District 5 is a diverse community consisting of Silver Lake, Casino Road and many areas in between. We deserve someone who represents all of us on the council.
As a resident of District 5, I was looking forward to learning more about all the candidates the other night at a neighborhood meeting. Candidate Ben Zarlingo started off noting he represented Silver Lake and that most present already knew him so there was no reason to share much about himself. When all candidates were asked about how they will invest in renters, Zarlingo immediately cautioned against villainizing homeowners and spoke at length about how these perspectives are necessary as homeowners are “anchors” in our community, dismissing the needs of 56 percent of Everett residents, who are renters.
It’s no secret that the majority of the current council has traditionally prioritized homeowners’ views above those of renters. However, everyone deserves representation on the council, and this includes homeowners and renters. Zarlingo demonstrated he only cares about one side of the equation and is only interested in connecting with those in his familiar circles.
We residents deserve more than just the same old story, which is what we will get with Zarlingo. I will be proudly voting for Demi Chatters, a real leader who actually engages with the entire community, regardless of their neighborhood or housing status. We deserve a council representative who is curious, not judgemental. Chatters, unlike Zarlingo, lives with this mentality, which makes her the right leader for District 5.
Angela Di Filippo
Everett
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