It is often said that the one constant thing in life is change. As such, for us to even survive as a species, a measure of flexibility, fluidity, and adaptability is key. However, even in saying this, it must be stressed that there is a place for consistency.

Even though compromise might be all-important in many facets of life, there have simply got to be some issues where you’ll take no prisoners. Have your ground, and stick to it, come rain, come shine.

Where is all of this coming from, you ask?

And, more importantly, where is it all going?

Simply put, the incumbent council member representing Seattle City’s District 7 is the very epitome of flexibility when it comes to policies pertaining to both his constituency and the city at large.

Council member #Andrew Lewis is probably one of the most composed, eloquent, and intelligent men you’ll likely meet in this day and age. Yet, for all his good sides, one thing damns him completely as a leader – his proven inability to make a decision and stick to it.

It would be one thing if he made a choice earlier and then changed it and things worked out fine in the end. However, more often than not, we see that he’s usually on the right track in the beginning. But, for reasons that god alone knows, he switches and things end up worse than they were before he intervened.

There are several instances of this over the course of his stay in office.

Let’s start with one of his more recent and epic gaffes.

The struggles of Seattle with drugs like fentanyl are well documented. Lives have been lost and livelihoods have fallen to ruin. At this point, it’s clear for all to see that something has to be done about the situation. In an effort to correct this looming problem, a state law prohibiting the public use of drugs was proposed.

At the beginning of the proposal of this conformation to the #Seattle Municipal Code, Lewis, like every other sane person, was ecstatic about the idea. He went as far as expressing his delight at the thought to The Seattle Times.

This is arguably the biggest reason why it was beyond astonishing when I found out that it was the vote of the good councilman that actually tanked the ordinance in the end! Lewis, at the very last minute, (surprise, surprise!) changed his mind and the whole thing fell through!

There’s no doubt that the city is feeling the impact of that decision and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

Let’s roll the hand of the clock back to mid-2020. Good old Lewis was one of the voices clamoring for the heavy defunding of the police. Of course, the tide has long since turned on that opinion as well and, today, you can hear this same individual publicly reprimanding his colleagues for attempting to “stealthily defund the police.”

The sheer abundance of inconsistency and hypocrisy that the man shows is beyond belief.

The one good thing to come out of all of this is the fact that his time is almost up. However, in saying this, I must stress that we cannot afford to let power fall back into his hands. Worse still, we can’t make the mistake of giving someone even less effectual and competent the mantle of leadership.

So, where does that leave the good people of Seattle District 7?

With #Bob Kettle, the one person who has shown that he can right the failing wheel of the constituency. He promises to not just step up to right the wrongs where Lewis has fallen short but he’s also fully determined to restore the city to its former glory.

His positions will be radically different from those of Lewis and he’ll not flake out or back down when push comes to shove, either.

Regarding the values challenges that plague District 7 and the city at large, Kettle believes, “It’s of great concern. We’ve had too much back-and-forth. It goes to the idea of leadership.”

Similarly, he believes that the effective management of behavioral health and addiction is the bedrock on which sustainable public health and safety must be built. This is why, unlike Lewis, he won’t pass up an opportunity to do the right thing by the people.

Equally important is the fact Kettle intends to look into and fix the budgeting challenges of the city. He promises to crack open City Hall and ensure that taxpayers get their money’s worth on every front.

We’ve already tried Lewis.

We’ve seen what he can do – not much!

Why not give a real leader a shot?

Even though it mightn’t seem like it on the surface, the simple truth is that we don’t have the luxury of getting it wrong again.

So, come November, the people of District 7 need to choose progress over stagnation. They need to vote Kettle into the Seattle City Council.