Socialist Elected to Seattle City Council
Economics professor and Occupy Wall Street activist Kshama Sawant ousted 16-year incumbent Democrat Richard Conlin in the final days of vote tallying on a platform in favor of a $15 minimum wage, rent control and increased taxes on millionaires.
Economics professor and Occupy Wall Street activist Kshama Sawant ousted 16-year incumbent Democrat Richard Conlin in the final days of vote tallying on a platform in favor of a $15 minimum wage, rent control and increased taxes on millionaires.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…The Associated Press via The Huffington Post:
Sawant, a 41-year-old college economics professor, first drew attention as part of local Occupy Wall Street protests that included taking over a downtown park and a junior college campus in late 2011. She then ran for legislative office in 2012, challenging the powerful speaker of the state House, a Democrat. She was easily defeated.
This year, though, she pushed a platform that resonated with the city. She backed efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15; called for rent control in the city where rental prices keep climbing; and supports a tax on millionaires to help fund a public transit system and other services.
“I will reach out to the people who supported Richard Conlin, working with everyone in Seattle to fight for a minimum wage of $15 (an) hour, affordable housing, and the needs of ordinary people,” Sawant said in a statement.
During her campaign, she condemned economic inequality, contending that some people aren’t benefiting from the city’s declining jobless rate, ongoing recovery from the recession, and downtown building boom.
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By winning a seat on Seattle's City Council this month, the socialist has given her fellow citizens one of the best opportunities in living memory to determine their individual and collective futures. Will city residents make good on it?By winning a seat on Seattle's City Council, the socialist has given her fellow citizens one of the best opportunities in living memory to determine their individual and collective futures.
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