Even though people are home, quarantined, they are still busy. That’s why I am impressed with the over 300 people and still counting that have taken the time to send an email message to the Seattle City Council urging them to stop damaging the housing economy and back off a catastrophic extension of the eviction ban 6 months beyond the end of the emergency. If you sent a message, thank you! If you haven’t you still can send one here. And if you have time, you can sign up at noon tomorrow to speak at the Council’s 2PM meeting. Here’s some instructions and thoughts below.

How does this virtual meeting public comment thing work?

If you want to speak you need to go to this address just before noon tomorrow: https://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment

Follow the instructions on that page and fill out the sign in form. You’ll get a confirmation email telling you what to do next. It is quite possible, just like in real life, that you won’t get a chance to speak if there are lots of people signed in, but if enough people are determined, some will get through.

What should I say?

Keep it simple and concise. You won’t have a lot of time. Here’s some bullets and a sample.

• Say your name, and what neighborhood you’re from
• Let them know you are a HOUSING PROVIDER. Don’t say “landlord” or “tenant,” say “housing provider” and “resident” or “customer.”
• Talk about your approach to your work and why you love what you do
• How do you treat your residents and customers?
• Why do you oppose the extension of the ban and what will it mean for you?
• Thank the Council for listening.

Here’s and example. No, this isn’t true about me. It’s an example.

“My name is Roger Valdez and I live on Capitol Hill and I am a housing provider with 33 apartment buildings I own and manage in Ballard. Our family has owned our building since the 1950s, and we all grew up knowing the people in our building. We have kept the building because we love serving our customers. Some of our residents have lost jobs, and we’ve worked with them. They don’t need an eviction ban, they need income and their unemployment benefits. Some have waited for 6 weeks and still hav no benefits and can’t get through to the state. Please work with us to help our residents, get the state and federal government to provide them with the income assistance they deserve. Thank you for listening.”

And if you want more ideas, watch this great video of housing providers in Chicago. Listen to HOW they speak and the words they use.