Candidate Profile: Carmen Rivera, Renton City Council, Pos. 2

RENTON, WA — Voting is underway and the 2021 primary election is heating up in King County ahead of Election Day, Aug. 3. Nearly 650 candidates are seeking various offices in 2021, beating the previous record set in 2017. Out of that total, more than 200 candidates appear in the primary, which features all the races with three or more people seeking the same office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles leading up to Election Day.

Candidate

Carmen Rivera

Age (as of Election Day)

32

Position Sought

Renton City Council Position 2

Party Affiliation

It is a non-partisan position. I have earned the sole endorsement of the King County Democrats along with the endorsement of every legislative district democratic organization in Renton.

Family

I am engaged to my partner Jasmine and we have three rescue furbabies. We hope to start a family in the new few years.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My father worked for Seattle Police Department for 38 years.

Education

I graduated from Renton School District, Lindbergh High School. Then attended and graduated from Seattle University with a BA in Criminal Justice, a specialization in Forensic Psychology with Departmental Honors and a minor in Psychology. After, I lived across the pond in England where I earned my Masters degree from the University of Liverpool in Forensic Psychology. My dissertation focused on police decision making during critical incidents.

Occupation

Previously a social services provider and case manger for collectively 7+ years. I began my career at Echo Glen Children's Center, working for the State of Washington (5 years), then transitioned to King County's Department of Children, Youth, and Families (2.5 years). I am currently a professor at Seattle University for the Criminal Justice Department.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I am the elected King County Democrats (Female identifying) representative for the 11th Legislative District Democrats. I am also the appointed Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) for my precinct in the 11th LD Democrats.

Campaign website

https://riveraforrenton.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to serve my community to ensure everyone has access to the opportunities they need to succeed. I am proud to be born and raised in Renton. I have witness our region grow and change. My life and heart are invested in removing barriers and working collaboratively to develop resources so every one of our residents can have the ability to thrive. Renton is a growing, diverse city and we need decisive leadership, like myself, who will be proactive to the needs of our residents. I want to bring my strong direct human services experience and perspective to our city’s leadership. It is my goal to lead with community-engaged governance, where our leaders are doing all the work necessary to effectively engage our residents. It is not enough to offer a seat at the table, we need our leaders to work to ensure the seat is accessible and inclusive.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Community Engagement, Investment, and Support.

I have spoken to many voters from all over Renton since canvassing over 1,500 doors in various neighborhoods. The single more prevalent priority they bring to my attention is community needs. Some of these voters have never had a candidate or elected official knock on their door. They want to see community engagement from their elected officials. There are various parts of Renton that were annexed into the city as early as 2003 who have not seen promises made by the city followed through upon.
When elected, I will prioritize updating Renton’s Community Needs Assessment for Human Services (published in 2014 and not updated since) so we can better understand how we can invest equitably in those that need the most resources. I will ensure we hosted consistent neighborhood town halls to engage our residents and seek out their priorities. Lastly, I will push for the City of Renton to record and upload ALL of its various committee and commission meetings. The meetings minutes are not informative for residents seeking to learn more. The average resident may not have time to attend these committee or commission meetings either. The Renton City Council records and uploads each of its City Council and Committee at Large meetings onto Youtube. They can do the same for these other committees/commissions where high-level decisions and recommendations are being made.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The City of Renton struggles with sticking only what it knows within its own comfort zone. The majority of our current Renton City Council have previously served on city committees or commissions. However, only those appointed by the mayor can serve on these committees or commissions. Community members who the mayor does not agree, or even like, may not have the same opportunities to serve as others. Our city leaders are not representative of the communities they serve and there is a lack of transparency with the decisions being made in these committees and commissions. I will bring a much-needed outside, fresh perspective to Renton City Council.
I am not running against anyone, but for a position. I am the most progressive and pragmatic candidate in my race who will walk the talk. I am the only candidate with direct human service experience working with and advocating for some of our most vulnerable and marginalized populations, which is why I am the best person for the job. I am not a traditional politician. I will bring social and public service to Renton's governance.

When Mitzi Johanknecht leaves office, what should the county look for in appointing a new sheriff?

There are parts near Renton where King County Sheriff do respond and they do have a presence in the City of Renton. The County needs to look for someone who understands the needs to its various, diverse communities and willing to do the much needed work to rebuild trust with those communities. The new sheriff will need to prioritize engaging with and serving all communities through a racial equity lens.

What are some of your priorities for a post-pandemic recovery?

We need to support our small businesses and developing our workforce. We need to create a grant program to allocate funds to impact small businesses in Renton. The Downtown Renton Renovation program is going to be amazing but is currently over schedule and the businesses that were directly impacted by the sidewalks and streets being torn up were not given any funds to compensate them for the loss of business, in addition to a pandemic they had to survive. We need to support our small businesses in every way possible and learn how to lower barriers so they can be successful. I want to see Renton invest in itself while developing its workforce and economy. Due to my experience as Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) case manager for King County, I value and will prioritize workforce development to include access to apprenticeship programs. When elected, I want Renton to adopt a community workforce agreement and allocate 25% of all capital projects to apprenticeship utilization. As the home of Renton Technical College and ANEW, we can be the leading city for apprenticeships and on-the-job training. We see a $28 public return on every $1 invested in apprenticeships.

What would you do in office to strengthen preparedness and response efforts for extreme heat and wildfire smoke events?

We need to continue to work with our first responders to ensure they can meet the demands of the current extreme heat and wildfire smoke events. Renton needs to meet with community to learn how they can better support during the extreme heat waves, such as providing more cooling spaces. We need to work with King County and Washington Conservation Voters to lower our greenhouse gas emission and close the landfill in Renton that has been open since 1963 and set to close in 2012!

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current person holding the position has voted with the majority of the council since being appointed, even when stating the vote she is casting makes her "uncomfortable". She has not done the necessary work to engage and listen to community. Mrs. Benedetti needs to be able to disagree with her fellow council members and engage in civil discourse, rather than appease them to maintain the status quo.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Our local elected official could have done much better to engage and reach out to community and local businesses owners. After a small business owner had their business damaged by the construction happening downtown, I went to visit with them. I learned that not a single elected official had come down to visit in the last year. We need leaders who will work to seek out community and go out of their way to engage to best serve them. I would have safely and proactively reached out to all small business owners personally to learn what they needed from the city. I will work to canvass and meet with voters every year, not just on election years, so I can learn from them and they can hold me accountable.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We must proactively address the exorbitant housing market, increasing the cost of living, and support our houseless community. The City of Renton has the most undeveloped residential zoned land to have developed of any city in all of King County. We need to ensure we develop affordable, low-income, and multifamily housing with effective land use policies. I have the sole endorsement of the Seattle King County Realtors and will work to ensure we are appealing to affordable housing developers.

Renton City Council passed Ordinance 5996 in December 2020 which restricts new land use designation for “homeless services,” limiting the number of clients any homeless service location can serve to 100 people and imposes a lot of requirements on service providers and people experiencing homelessness. Homeless service providers informed Renton leaders that the restrictions effectively ban non-emergency shelters from Renton. When elected, I will work with Renton leaders to find more effective short-termed and long-term solutions by addressing the lack of effectiveness in passing Ordinance 5996 and finding better solutions. As a social services provider and educators, I know the effectiveness of wraparound services. Renton must work with King County to develop and invest in wraparound services to help combat this homeless crisis we have been facing for over half my life! Wraparound services include mental health and substance abuse counseling, along with workforce development. We need all three in order to help those out of homelessness.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have also been an advocate for our marginalized and vulnerable populations since the beginning of my career. At Echo Glen Children's Center, I worked with LGBTQ+ youth who had come into contact with the juvenile justice system. A system I learned further marginalized and traumatized these youth. I collaborated with various community organizations and volunteers to come to Echo Glen and work with our youth. I created the first LGBTQ+ youth group, which is still in existence today. I have served as an equity, diversity, and inclusion training facilitator for both the State and County, educating my peers and supervisors on racial equity. The power of education and knowledge is what we need to progress. My involvement with politics has been activism through writing. I have published three opinion articles for the South Seattle Emerald, discussing State and local politics, and uplifting marginalized voices.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

We must do the work to meet people where they are at, to truly serve.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

It is through my lived experience and career that I have learned to recognize as well as understand both institutional and systemic racism. I am a queer, biracial woman of color and growing up in Renton, working in Washington State and South King County with some of our most marginalized and vulnerable populations, has prepared me to fight for you on Renton City Council. As our city continues to grow, we need a leaders with a strong social services lens to truly serve our city.