Tag Archives: 9th Congressional District

Rep. Adam Smith Rakes In Federal Bucks for Local Projects

by Andrew Engelson

(This article originally appeared in The Stranger and has been reprinted with permission.)


Washington State Representative Adam Smith is something of a Congressional wallflower. Unlike Seattle’s other representative, Pramila Jayapal, Smith doesn’t often draw the national spotlight, and he’s not what you’d call a liberal dynamo — though his progressive record continues to please voters in the diverse 9th Congressional District, which ranges from South Seattle to the Eastside and down the I-5 corridor to Federal Way.

But, like Jayapal, the quietly diligent congressman who’s held his seat since 1997 does have a knack for keeping federal dollars flowing into his district. Earlier in July, Smith announced he’d secured more than $8 million in federal funds for community-led efforts in the FY 2022 House Appropriations Bill.

That means 10 local projects — many of them focused on housing, homeless services, youth, and racial equity — will get a substantial boost in the coming year. Among those funded is the Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) Keiro project, a longtime resource for Asian American elders in the Central District that has found a second life providing shelter to families with children who are experiencing homelessness. With help from the new $1 million in federal funds, ACLT hopes to boost services and eventually purchase the site.

“Immediately upon receiving these funds,” Wyking Garrett of ACLT said in an email, “ACLT will be able to provide 150 beds to homeless and unsheltered individuals. We hope that many of the homeless residents that are housed at Keiro temporarily will become permanent residents when we open our doors. These residents will be supported by wraparound services. At the time of completion, Keiro will provide 285 units of permanently affordable rental housing that is much needed in Seattle — a city that is suffering the dual crises of a lack of affordable housing and homelessness.”

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In Run for Congress, Burien Deputy Mayor Krystal Marx Makes Housing Her Focus

by Ashley Archibald


As deputy mayor of Burien, Krystal Marx has some experience with political disagreement.

As an unapologetic progressive, Marx has had to pass legislation in an ideologically diverse council that has exchanged pointed words over issues in the past. But Burien’s elected officials came together to pass tenant protections and hazard pay for grocery store workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

Marx attributes those successes, in part, to eschewing traditional ways of governing and instead reaching out to people who are closest to the problems in order to craft solutions. She has a deep belief in the power of community organizing, bringing people into the legislative process to craft better solutions, and putting pressure on the opposition.

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Organizer Stephanie Gallardo Announces Congressional Run Against Adam Smith

by M. Anthony Davis


Stephanie Gallardo, an educator, activist, and labor organizer, announced today she will challenge incumbent Adam Smith, a Democrat from Bellevue who has held the 9th Congressional District seat since 1997.

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Smith and Smith Face Off in Debate Over Who Should Lead the 9th Congressional District

by Aaron Burkhalter

Congressional hopeful Sarah Smith met longtime incumbent Adam Smith for a debate at the Rainier Arts Center Oct. 18 in their bid for the congressional seat representing District 9, which encompasses Southeast Seattle and South King County.

Continue reading Smith and Smith Face Off in Debate Over Who Should Lead the 9th Congressional District