Eddie Lin, an assistant legal professional within the Seattle Metropolis Legal professional’s Workplace (CAO), is working for District 2’s Metropolis Council seat. Final month, Lin utilized for the interim place, however was not chosen within the course of. As a substitute, the council appointed Mark Solomon, who has said that he won’t search re-election and is simply filling the seat in a “caretaker” function.
Lin by no means supposed to heat the D2 seat; he needed to be D2’s metropolis councilman. He additionally, possible, by no means had a shot on the appointment from this council of massive enterprise sycophants.
Lin, who primarily works with the Workplace of Housing in his function with the CAO, is a champion of reasonably priced housing, progressive income, and making a metropolis the place “artists and bike messengers and baristas and educators can all afford to stay right here.” He additionally proudly embraces being an enormous “spouse man.” His spouse, Jennifer, a lifelong educator and chief of academics unions, has impressed him to comply with in her footsteps in preventing for his group and public schooling, he defined.
Affordability
Again within the late Nineteen Nineties, Lin moved to Seattle from Minnesota together with his then-girlfriend, now-wife. Put up commencement, she was working with AmeriCorps, educating a studying program that paid $700 a month. He hadn’t managed to complete faculty. As a substitute, he took up odd jobs across the metropolis. He labored as a motorbike messenger for years. Later, he manned the counter at a French bakery within the College District and the humanities part within the College Bookstore.
“It wasn’t simple, however we have been capable of afford to stay right here,” Lin mentioned. “I don’t assume at the moment 22-year-old me and my spouse would have the ability to transfer out right here and make ends meet.”
Lin fears a Seattle smoothed over by wealth.
“All of the quirky little teams,” Lin mentioned (he sucked as much as me and cited my column about native subcultures, which I didn’t hate), “all these totally different cultures, the Seattle I moved right here to be part of—that’s getting pushed out.”
Making Seattle reasonably priced for every type of individuals, based on Lin, begins with addressing financial inequality and housing.
Lin sees financial inequality as the basis explanation for disenfranchisement regionally and nationally. He helps current progressive income methods and new ones to proper these wrongs.
He is supportive of the Jumpstart payroll tax, the one Mayor Bruce Harrell raided to fill finances holes. Although, Lin would not thoughts utilizing Jumpstart to pay for important providers. As a substitute of choosing and selecting the place the cash goes, Lin says he’d assist growing the tax.
Moreover, he is in favor of a neighborhood capital positive aspects tax. He’d additionally look right into a emptiness tax on houses if want be.
To do any of that, Lin will want allies on a really average, and allegedly poisonous, council.
“I’d hope the opposite elected officers studying into what occurred with the capital positive aspects tax and now social housing notice that that is what the general public helps,” he mentioned, referring to how voters accredited each measures. “It’s essential get on board so we are able to fund our social providers.”
Housing
Certainly one of Lin’s greatest points with Bruce Harrell’s One Seattle Complete Plan is it would not “go far sufficient with density and provide,” he mentioned.
“We’d like housing of every kind: market charge, reasonably priced housing, social housing,” Lin mentioned. “We have to have it all through the town and we want provide and density. We will’t have this suburban way of life within the metropolis.”
Nevertheless, not all of that density can occur in District 2.
“We won’t simply have all of it in D2,” he mentioned. “It must be north of ship Ship Canal.”
Though the great plan will possible be finalized earlier than his potential election, Lin believes his information of the method would make him worthwhile in its implementation.
“I’ve a giant image understanding of how our housing and taxes work,” he mentioned, referring to property taxes, multifamily tax exemptions, the housing levy, and so forth, “and whether or not they’re working.”
Lin additionally needs to extend residence possession for communities of colour.
“We are saying Black Lives Matter, however our Black group is getting economically displaced and pushed out of Seattle,” he mentioned.
He mentioned he would work with the Black Legacy Owners to assist enhance residence possession. Lin mentioned he would work with group members to assist them perceive how they might make the most of upzone legal guidelines of their neighborhood, like how Councilmember Pleasure Hollingsworth’s grandmother transformed her home right into a triplex.
Public security
Lin believes chipping away at wealth inequality will enhance public security. Since fixing the tax code is a good distance down the highway, Lin additionally helps including extra cops to the Seattle Police Division (SPD).
“I do assume we want extra cops,” Lin mentioned.
Nevertheless, he needs the police power to be extra various. He’s supportive of SPD’s “30×30” program aimed toward having 30% of latest police recruits establish as ladies by 2030. He needs to extend Seattle’s non-emergency response staff, the CARES Crew , too. Although, because it stands now—until a brand new invoice sponsored by Rep. Shaun Scott makes it by the legislature—the CARE staff is capped due to the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).
“It is unlucky that we weren’t capable of get any accountability or adjustments as a part of this final contract,” he mentioned.
Lin, who has spent his maturity championing unions largely due to his spouse, mentioned he would not assume SPOG actually counts as a typical union.
“That is opposite to most labor union values that I maintain since normally I take an expansive view of bargaining,” he mentioned. “However in relation to police, they’re in a singular scenario.”
If it got here to it, Lin could be inclined to foyer the legislature and modify SPOG’s bargaining capability.
“Accountability isn’t what you cut price over,” he mentioned.
Fast hits
As a metropolis legal professional, Lin largely stayed out of native politics. He centered his power on advocating for public faculties and funding as a result of it was a giant a part of his life as a husband to an educator, and a father to youngsters in public faculty. If elected, he needs to work on the town’s “lack of coordination and lack of planning” with Seattle Public Colleges round enrollment planning. Moreover, Lin will work on packages that assist D2 youth corresponding to working with native organizations to cut back youth gun violence and serving to join younger folks with jobs.
On transit, Lin (a lightweight rail rider and a generally route 36 bus rider) mentioned he’ll facet with the Chinatown group over the new gentle rail extension station shit present . In keeping with what he is heard from these stakeholders, meaning going for the 4th Avenue location. Urbanists agree that is the very best of Sound Transit’s modified station location choices .
Again to Lin
Ultimately, Lin accomplished his faculty diploma and spent 5 years working as a secretary at two regulation companies in Oakland, California.
Throughout that point, his spouse was main her union, Oakland’s faculties have been going through large deficits, and the companies he labored for have been dealing with circumstances on livable wages and voting rights.
“I began seeing these patterns of the place our authorities was failing and why it was essential for our group to have data and information,” he mentioned. “That is after I utilized to regulation faculty.”
That is why he is working for workplace now within the midst of a Trump presidency that is feeling an terrible lot like the beginning of an authoritarian regime.
“So lots of our neighbors are in a particularly precarious place,” Lin mentioned. “What am I doing in my life that’s extra essential than defending our group from happening? My expertise and information is a method that I might be of service.”
