The Thanksgiving holiday is once again upon us. 

Many are attending or hosting large gatherings over the holiday while others look forward to some quiet time watching football, reading books, or binge watching a television program.

We hope that each of you will take a few moments to reflect on what you are grateful for this year.

Politically, we are more grateful today than we have been for a while. 

We are finally seeing the citizens of Seattle take back their city after years of irresponsible anti-police and pro-drug measures from the extremist who controlled Seattle City Hall. And to relief of many, nearly all (seven of nine) of those councilmembers who voted on the reckless 2020 “defund the police” measures are no longer on the city council.

We are thankful for Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson, whose success in her 2021 election contest brought the first ray of hope for those concerned about the decaying condition of the city. Her victory over a well-known progressive activist was an inspiration for many other moderate citizens to run for office this year. Councilmember Nelson firmly backed-up her support for rational policies when she took the unusual step of campaigning for many of these candidates this past year, even those who were challenging the council incumbents.

We are thankful for another official from the Class of 2021 – Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison. After defeating the pro-violence extremist Nicole Thomas-Kennedy (“NTK”) two years ago, City Attorney Davison has used her office to put repeat criminals in jail where they belong, she closed Aurora Avenue hotels where prostitution involving those caught in human trafficking was taking place, and she worked with Councilmember Nelson to finally get the city council to pass drug possession legislation. These acts are already making Seattle a safer place to live, work, and visit.

We are also thankful for the many volunteer organizations who are committed to a better Seattle.

Our friends at We Heart Seattle continue to clean up homeless encampments that fill our parks and sidewalks.  They then work with the encampment residents to provide them with the mental health or drug treatment assistance they need. We Heart Seattle also offers many homeless individuals with temporary housing to help them become productive members of our community.

Earlier this year the Discovery Institute released a very important study which revealed that private charitable organizations are far more efficient in helping those who are struggling with housing issues than government programs. In fact, such non-profits as the Salvation Army and the Seattle Gospel Mission can house a homeless individual for 1/9^th or 1/3^rd what it cost the government to perform the same task.

If you are interested to helping those who are struggling during the holiday season, then we encourage you to donate or volunteer with one of the many charities who are helping our neighbors. If you are not sure where to start, then we recommend contacting We Heart Seattle. The group there is very knowledgeable about what current efforts are best at helping others.

Finally, we here at Change Washington are very thankful for you and the thousands of others who have supported our efforts. Your support has helped Change Washington become a respected voice in altering the political direction of the City of Seattle, King County, and the State of Washington.

Many of our supporters have sent dozens of emails to elected officials demanding a change in direction. The politicians are listening.

We still have a long way to go to erase many of the bad measures passed during the past few years. As the new city council begins to unravel some of the policies, together we will make our voice heard as we seek to enact policies which are effective in improving our community.

For now…Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!