By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Last Tuesday’s election reflected the differences between young and old, companies and workers, and progressives and moderates. The result was dramatic, showing the victory of the moderates and the misjudgment of the progressives.
Flyers of Bruce Harrell’s campaign are mailed to voters (Photo: Assunta Ng)
Opinion polls show that three business-backed candidates will win: Mayor Bruce Harrell, City Attorney Ann Davidson and City Council’s Sara Nelson. But no one predicted that Harrell would win 59% of the big wins. Few people can imagine that both Davidson and Nelson will win and win with a huge lead because their opponents have already made a lot of noise.
Although the Democrats accuse Davidson of being a Republican, not a Democrat, the candidate campaigns on public safety issues and opposes the withdrawal of the police, let alone ideology. Although it was a national trend for many voters to switch to the Republican Party in the last election, it may not be correct for Asian American voters.
Former Uwa Shimaya chairman Tomio Moriguchi, who supported Harrell, said without naming Harrell’s opponents, “The other party is crazy” and talked about “withdrawing from the police and encouraging lawless destruction of the city”.
Ling Chinn, the owner of Chinatown, was quick to point out that in addition to three consecutive victories, there was another victory in the Seattle election.
Flyers and a pack of cherries mailed by the campaign team to voters by Lorena Gonzalez
(Photo: Assunta Ng)
“We got rid of that woman (Gonzalez). She always makes trouble. Business is not the enemy.” Gonzalez gave up her seat in the city council to run for mayor, saying that she represents workers. Her campaign was funded by the union. For nearly $1 million to purchase a vicious attack advertisement against Harrell and withdraw her views on the cancellation of police funds, Gonzalez’s poor performance exposed her weakness as a candidate. She confuses sexual abuse with other issues, confusing voters about the real challenge Seattle faces. Her method angered companies and entire communities. It also exposed the union’s miscalculations of the candidates’ strengths and choices and winning strategies.
Progressives have miscalculated in several ways. First, most voters were not fooled by the misleading and racist advertisements directed at Harrell. These advertisements were counterproductive due to “racism” and forced Gonzalez to remove the advertisements. She underestimated the wisdom of voters who are more concerned about turning the city around. She believes that leadership is important and that divided politics has no place.
Gonzalez’s divisive style is to make workers oppose the business world, especially large companies. She has repeatedly stated that it will levy taxes on Amazon. Chinn said that companies provide jobs and income to the community.
“Imagine if there is no business in Chinatown, we will have no jobs, and without money, we will not be able to prosper.”
Unlike Gonzalez’s approach to Amazon, Harrell’s goal is to find a solution together. When meeting with members of the Asian community, Harrell said that Amazon has made billions of dollars in New York City and it has a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of New York City, which means that he will not let Amazon fail to do this. And get out of trouble. share. He will give them a chance first, instead of directly attacking and insulting them like many city council members. This reminds me of a Chinese proverb, “The gentleman first, the villainous”, if it fails.
Harrell supporter and entrepreneur Tony Au, together with other Chinese Americans, organized more than eight fundraising events for eight different candidates, from Bellevue to Seattle, from Renton to Brien. They are Moderates, most importantly, do not oppose the police.
“I learned to support candidates with the right policies. Participating in the political process helps communities fight for their rights and have a voice. All political participation creates opportunities to unite Chinese communities from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or mainland China. Then connect the entire AAPI community, our family, and we work together to choose the right leader for the city. Democracy means our right to choose.”
Rosa Melendez, a retiree who is ecstatic, relieved and excited for the citizens of Seattle, voted for “the principles and justice that Harrell represents. I know he wants to increase law enforcement and social services to complement each other.” “
Melendez also voted for Davidson and Nelson.
“Being a Latino does not mean that I have to vote for another Latino (Gonzalez). I vote for principles that fit the society.”
At the South Seattle community meeting, Chinn said she could understand Harrell’s comments that not all city council members represent the city. Seven of the nine council members represent a specific area, while the entire city has only two members. Each of these seven members should pay attention to the needs and interests of their own region.
A typical example is Kshama Sawant, a member of the 3rd district. Her voters complained that she did not respond to her district. People would call her to ask questions, but she never answered the phone.
Why progressives won’t support Harrell
A progressive organization, the Asia Pacific American Equality Alliance (APACE), supports Gonzalez. Rick Polintan, a board member of the endorsement committee, said that the question about Harrell’s role in defending former mayor Ed Murray was not good. He was serving on the city council. He was accused of sexual abuse during the chairmanship. APACE supports Gonzalez, who is the first board member to ask Murray to resign.
Stephen King, chairman of the 37th district of the Diversified Democratic Party, said that even if Harrell lives nearby, it does not support anyone. Contrary to the view that progressives tend to be younger, King said that most members of his area are in their 50s. But Gonzalez only supported it by one vote.
King said he voted for Gonzalez because when the mayor and council agree, they will work together to get the job done. But if the mayor and the council disagree, it will be the same as before and fight for another four years.
These legislative districts have more. An older voter who asked not to be named said he was dissatisfied with the people running the endorsement process.
“They control everything.” So he left. He believes that his revenge will be an option to vote against young people.
In the past, older Asian leaders were tolerant, often encouraging and guiding young people to participate in politics. Young people do not work with different groups of people, but think they are in a leading position by excluding those who disagree with them.
Counterattack
When Harrell met with voters deprived of their citizenship, he said: “Let us take back our city with your help.” Many Asian Americans resonated with his views. They felt that the city was being besieged by one-sided radicals.
Another business owner, Wu Xiaoyan, supported all three moderate candidates in the Seattle campaign by donating to the campaign and organizing fundraising activities for them. She and her friends advertised these candidates in the Seattle Chinese Post to educate Chinese immigrant voters. She then emailed the advertisement to her 2,000-person circle. City prosecutor candidate Nicole Thomas-Kennedy advocated not to imprison people who committed misdemeanors, which angered Wu and said: “There is no excuse for poverty crimes. Candidates encourage people to steal. She has no standards. , No brain.”
Sara Nelson’s small flyer and Nikkita Oliver’s much larger flyer (Photo: Assunta Ng)
This is the first time that she and her friends have worked tirelessly for these candidates, even if some of them are not Asian.
“I hate to see our city’s ethical standards decline. If the Seattle City Council uses common sense to manage the city, none of these downtown and community businesses will be shut down because of shoplifting and homeless camps nearby. “
lesson
Last week’s election was a referendum on what candidates should do to win. The conclusion is that no candidate can win with a one-sided agenda.
This is also a reflection of the current city council members, who turned a deaf ear to opposition.
The City Council proposed on November 9 that, with the opposition of Mayor Jenny Durkan (Jenny Durkan), a reduction of $11 million from the police station.
Harrell, the elected mayor, also opposed. He said in a statement: “The City Council needs to listen to voters’ desire to invest in public safety immediately and reverse the proposed $10 million reduction in the SPD budget. Proposed further reductions will deprive New York City of achieving national best-practice staffing levels and shortening The response time and the resources needed to hire and train much-needed officials-this directly conflicts with the demands of Seattle voters last week.”
An insider in the city hall who asked not to be named described the city council as “isolated.”
“They just want to listen to the people they want to hear-just a small group of people-laborers and young people. This is how they make decisions. They don’t back down. This perception is wrong. They don’t publicize. Their policies. This is their downfall.”
Don’t wait for the re-election of some board members in 2023. It’s time to recruit fresh blood to fight against those who don’t listen to voters.
Assunta can be reached assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
