David Chen Running For Shoreline Council With Urbanist Ideas

SHORELINE, WA — Longtime Shoreline resident David Chen is formally announcing his bid to win the Position 4 seat on City Council this week, and wants to use regional collaboration and urbanist ideas to tackle problems like affordable housing, homelessness, and transportation.

Chen will be vying for a seat against three-term incumbent Deputy Mayor Doris McConnell. She confirmed on Wednesday that she is running for reelection in 2019. Chen acknowledges that running for a well-known candidate's seat is tough, but says the time is right for him to run because of mounting issues facing Shoreline.

At the top of Chen's list is affordable housing. With the arrival of light rail in 2024, he sees the opportunity to tweak zoning code to allow for higher-density developments near transit hubs. He also wants to see housing opportunities suitable for seniors to "age in place" in Shoreline.

Chen also sees housing affordability as one way to alleviate homelessness in Shoreline. He also wants to help create more living wage jobs. That would take a combination of new businesses coming to the city and creating pathways for people to get vocational training at Shoreline Community College, he said.

Asked about the "Seattle Is Dying" side of homelessness, Chen says residents absolutely must feel safe in Shoreline — but arresting people for using drugs or camping in public likely won't really fix the problem.

"We can't simply exacerbate this recidivist cycle using a criminal justice-focused attitude," he said.

Chen, 34, works as the chief legal officer for CRISTA Ministries, a multi-faceted Christian ministry based in Shoreline. He has been a board member for the homelessness nonprofit Vision House, and is about to join the Rave Foundation board, which is the Seattle Sounders' nonprofit arm.

He is graduate of Shorecrest High School, Western Washington University, and Seattle University. Chen lives with his wife and three kids in the Echo Lake area.

A third candidate, Virginia Scantlebury, has registered a campaign with the state Public Disclosure Commission for the position 4 seat. She has raised about $2,300 for her campaign so far compared to Chen's $3,600.

So far, Chen has attracted endorsements from former Seattle Mayor and Councilman Tim Burgess, former Seattle Councilman John Okamoto, and former Shoreline Councilwoman Shari Winstead.

"Democracy is about getting out there. There is a value in, rather than waiting for the blessing for succession, having the opportunity for voters to have the representatives they want," he said.