Why I’m Running:
Houselessness – The main concern I hear from residents and for very good reason is houselessness, namely its accompanying effects. It is the number one issue facing Lacey and Olympia residents, and to a lesser degree, Tumwater and Yelm. The current strategy of round them up, move them along, “not my problem”, or incarcerating them has proven ineffective time and again. The problem continues to grow and mount.
An ignored problem only grows worse with time. We need to address this issue head on! As a community with a civic mindedness, compassion, and thoughtfulness. The houseless are members of our community. Many of whom have suffer significant medical, mental health, or substance abuse problems. Studies by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Institute for Health, and Washington State Department of Social and Health Services demonstrate the benefits of that providing housing confers. Benefits such as lowering ER visits by 80%, reducing the number of days spent incarcerated by 130%, reducing the probability of committing a crime by 80%, and increasing the probability of reported employment by 24%. Cost benefit analysis shows that these preventive measures have significant affects to city budgets allowing money and services to be better funded by the reduction in the aforementioned.
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Environmentally thoughtful sustainable growth plan and management – Lacey is the model city of small town Americana. It is now the largest city in Thurston County by population. Over the past two decades Lacey has become a diverse vibrant community comprised of people from all walks of life. We are located between the largest military installation on the west coast of the US, the capital of the state, and along the I5 corridor. Growth is happening, some residents may not like to acknowledge this but it is inevitable.
Our children, service members, and members of this community deserve to live in a city which values environmental stewardship and sustainable growth. Lacey deserves leadership which thinks ahead not to the next election cycle but 20 to 40 years in the future. A government that values greenspace, community meeting areas, and promotes a high quality of life.
Lacey’s Urban Growth Area currently has approximately 30,000-35,000 additional residents which represents an additional 50% of the current population. Infrastructure isn’t a pretty topic but it is an essential one.
Regionalized approach to tackling problems:
Borders are porous, our problems don’t stop at city lines. Our solutions need to flow through and over those borders with greater efficiency than the problems. We need to work with local city and district officials to create comprehensive and robust solutions to pool resources.