SAWANT GOES SOLO

By Michelle Tong

On January 19, Seattle City Council (SCC) member Kshama Sawant announced that she would not be running for re-election at the end of her term this year. She has served on city council for ten years as a member of the Socialist Alternative, representing District 3 (comprising the Central District, Capitol Hill, Montlake, and Madrona).

Sawant began her political career by running for a spot in the Washington House of Representatives, where she advanced past the primaries, but lost to Frank Chopp. Her first political victory came in 2013 when she was elected to the SCC.

The minimum wage, Tax Amazon, and rent-control movements have been the center of Sawant’s attention since she made it on to city council, and all of them have been successful. Her first campaign goal was a $15 minimum wage, which passed in 2014, making Seattle the first city to have a $15 minimum wage. The bill stated that by 2021, the minimum wage would be gradu-