Auburn City Council Pos. 3 – James Jeyaraj

Municipal/Other Questionnaire

Candidate Information

  • Candidate Name: James Jeyaraj
  • Position Sought: Auburn City Council Pos. 3 (Non-incumbent)
  • Home Legislative District: 30th Democratic LD
  • Democrat: Yes I am

Campaign Information

Part I – Candidate Background

1. Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, prior political activity, and other relevant experience.

As for my qualification, I help canvas for Auburn Mayor’s Race in 2016. After that I created a FB page and created group to flip Congressional District 8 from Republican to Democratic. My team and I organized a forum which was held at the William C. Warren building. Which was attended by the top three candidates. Our group endorsed Dr. Shannon Hader, when Dr. Kim Schrier won the primary we as a group whole heartedly back her. I am also serving on the City Parks and Recreation as a Board member.
As for my eduction – AAS degree in Network Technology from Renton Technical College. BA degree in Organizational Mamagement from Withworth University.
Currently I am a Sr. Production Planner for local aerospace company. I have been in this field for the last 25 years.
As a planner I have been able to reach out to all departments to make the right business decision’s for any projects success. That is what I bring to the table to work with all the council members and the Mayor to come up with solutions for our residents.

2. What prompted you to run for this office? What are your campaign’s most important themes, issues, or priorities (three to five)?

There has been a lot of reasons, the main one is, change happens at the ground level. If we don’t step up and serve in every capacity we will never gain at the highest level for the betterment for all of our citizen.
My campaign important themes are first –
Homelessness, we as a society need to take care of these people. They are the unseen and forgotten people. Our city has done a lot, with shelter, I think we need to do more. We need to find more then just shelter. They need mental health care, food and clothes. They need their dignity restored.
Second affordable and quality housing, I will work the rest of the council member to partner with the local builders to build affordable housing for all who need a place to live in our city. With these housing I want to see a safe environment for all our residents that is why quality so our residents will have pride in where they live.
Third Clean City, I see garbage all over the city. I want the city government, residents and business to help with cleaning up the city on a daily basis.
I believe if we meet these bench marks, it will promote a welcoming city for people of all kind to move in. As our population grows it will promote more local business grow and inturn new jobs for our residents.

3. What steps are you taking to run a successful campaign?

There a few things I have done up to this point, we have promoted that I am running for office on the Auburn Reporter. I have been canvasing the local unions, spreading the word. Next I have a team of capable people a Consultant, Manager and Treasurer. We have a web page and have raised $1000.00 so far. Going forward I need to meet with more people and expose who I am. I am willing to go anywhere to gain peoples faith and trust in me. Plus I continue to raise more money for literature, swags and street signs.

Part II – Local Issues

1. Would you support the establishment of a safe injection site in your district?

No

This is a tough one, I believe these people need help and they need clean needles for their addiction, but I would not promote it. If there is a site proposed in our city it would not be near residential, schools or business. Plus these people will have to voluntarily agree to get counselling and addition treatment. Only on these conditions will I even consider an injection site.

2. Would you support the administration and police force in your jurisdiction adopting a sanctuary policy, forbidding the sharing of local resources and labor with ICE?

Yes

This point is moot at this point because as a State our Governor signed a bill making the State of Washington a sanctuary state.

3. Do you support raising revenue at the city level to expand transit service?

No

This is another hard one, I am against raising taxes for transit services or any other services. We should be good stewards with our residents tax dollars. Transit revenue should come from the State through gas taxes and the Federal Government.

4. Should transportation policy discourage the use of private automobiles and encourage the use of public-transit?

Yes

As for public transit it needs to be clean and efficient. I think with public transport we want to picked up at a convenient place and time, we also want it to be comfortable and to be dropped off in a timely manner.

5. Do you support building a municipally owned and operated broadband system in your city or jurisdiction?

Yes

I believe in this idea because it will give people who cannot afford access to the internet. Especially school aged children who need to work on home work using a computer. It should be a public utility, the charges should be based on a very low fee for usage.

6. Do you support requiring police officers in your jurisdiction to wear body cameras?

Yes

It protects everyone both the police and residents. This will only shine a bright light on everyone and give confidence on both Police and Residents. If something goes very wrong the video and audio evidence will become a very important evidence.

7. Do you support repealing Tim Eyman’s I-747, which artificially limits property tax increases to 1% per year, regardless of population growth, inflation, and need?

No

I don’t trust Tim Eyman and will not support anything he proposes. Though I will only support a tax increase based population growth, inflation and need, needs to be qualified, studied and make sense.

8. Should government assist individuals, and families who are without sufficient food, shelter, or basic necessities through no fault of their own?

Yes

I belief in providing basic needs for anyone who needs it. It is very important for us to take care of all our less fortunate. Most of the time it is due to metal health, or people fall into hard times and end up getting losing their home. Most of these people just don’t have control over what happens. Lets take for example Wells Fargo scam, overcharging for auto insurance and over charging late mortgage fees. These could happen to anyone, but if a person is mentally ill they may not know what is happening and may lose their home. We need not only to assist them but we need to protect them as an equal and deserve our love and respect.

9. Should the wages paid to workers in Washington State be raised incrementally towards the goal of living wages?

Yes

I do believe as inflation rises and while the very rich are getting huge raises, because workers are making things happen for a business or for the very rich folks. Profits should be shared equitably.

10. Will you seek opportunities to mitigate the human activities that are contributing to disastrous climate change?

Yes

The biggest one we do not think about is our Oceans and the garbage we as human being have littered with plastics. This has to stop. Manufacturing of plastics must be banned because it is not biodegradable. That mean it will be around even after we cease to exist as humans. We need to stop buying water in plastic bottles. Baning the manufacturing process itself can stop chemicals being dispersed into the air.

Part III – Free Response

1. Why are you requesting Democratic endorsement? What aspects of the Democratic platform most resonate with you?

I am seeking the Democratic endorsement because, first I am a Democrat. The Democratic party represents the people and it believes in equity and it believes in health care for all. The Republican Party has lost its way, its about giving tax breaks for the wealthy, creating a huge gap between the disappearing middle class and the wealthy.

2. What important local issues have you worked on (or taken an interest in) that you feel aren’t getting enough attention from elected leaders and the media?

I have been involved in helping with flipping the CD 8 in Auburn held a forum that was well attended by local residents. I am also part of the Parks and Recreation board in the City of Auburn.

3. Please list up to three specific, concrete actions you would support to ease the homelessness crisis.

Work with the city council to partner with local builders to build affordable housing.
City government, Residents and business to help the local food banks.
Work with the local hospital to help treat homeless people who need treatment.

4. What are the barriers to economic prosperity faced by residents in your jurisdiction, and how do you plan to address them?

I think it has to do with education, though we have Green River Community College. Cost of attending college could be upwards of $10K a year include room and board it becomes very expensive. We also need more Technical or a Vocational colleges. We are at a point where people with Technical skills such as electricians or plumbers are starting to dwindle. We need to train more people in these areas.

5. What are the transportation/transit challenges which face this jurisdiction and how would you address them? What role does rail play in your proposed solutions?

The Railroad is part of our economy, but it creates noise pollution and slows down traffic at key intersections, one especially to the Auburn Hospital. We need proper signs leading and detour people away from the railroad tracks to hospital, especially in an emergency.

6. What are your jurisdiction’s environmental issues, which ones are urgent and what will you do to address them?

Our Environmental issue would have to be the Railroad cargo. I am not sure what comes through our railroad and I would want to know if they are transporting dangerous chemicals. If they are, are they permitted to do so? This is something I have wondered about over the years. As an accident can happen at any one given time. I want to know what are their safety protocols and if they really have to go through a residential area.

7. Does your district have a taxing authority or propose levies and what changes, if any, would you seek?

Good question and I need to study this.

By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.

Printed Name: James Jeyaraj

Date: 06/12/2019

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