"Mayor Wilson's clothes were purchased at Goodwill. One thousand Seattleites crowded into City Hall, hundreds of whom had never thought of it as their home. Along with me, Katie invited three speakers who presented a mosaic of hope: a Somali American graduate student, a formerly homeless man, and an elder who reminded us over and over again to be courageous and not content."
"Katie's victory was won by the precariat: renters, transit riders, and democratic socialists who rallied around Katie, rang doorbells for her, created dominant social media, and registered new voters. These are not the recognized power brokers of Seattle, but Katie's win shows they can mobilize and inspire the grassroots to elect a mayor who embraces working-class values and policy that will enable residents to thrive-including affordable childcare, transit, and housing."
"Now the challenge Katie faces is to universalize childcare and social housing. In previous decades, progressives have tried to create progress with incremental victories in an overwhelmingly powerful corporate context. I know this work firsthand as a longtime advocate for progressive economic policy. I've seen the pitfalls of this approach. It is time for fundamental, systemic, and universal progress for Seattle. Katie can bring it."
Seattle elected Katie Wilson as mayor through a grassroots coalition of renters, transit riders, and democratic socialists. Approximately one thousand people packed City Hall for an inauguration that emphasized authenticity and working-class values; Mayor Wilson wore clothes purchased at Goodwill and invited three community speakers, including a Somali American graduate student, a formerly homeless man, and an elder urging courage. Pauline Van Senus, a low-income transit rider and community bus-stop cleaner, administered the oath. The campaign mobilized door-knocking, social media, and voter registration. The administration faces the task of expanding universal childcare and social housing and pursuing systemic, universal progressive reforms.
#seattle-mayoral-election #democratic-socialism #grassroots-organizing #affordable-childcare-and-housing
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