Six candidates at Seattle District 2 forum stress public safety, housing and transit fixes

A public forum hosted by Seattle City Club and Rainier Avenue Radio drew five of six applicants for the vacant Seattle City Council District 2 seat to Columbia City on Sunday for more than two hours of statements, questions and audience comments about public safety, housing, transit and small-business concerns.

The council vacancy opened when Councilmember Tammy Morales resigned effective Jan. 6; under the city charter the City Council had a 20-calendar-day window that began Jan. 7, 2025, to appoint a replacement who will serve until the 2025 general election results are certified by King County Elections. Candidates at the event emphasized that the appointee must be responsive to neighborhood needs during that interim and beyond.

The forum’s most frequent topic was public safety. Adonis Duxworth, who said he works in the mayor’s office as a transportation advisor, told the room, “Number 1, we’re gonna address the state of emergency that is happening at Twelfth and Jackson,” and proposed recruiting fairs and outreach to bring officers who reflect the neighborhood into District 2. Several candidates said they would press for more police presence where shootings and burglaries have risen, while also calling for…