I’m running for City Council because of my life experience. I grew up in poverty and moved a lot. My father struggled with alcoholism basically until the end of his life and I struggled with substance abuse earlier in my life. I found sobriety because I was able to pursue alternatives to court ordered faith based 12 step treatment and managed to get counseling through the ACA.
As part of that journey and the Bernie 2016 campaign I got interested in politics. My dad was a union carpenter, so I saw the difference a union job made to provide what stability we did have.
So, with that I started volunteering with Working Washington on Ban the Box legislation, adjustment to overtime exemptions for salary workers, home care aid protections and pay legislation, gig worker classification and most recently, Raise the Wage Renton. Through that experience we would repeatedly run into electeds that would oppose because now was not the time. That is when I started to understand what Bernie meant by political revolution. It didn’t mean social media posts and making fun of people because of their political opinions. It was empowering working people to stand up and understand their power. To get involved in politics to dismantle systems that oppress and build systems that support and set a floor for basic needs for everybody.
As we saw throughout the Raise the Wage Renton campaign that the majority on the council were not willing to stand up for working people and now with the miscalculation of the inflation increase is just another attempt to delay help to people struggling to survive by an administration that wants to be a concierge to business and a hindrance to the workers of Renton. This is what has inspired me to run for Renton City Council and be the voice at the table to try and make forms less complicated, supports more available, and Renton a city that serves everyone.
I believe we are at a crossroads on public safety. I believe the war on drugs has failed. With the passage of the Crisis Care Centers, Missing Middle Bill, the State Budget, and the IRA we have an opportunity to try a different path. Even with the results of the recent election there are still tools available to solve the problems we face as a city and a region. We can expand treatment options and build housing to serve people in need and start addressing the issues with compassion — and we need council members that will fight for that path.
In addition to serving as a shop steward in my union SEIU 925, I am also an active member of the south King County branch of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). I also served on the board of Raise The Wage Renton, helping to lead that ballot initiative to a successful conclusion with a 58% approval in the February 2024 special election.
My name is Michael Westgaard and that is my theory of power, and I would love your vote.