Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor and congratulate Ms. Debora Juarez on her retirement following nearly 35 years of public service and 8 years in elected office. Debora retires from the Seattle City Council. where she was the first representative of Seattle's District 5 (D5) and was elected by her peers to be council president. She also served as a King County Superior Court judge. A proud member of the Blackfoot Nation, she was the first Native American to serve in any of these roles. In her many years of service to the Tribes, the State, and to Seattle, she has been guided by a simple mantra shared with her by her Uncle Billy Frank Jr.: ``lead to leave''--a mantra that has brought clarity of purpose to her work and she expanded upon by saying ``leave a legacy.'' Whether it was her legal work to save the historical village of Tse-whit-zen, doubling Seattle's 2016 housing levy to build more affordable housing, or her forceful advocacy for the 130th Street light rail station for the people of District 5 as a Sound Transit board member, Debora leaves behind a worthy legacy. As the chair of the civic development, public assets, and Native communities committee, she oversaw the exciting reimagining of major projects in Seattle: saving the aging Seattle Coliseum from the 1962 World's Fair and turning it into a state-of-art arena without taxpayer dollars, revitalizing the Seattle Waterfront with a new park and boulevard, and dramatically expanding the Seattle Aquarium.…”