The Wedgwood Community Council reached out to all Seattle City Council District 4 candidates prior to the primary election and again ahead of the upcoming general election on Tuesday, November 7th. The WCC offered to post content from each candidate here on our website and in upcoming e-newsletters to help inform our neighbors prior to an upcoming debate on Thursday, October 12th at UW (to be aired by King5), and casting their ballot. The following content has been provided by Maritza Rivera, candidate for District 4. This is not intended to reflect an endorsement by the WCC. To read the election feature provided by Seattle City Council District 4 candidate, Ron Davis, click here. Note: Martiza Rivera has provided a response to claims in Ron Davis’s feature, which we have included below her original statement.
I am running for City Council to bring the urgency, skillset, and focus that is needed to improve public safety and ensure every Seattle neighborhood is safe and vibrant.
Public safety is my top priority and the reason I decided to run for office after waiting and worrying outside of Ingraham High School for my daughters to come out of lock down after a student was shot and killed inside the school. Safety is also the number one concern I hear from voters when I knock on doors across the neighborhoods. D4 residents are concerned about home and car break-ins and increased crime. We must address 911 response times; get our unhoused off the streets and into shelter; shut down open air drug markets; and address gun violence and the increased shootings and hate crimes across the city.
The current Council’s action to defund the police in 2020 was a huge mistake. It resulted in increased challenges to public safety in the D4 and across Seattle. We must fully fund staffing for SPD, achieve 5-minute response times for priority one calls, and invest in alternatives to policing where an armed officer is not best suited to address the situation, including mental health crises or overdoses.
Maritza has been endorsed by Mayor Harrell, Councilmember Sara Nelson, the Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the Seattle Times, former Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, Neighborhood for Smart Streets, and the Seattle Building Trades, one of the largest labor unions in Puget Sound.
She would like to provide a counter to the false claims that Ron Davis has made against her in his statement.
While Ron says hiring the police we need at the Seattle Police Department is a “fantasy,” Maritza has supported the Mayor’s plan to hire the officers we need from day one. As opposed to Ron.
Maritza supported the Drug Possession law from day one. As opposed to Ron.
Maritza also believes that drug dealers need to be prosecuted, as opposed to Ron. He may have taken down the tweet, but here is the screenshot so we know where he really stands.
Maritza believes taxpayers deserve to know that programs deliver intended results. Davis mocks Maritza’s call for accountability, lying that she intends to cut $200M from the budget.
Maritza has – from day one – stated her support for tiny home villages, which is one of the reasons why the Fire Fighters endorsed her.
Maritza’s campaign was financed ONLY by voters who believe in her experience, qualifications, and ability to do the job. By law, campaigns cannot have anything to do with outside groups supporting them – just as Ron has had outside groups supporting his campaign.
Maritza was never “reprimanded” by the Democratic Party.
Maritza is the best candidate to bring people together to solve Seattle’s most pressing problems – public safety, homelessness and affordability.