Ray A. Rogers Challenges Sara Nelson for the All-City Council Seat

“I bring a generational commitment and concern to our underserved areas, knowing the parents and grandparents of our affected youth.” - Ray A. Rogers (Photo courtesy of Rogers)

By Mead Gill

Ray A. Rogers, a lifelong South Seattleite and community advocate, officially announced his campaign for the Position 9 all-city council seat on March 21. After publicly endorsing the current Council President and his longtime mentor Sara Nelson with passion and persuasiveness in 2021.

Who is Ray A. Rogers?

Serving as a clergy for 26 years, Rogers draws much of his leadership and community advocacy from his ministry. His leadership in the church led him to found Circle of Love Outreach, an organization whose mission aims to feed and support Seattle’s homeless population.

Working on the front lines for over a decade across Seattle, Rogers based his campaign around community partnerships and increased engagement between political leaders and the people they serve. 

“Straight off the bat, I'm a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy,” he said, stating that the current leadership is focusing too broadly on large-scale solutions over direct connection and teamwork with the people in every nook and cranny of the city. With this perspective in mind, he plans to focus intensely on addressing public safety, youth advocacy, and affordable housing.

A Generational Perspective on the City

Rogers aims to lead his campaign with the knowledge and experience he has accumulated across his lifetime in Seattle. “I bring a generational commitment and concern to our underserved areas, knowing the parents and grandparents of our affected youth,” he said.

Growing up in Rainier Valley in the 1980s, Rogers recounted his formative years with an excited sense of gratitude. After joining local gangs that accompanied the drug epidemic on Horton Street where he was raised, Rogers was arrested in 1988 where he was confronted by Former Police Chief Harry Bailey. 

To his bewilderment, Chief Bailey spoke to him from the perspective of a community member. “I'm sitting there in handcuffs, and he mentored me,” Rogers said. “Former Chief Bailey was like a father. His words were soothing. I knew he was authentic.”

Several years after serving his time, Rogers reconnected with Bailey, a relationship that has inspired Rogers to lead the fight toward numerous public safety initiatives on the community level. He views his own second chance as a story of rehabilitation and redemption in Seattle’s underserved neighborhoods, acting as the foundation of his campaign.

“Where others have a big picture macro lens in addressing this problem, I am on the frontline, connected with the victims of violent crime, bringing the community together to heal,” he said.

Police and Public Safety

From Rogers’ view, public safety strategies should be in the hands of both the community and local government. “It's one thing to just throw these things at our mayor and our law enforcement…and then neglect our own responsibility and partnerships as to what we can do,” he said.

A clear representation of his campaign priorities, Rogers sees a gap between the current law enforcement system and the communities they serve.

“The average police officer… they're policing a community that they don't live in,” Rogers said, harkening back to his childhood in the 1980s when efforts to maintain public safety in Rainier Valley were driven by community members who understood the ins and outs of the neighborhood. Under this system, officers had preexisting relationships with the parents and families they served.

Rogers called for investments in grassroots community policing and the enforcement of systems that regularly connect neighborhood public safety initiatives with city-wide law enforcement. He proposed monthly meetings and reward systems between varying levels of law enforcement that encourage the police force and the community to be on the same team.  

Youth Advocacy and Engagement 

As a father of young children and teenagers, Rogers advocated for increased youth support in underserved populations in the Seattle Public School system. While acknowledging the benefits to working one-on-one with struggling kids, he called for increased “wraparound support,” a family-centered and community-oriented system of collaboration when advocating for the livelihood of youth.

“We want to do what is called restorative justice. We want to make sure that we're getting to the heart of the problem and not just addressing the symptom,” he said, striving to find the line between punitive authority and rehabilitation.

Through his work as a peer educator in Seattle Public Schools for 16 years, Rogers observed favorable results in youth when they receive individualized care from the school system and families. He hopes to advocate for the same kids facing mental health issues, drug use, and gang involvement if elected in the fall. “We [need to] make sure that we are hands-on and consistent,” he said.

Fighting for Small Businesses and Affordable Housing

Rogers called for a stronger network of local resources and support for small businesses, observing the increasing struggle for small businesses to turn a profit and continue paying livable wages. Rogers vowed to work toward incentive-based programs that encourage local vendors to connect with small businesses in the hopes of tackling the root causes over quick fixes.

“For those businesses that historically have offered our community great services, I believe it is our responsibility to meet them at the point of need,” he said, referencing Terrell Jackson, the owner of Jackson’s Catfish Corner which shut down in January.

The ongoing housing crisis has found Rogers hosting homeless feeds and clothing drives for the past ten years, a service and mindset he hopes to continue as councilmember. He advocated for increased funds for affordable housing, citing Nelson’s recent workforce housing bill with pride. 

The Road Toward the Election

With the election in November firmly in sight, Rogers plans to remain on the front lines and continue to share his platform geared toward achieving community partnerships across the city. 

“We will be the first ones there and the last ones to leave to make sure that every concern is heard, that you're represented appropriately,” he said.

Learn more about Rogers and his campaign at rayrogersforseattle.com