me - that we didn't see more support in the CID around that. There was a lot of activation that happened in Pioneer Square. There was activation that happened just at the north of the parking lots, you know - I think there - that, that that was really a missed opportunity. Because that's such a wonderful, wonderful neighborhood with amazing, amazing food and restaurants, and just a long history of culture in the community. So I would, you know, I would seek to have additional activation in those neighborhoods. You know, lack of public restroom facilities isn't just a problem during major events like this - I think generally, you know, we haven't prioritized restrooms adjacent to public transit and I think that's a real, real kind of failing in this city and state. You know, it became more apparent to me once I turned 50 and had to go to the bathroom all the time. But, you know, I think that - yeah, I think, again, I think really focusing on activating adjacent neighborhoods that have been underserved should be something that we look at and focus on.
[00:23:19] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. More generally, what can be done to help small businesses in Seattle?
[00:23:26] Jamie Fackler: Boy, that's a good question. I think, you know, we can look at stuff - I was talking to folks, some folks in restaurants, you know - there's a lot, there's a lot of taxes and regulation around liquor sales and I think that looking to simplify some of that stuff for businesses would be something that we could do. And that's going to be talking to the state about some of those priorities and cleaning up some of those liquor laws - so that it just makes the sale, the taxation, just less complicated for those folks. You know, again, you know, I think housing is such a key thing. You know, if there's stuff that we can do to provide more affordable - we really can, and we need to provide more affordable housing. But that, I think, can have a direct impact on small businesses, you know, holding on to maintaining employees, getting folks employed and living in community - you know, stable housing is such a key piece to that. Also, the childcare piece, too - that's on this Youth and Families levy, and I think even expanding on childcare options is something that can help working folks and alleviate some of the stress on the small businesses employees' flexibility. There's also transit issues, I think - you know, something - supporting or providing additional bus services or transportation later on in the evening for folks working in restaurants and bars so they're not so car dependent. You know, generally stuff that we can do to make it easier for folks to get to and from work, you know, would be another thing.
[00:25:27] Crystal Fincher: What are the top safety concerns in District 2 and how do you plan to address them?
[00:25:32] Jamie Fackler: Oh, well, you know, for us, I think, you know, what's going on at 12th and Jackson - I see is a real, real big issue and concern. Our son goes to school right around the corner there. You know, so what does that public safety look like? I think, first off, it's housing for those folks. I mean, I think, folks, you know, with, with, with folks that are addicted, you know, we need, we need to get their housing stabilized first and foremost - and then we can work on some of the harder issues that's related to that. I don't think that criminalizing drug addiction, criminalizing the addicts is really a healthy way to solve that problem. I think that we need to provide mental health services and treatment services to those folks. And we need to expand the CARE team again to help serve some of that stuff. You know, I think also expanding the CARE team so that they can respond to non-crises that don't require a gun, I think, is critical. I know that, you know, I have seen, you know, we had, I saw a burglary in progress in my neighborhood when we lived in Judkins Park and it took - and this was, yeah, this was over 10 years ago - and it took, you know, for a burglary in progress, it took 45 minutes for police to show up, right? And I think that that's the sort of stuff that folks want to see, right? If there's a, if there's a breaking entering, if there's a forced entry burglary, folks want the police to respond immediately, right? You know, domestic violence situations, right? You know, we need the police to respond immediately for that. And I think that - I think generally that's an expectation that folks have. If there's a real emergency that the police are going to show right up immediately. And, you know, I think that's something that we haven't seen. Or there's certainly a lot of anecdotes, anecdotal evidence that folks have that that isn't what's happening.
You know, there's also shootings. There's been some shootings near Columbia City - outside Columbia City in some housing developments there - and gang activity. And I know that's a real concern for folks. And to me, I think that we need to look to, and I think the, you know, the childcare levy is one piece that can help with some of that. You know, I think that we need to be looking at the upstream solution as to why kids are getting involved in drugs and gangs - and that's really about folks not feeling supported in community or in school. There's a lot of behavioral problems in school that's associated with learning differences - kids with ADHD are more predisposed to, untreated ADHD are more predisposed to self-medicate and become addicted to drugs. And then we also have a prison population, by estimates, that is 30% dyslexic. But we have folks and at Seattle Public Schools, would have to sue Seattle Public Schools to honor Individualized Education Plans. And so to me, that just tells me that, you know, really, what we're seeing on the streets is symptomatic of larger societal problems. And if you really want to stop this and solve this, we need to address those problems upstream and really create fully supportive communities in our public spaces - you know, in public schools - and really support kids where they're at and support families too. And I think those - working on that stuff is going to provide the long-term solutions to the crime and the drug addiction that we're seeing in this community. Well, I think that, you know, if we aren't investing in the future, we're really squandering our money.
[00:29:28] Crystal Fincher: The council has signaled that they want to weaken the existing surveillance ordinance, which aims to ensure that the public has the opportunity to weigh the costs and benefits of new surveillance technology before the city obtains it, particularly because of the disproportionate harms that marginalized communities have experienced from it, and because of the current concerns about the data being collected about people's habits, movements, political and religious activities, sexual orientations being weaponized by federal efforts under the current administration. Do you support any weakening of the current ordinance, and when do you think surveillance is appropriate?
[00:30:07] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, I think I do support the weakening of the ordinance for those reasons. I'd say those would be my big concerns - is around civil liberties and how that can be misused and manipulated by the federal government.
[00:30:23] Crystal Fincher: So clarification - you say you do support the weakening of the ordinance. The ordinance is upholding, has established a number of those civil liberties. So do you want those protections-
[00:30:32] Jamie Fackler: Oh, yeah, no, I'm sorry, no. No, I don't.
[00:30:34] Crystal Fincher: Okay, gotcha.
[00:30:35] Jamie Fackler: Yes, yeah. No, I don't support weakening it. I think that it's critical to maintain folks' civil liberties, certainly in this current national political climate.
[00:30:47] Crystal Fincher: Makes sense. When do you think surveillance is appropriate?
[00:30:54] Jamie Fackler: You know, I'd say surveillance - we're court ordered, you know, for - authorized by a judge for, you know, criminal investigations. I think that's an appropriate use of surveillance.
[00:31:07] Crystal Fincher: Is the current council approach of shifting funding from prevention to punishment and enforcement working to address the safety concerns in District 2? If not, what would you do differently?
[00:31:20] Jamie Fackler: I don't, I don't think that, I don't think that that's going to provide long-term solutions. I think that we really need to address - I think that, you know, criminal activity on the streets, drug addiction is a symptom of larger societal problems. And, you know, we need to address that first and foremost. And, and again, I think expanding the CARE team so that the folks - the police that we do have on the force can respond to critical criminal activities, you know, stuff where we need a badge and a gun. I think that's what we should be moving towards.
[00:32:04] Crystal Fincher: Despite a record high number of encampment sweeps involving police, homelessness is up 25% over the last two years - with many in District 2 lacking access to shelter, services, and affordable housing. There's also a shortage of shelter capacity - and there are nearly twice as many people needing beds as there are shelter beds. What isn't working and what will you do to reduce homelessness in District 2?
[00:32:32] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, so in the last two years, it's estimated that we spent $60 million on sweeps. In the last four years, I think we spent $120 million on sweeps. And it's gotten worse, and we've lost shelter beds - so that's not working. You know, that's squandering our money, really that's sweeping things under the rug. You know, what it's addressing is visible homelessness, and it's not solving the problem. I would take that money - you know, obviously, there's some stuff that needs to be cleaned up - but not $30 million a year worth of it. Imagine if that money was spent - if we spent $120 million on homeless shelters or on permanently affordable housing, what kind of situation we'd be in? Or, if we invested $30 million in mental health and treatment and addiction services, what kind of situation we'd be in? If the city would have invested $60 million in mental health and treatment services, what would that look like? That's the stuff that's going to solve the problem. And to me, that's really kind of indicative - that's partly why I'm running - is that we're wasting our money on treating the symptoms and not addressing the root causes, and it's wasting our money, right? And people are suffering as a result.
[00:33:52] Crystal Fincher: What's your opinion of the current draft of the Comprehensive Plan? And what potential changes would you prioritize?
[00:33:58] Jamie Fackler: Well, cue the sad trombones, right? I think - what a tremendous missed opportunity here. You know, this is, this is a 20-year planning document. I look to like the wonderful, beautiful, beloved cities of the world, like Paris, you know, and you have mid-rise around parks and transportation. And I think, you know, Seattle has these real gems of parks, and we aren't seeing, we aren't seeing that. We aren't seeing the mid-rise around that. We see places like Fort Lawton, right - that could be an amazing mid-rise development in a beautiful park setting, but it's currently, for the most part, surrounded by single-family residents. That's the sort of place - around parks, transportation, and schools - where we need to see mid-rise and larger buildings, right, where people want to be. And, you know, it's - in District 2, we've got, you know, Othello and Columbia City stations mid-rise right on MLK, where we really have unsafe conditions for pedestrians with the trains and the vehicles and real issues. And so I think what we're seeing there is representative of really poor urban planning. And I see that this current Comprehensive Plan is more of the same there, and I'm disappointed, so -
[00:35:32] Crystal Fincher: And so which specific changes would you prioritize?
[00:35:36] Jamie Fackler: I would like to see more increases in the mid-rise around parks, transportation, and schools.
[00:35:43] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. The City Council has signaled a willingness to weaken some renter protections, including some just cause eviction rules, rent increase notice periods, and others. Do you support any rollbacks to tenant protections? And what renter protections will you defend or expand in District 2?
[00:36:02] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, I don't support the rollback of, you know, tenant protections. I think - well, for me, living in the Central District during the last, the last recession, we saw a lot of folks lose their homes. And it feels like, you know, with this current federal administration, who knows what's going to be coming and how our economy is going to be impacted. It's the cheapest - the cheapest time to address homelessness is before people become homeless. You know, if folks are unable to stay in their homes, if - if our nonprofit or low-income housing providers are having issues with tenants, I think there's other stuff that we can look at to support these folks. But I think it's short-sighted to loosen tenant protections.
[00:37:01] Crystal Fincher: How will you ensure that the Social Housing Developer succeeds and complements existing affordable housing programs and policies in Seattle?
[00:37:09] Jamie Fackler: Yeah. So I think, you know, there's certainly some red tape that's slowing the implementation. So we'd advocate for that and advocate that they get fully funded from previous previous legislation. I'd like to see, you know, I'd like to see it expanded upon. I think that, you know, the Social Housing Developer is effectively a land trust. You know, to me, that's a real, I think a real key part of the solution to to housing affordability - is creating housing that's held in trust for community that's permanently affordable. You know, models like Habitat for Humanity and HomeSight and other stuff where, you know, where there's some ownership options - the stuff that we can look at. And I think there's also - taking a look at performance bonds to build affordable housing is something that should be examined seriously. Housing, arguably, is the greatest need. Affordable housing is the greatest need in this community. And as, again, I think we're facing what looks to be an economic downturn, investing in our community to build that affordable housing will pay huge dividends.
[00:38:26] Crystal Fincher: Life expectancy in parts of District 2, like Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley, are up to 10 years shorter than the life expectancy in other wealthier Seattle neighborhoods - largely due to air pollution. What would you do to address these health disparities and environmental injustices?
[00:38:50] Jamie Fackler: I think that we can... it's a good question, Crystal. Reduce - boy, reducing pollution on Interstate 5 is probably a key thing. I think - yeah, getting, encouraging more folks to use public transit is going to be a key part of that too. Getting, getting folks out of their cars - again, incentivizing public transit options - is going to be a real key piece to that. But, you know, I-5 runs the length and, you know, prevailing winds blow all that, all that exhaust and diesel fumes and everything else into Beacon Hill and D2. So, advocating for increased emission standards on the state level as part of our legislative priorities, I think, would be another key piece to that.
[00:39:49] Crystal Fincher: So given the need to mitigate the impacts of air pollution among major transportation corridors, how do you balance that with recent and planned development alongside those corridors?
[00:40:04] Jamie Fackler: Well, that's, yeah, again, this is, you know - developing along transportation corridors, I don't - really, we should all collectively, you know, I think City Council should all engage in playing SimCity in some urban planning and see what that looks like. I think a lot of our planning really creates these situations where we're having to deal with problems later on. You know, siting this housing along MLK, you know, again, you know, Othello, and that Columbia City creates real safety issues for pedestrians. So, you know, I think there's - yeah, anything that we can do to encourage folks to use more public transit is going to be probably our biggest key for reducing pollution and increasing lifespans of folks in our community.
[00:41:10] Crystal Fincher: What are your priorities for traffic safety in the district?
[00:41:15] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, so again, MLK, you know, we've got a real unsafe situation around the light rail stations. You know, we can look at light rail stations on the Eastside at-grade and there's protective barriers for cars and pedestrians. Even at-grade light rail crossings in SODO have guards that prevent cars from crossing the tracks while the trains are going. You know, why is that not in Rainier Valley? Why do we not have that at Othello, Rainier Beach, and Columbia City? That's something that we need to fix and protect the pedestrians - they are interacting with trains and also the cars as well. Metro or Sound Transit carries a budget to deal with maintenance from vehicle strikes in the Rainier Valley, so it's a known problem. And again, we're treating the symptoms and not treating the root cause of the problem.
[00:42:17] Crystal Fincher: What specifically can be done in your first year while in office, if you're elected, to make it safer to walk and bike in the district?
[00:42:28] Jamie Fackler: You know, there's been some stuff that, you know - we've seen SDOT act quickly on stuff. They just act real quickly, acted real quickly in Westlake Center in creating a bike lane. So they've demonstrated, SDOT's demonstrated that they can act swiftly to address safety issues. And I think that if we really want to get that Vision Zero - like the date's coming pretty soon - and so I'd be pushing SDOT in advocating for fast solutions for safety in places where our most dangerous streets are. So be looking at probably reducing lane on MLK by some measure - at the train stations, perhaps. I know that Seattle Greenways has been doing audits and I was out there with them - Rainier Valley Greenways - doing a, an audit of the Columbia City station. And so, you know, I, I'd be looking to, to the transportation folks as far as like - what the, what solutions can we implement right now that will reduce speeds, and, at those stations, and also make it faster for crossings and, and effectively safer for, for pedestrians. So there's, you know, there's some programming stuff, and there may be some other, you know, other potential - shifting of lanes, at least in those urban areas, so that we can slow some of the speeds down in those areas specifically.
[00:44:12] Crystal Fincher: How can the City Council better work with the multiple relevant agencies - like SDOT, Sound Transit, King County Metro - to improve accountability for reducing injuries and deaths from traffic violence on the streets?
[00:44:28] Jamie Fackler: Well, there's, you know, engineering is the most expensive, right? You know, there needs to be some re-engineering, again, of the light rail stations - you know, and that's a longer-term thing. There's education - so there's signage and other stuff that we can put out there to slow folks down. You know, so I think it's, you know, SDOT and, and Sound Transit really need to get together to solve those issues on MLK. And, you know, I'm not completely satisfied with what's happening on Rainier with the bus lanes and the current situation there, and I think that there should be some, some rejiggering of that as well. You know, we've got businesses on Rainier where parking's been removed, but we have a center turn lane that is used as like a high-speed passing lane by some scofflaws, right? And creating kind of a real dangerous situation. So I'd be looking to kind of, you know, work with Metro to shift some of those rapid transit lines, at least in kind of the bright area on Rainier. Reintroduce some parking at those businesses and eliminate that center trend lane that doesn't seem to get utilized by folks, other than folks passing at a high rate of speed.
[00:46:09] Crystal Fincher: How important are road closures and pedestrian activations to reducing traffic violence?
[00:46:20] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, I think, yeah, that can be helpful. You know, some side neighborhoods and other stuff - I think that you look at like North Capitol Hill, and they've got like partial road closures around areas. You know, they're closing down Pike Place Market for a brief period of time here in the summer, while there's some utility work happening. You know, also closing some, you know, reducing some streets' access to MLK might be helpful - reduce some of that.
[00:47:04] Crystal Fincher: Do you support weakening Seattle Ethics Code for city councilmembers on conflict of interest and recusals due to conflict?
[00:47:12] Jamie Fackler: No, I don't.
[00:47:13] Crystal Fincher: What changes would you support to the ethics code to improve transparency?
[00:47:19] Jamie Fackler: You know, it's interesting. I don't think folks are disclosing what they're holding in stocks, specifically - you know, like our councilmembers holding tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Amazon stocks, or Microsoft stocks, or Google stocks. I think that's worth knowing, like, where folks' money is specifically, like in specific funds, as they're voting on things. I think that I would advocate for more transparency and-
[00:47:50] Crystal Fincher: How do you plan to mitigate federal attacks on civil rights, particularly those targeting trans people and immigrants?
[00:47:57] Jamie Fackler: Oh gosh. Yeah, this is really just a terrifying thing that we're in the midst of right now - that we would have to think about this. I think that surveillance is a key thing. I think that - like to me, just some recent news, you know, there was, you know, some trans folks that were being harassed by police at Denny Blaine Park, you know, because wealthy landowners are upset that they live next to a nude beach that's been a nude beach for decades. You know, so I think that, you know, we're seeing the police there and enforcing, you know, what is a wealthy homeowner's agenda in that neighborhood that's targeting, you know, historically marginalized community in a public space that has historically been theirs, you know, is something that I would say is inappropriate. You know, an inappropriate solution to that - what's going on, right? You know, and so, you know, I would say that, you know, surveillance also plays a role in this, too. And I've got real concerns about our surveillance and how that's going to be misused. It...
[00:49:14] Crystal Fincher: As you know, we ask candidates to submit questions for other candidates. Getting a chance to ask a specific question directly of another candidate - we offer that - and other candidates submitted questions for you. First question we have is: What's your opinion about potential changes to the City's ethics rules for elected officials, as reported in media? And what potential conflicts do you have that voters should be aware of?
[00:49:41] Jamie Fackler: Oh, yeah, I don't support a rollback of city ethics, right? You know, my wife and I own a rental property - a home that we purchased over 20 years ago when I was working as a carpenter and she was working as an administrative assistant. And then her father passed and we purchased another home - wanted to get some more room for our family and closer to some other friends. And we rent that out and we, you know, we take a loss on it. You know, we rent it below market rate and just, you know, trying to keep the mortgage and the taxes paid on it. And so that's, you know, that's a potential conflict for us.
[00:50:32] Crystal Fincher: Okay. You say you're taking a loss on that property?
[00:50:35] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, we've taken a loss on it. I think that, you know, we saw property taxes go up like 40% during the pandemic. You know, and year on year, we really tried to avoid raising the rent on it. And, you know, just with the property taxes going up that much, we had to raise the rent, but it was, you know, we held off as long as we could. And so there were a couple of years where we took some losses on it. We had the rising property taxes.
[00:51:13] Crystal Fincher: The next question that was submitted: Do you believe that small landlords should be subject to different standards than large landlords? And if so, why?
[00:51:24] Jamie Fackler: That's an interesting question. I suppose it's important to hold everyone to the same standard. You know, I think that, you know, small landlords, you know, there can be good actors and bad actors in small landlords and large landlords, right? And corporations and individuals. You know, I think that we - yeah. But I think it's fair that everyone is held to the same standard.
[00:51:51] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Now we're going back to our regular Hacks & Wonks questions. We are done with the candidate-submitted questions. So I think you said you have a background in labor. Do you agree with the Seattle Police Officers Guild being expelled from the Martin Luther King County Labor Council?
[00:52:13] Jamie Fackler: Well, I wasn't, I wasn't involved in MLK Labor at that point, or really, you know, that, that involved with, with my union at that point, either. I think it's important that, that labor stands together, but it's also, it's also important that we hold some fundamental and fundamental things, right? And that's about inclusivity and supporting people and pushing back against, you know, historic harms and, and other things. You know, and the, the Police Officers Guild has a, and the, and the police and the role that they play as - is, is different than a lot of other labor... And, you know, I think in part, I think that, the Police Officers Guild, I think, needs to hold themselves and their members to a standard. And, you know, I think they really hold the line for each other, kind of to the detriment of their overall good, right? And I think if there's bad actors, they should be - that stuff should be addressed and the police should be, you know, in that regard, and the union should be self-policing to that extent and working with members to, to improve the, you know, their outcomes. And, you know, I think that, you know, that's, that's been a - I don't think that SPOG's really demonstrated that, certainly in that time period. So there's, you know, there's a lot of, there's a lot of harm that's been done in community by police, historically, that, I think, in the role that they've played, that, you know, there's, you know - I think Saka talked about that it was like a truth and reconciliation, but there really was no truth and reconciliation around this stuff. And around, you know, how the police were behaving in community.
[00:54:18] Crystal Fincher: So would you say that MLK Labor was right to expel SPOG?
[00:54:23] Jamie Fackler: I think at the time, I think it probably was fair to do that. But, I mean, that said, it's, it's, you know, we also, you know... I'd say at the time, if I was faced with that same decision, I probably would have voted the same way, right? If I was in there at that time.
[00:54:40] Crystal Fincher: You say "at the time" - would you feel differently right now?
[00:54:44] Jamie Fackler: I think Seattle Police have made a lot of improvements, right? But it certainly feels like there's still room for improvement, right? We don't have the accountability measures, right? You know, took a while, I think, you know... we don't have current accountability measures. But that's the city's contract with SPOG. And I think that the current union president of SPOG is out there and it's kind of some inflammatory stuff, right - that's going on, you know, with how he's behaving in the, in kind of the public space. And I would expect from an agency, you know, that's responsible and has the ability to basically strip people of their civil rights completely, right - and their fundamental rights - that there would be some, there'd be some more compassion and kind of professionalism around that. Would be my expectation.
[00:55:57] Crystal Fincher: And so you say - if the vote were held today, you would want to keep them in the Labor Council?
[00:56:03] Jamie Fackler: Oh gosh, I'd want to understand what their commitment is - SPOG - to some shared values around changing, you know, and addressing historic harms. You know, and what that commitment would look like, right? And for me, that would be - that would be what I'd want to see, right? Is how committed are you to changing the approach and honoring people's civil rights and civil liberties?
[00:56:32] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha.
[00:56:33] Jamie Fackler: And that would be - do you align with the shared values of MLK Labor, right? You know, which is like a pledge that we have to take to be, you know, part of when you're sworn in as a member, right? You know, are you going to uphold that?
[00:56:50] Crystal Fincher: So as we are closing this interview now - final question. A lot of voters are trying to figure out the difference between all the candidates, as they try and figure out who they're going to vote for. How do you describe to voters what the difference is between you and the other candidates? And why do you tell them that they should vote for you?
[00:57:12] Jamie Fackler: Yeah, so - thanks. So when corporate PACs spent $13 per vote trying to buy District 2 City Council seat in 2023, I voted against them and helped Tammy win re-election. When Amazon spent $1.5 million on the City Council in 2019, I showed up and voted against the Chamber of Commerce candidate. When Amazon and the Chamber spent $800,000 against the Social Housing Prop 1A payroll tax, I helped organizations like MLK Labor and the 37th Democrats get that passed. When House our Neighbors brought 135 to the voters to create the social housing developer, I showed up and voted for that. No other candidate in this race has done that. So for me, you know, I'm going to fight for working families of southeast Seattle. I'm going to bring union organizing and shop steward mentality to the City Council and the fight to protect folks - whether that's around discrimination or federal, you know, improprieties coming from the federal government - and stand with folks to make this a more affordable city. And for me, that's really what it's about. It's about making this place affordable.
[00:58:28] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha. Well, thank you so much for spending the time with us today - for sharing such a wide variety of your opinions, positions, and your vision for the city. And just really appreciate you being accountable to the voters of Seattle.
[00:58:43] Jamie Fackler: Thank you.
[00:58:44] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much.
Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Bluesky @HacksAndWonks. You can find me on Bluesky at @finchfrii - that's F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. 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.
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