Eddie Lin Launches Campaign for District 2 Seat

“There's a lot of great people that are doing incredible work in the community, and for me, it's really, how do I uplift the work that people are doing? How do I empower D2 residents and bring those great ideas to City Hall?” Eddie Lin said.

By Mead Gill

Assistant City Attorney Eddie Lin announced his campaign for the District 2 city council seat on Tuesday.  After being nominated but ultimately not selected by the Seattle City Council for the interim District 2 position last month, Lin’s bid for the seat is now in the hands of the Seattle constituents come November.

Lin sat down with Deaunte Damper for The Day With Trae on Tuesday to share the goals, concerns, and strategies he hopes to bring to District 2 if elected. 

Who Is Eddie Lin?

A long-time District 2 resident, Lin has worked with the City Attorney’s office for seven and a half years. As a private attorney beforehand, Lin fought against the City of Seattle and other government agencies, which he viewed as a valuable perspective for the council in an interview with Converge last month.

Tackling Housing Affordability

In his 27 years living in Seattle, Lin explained how he observed the city’s increasing unaffordability first-hand. Working as a bike messenger after first moving to the city, Lin said he fell in love with the Seattle that allowed everyone from journalists to musicians to stay financially afloat. But the current city is not as lenient. 

“We're seeing the city become increasingly a place of the super wealthy and the haves and have nots, and it's not…healthy for a city. It's not healthy for D2, and so I'm here to get us on the right path, a different path than we've been going,” Lin said. 

Lin’s experience in the City Attorney’s Office working full time with the Office of Housing is at the forefront of his campaign. He advocates for more affordable housing in the long term, but emphasized the importance of shelters, tiny homes, villages, transitional housing, and housing vouchers to get people off the streets. 

When addressing basic needs of minimum wage workers and senior citizens, Lin labeled the current tax gap as “immoral” and “bad public policy,” calling for a tax reform.

“I'm really supportive of taxing those who make the most in our city and the large corporations that can afford it,” Lin said, voicing his support for a capital gains tax and the JumpStart tax approved by the council in 2020. He also views these tax plans as opportunities to invest in public education and other underfunded sectors.

Lin identified housing affordability as the root of small businesses struggling in Seattle, 

A Union-Minded Approach 

Making the effort to connect with District 2 residents and apply their knowledge to the council is a priority, Lin said. 

“For too long, District 2 voices…they don't have the same connections that other neighborhoods might have down at city hall,” Lin explained, citing his extensive background working with local government as a first-hand account.

Lin’s union values are rooted in his own household. His wife works as a public-school teacher and is a labor union leader, which he cites as an aspect to his perspective on City Council’s relationship with its constituents.

“There's a lot of great people that are doing incredible work in the community, and for me, it's really, how do I uplift the work that people are doing? How do I empower D2 residents and bring those great ideas to City Hall?” Lin said.

Prioritizing Public Safety

In response to District 2 facing serious public safety concerns, particularly impacting Chinatown and Little Saigon, Lin called for a comprehensive public safety approach. 

“We need to lead with compassion, and we need a lot of resources. I mean, we need more police, we need more social workers, we need more health care workers, and we’re starting to make some progress on those things” Lin said, referencing the overdose recovery center downtown as an example of a critical investment considering the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

Lin explained the interconnectivity of public safety solutions and maintaining public school funding.

“We need to do a better job of collaborating between the city, Seattle Public Schools, and all these community-based organizations,” Lin said, pushing for increased local support in critical programs including gun violence prevention in anticipation of decreased federal funding under the Trump administration. 

Seattle’s Segregation

Lin identified Seattle’s intense segregation as a major obstacle impacting the public school system and beyond.

“Our city is deeply segregated in terms of homeowners versus renters, in terms of race, in terms of income, right? And that's just not a healthy situation for our public schools to be so segregated.”

Backing the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Program (FEPP) that is up for renewal, Lin reiterated the importance of diverse neighborhoods for the rightful distribution of resources in Seattle public schools.

A Collaborative Campaign

Lin aims to bring his legal background and collaborative mindset to the campaign trail with hope that his values resonate with the city come November.

“I'm really excited to be on the campaign trail, to be talking to the folks that are doing this work, and to listen to them about what kind of support they need,” Lin said.

Learn more about Lin and his campaign at linforseattle.com.