Politics & Government

Patch Candidate Q&A: Sylvester Cann, 46th District Representative Position 1

Meet Democrat Sylvester Cann, challenger to incumbent Democrat Gerry Pollet

NAME: Sylvester Cann

OFFICE SOUGHT: State Representative - 46th Legislative District, Position 1

PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: North Seattle

CURRENT OCCUPATION: Education Policy

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: After graduating from UW with an engineering degree, I worked in the private sector before moving to the public sector. I worked for Senator Scott White in 2010 and 2011, and currently work at an education non-profit in Seattle.

WEBSITE: www.sylvestercann.com

WHAT IS THE MOST PRESSING ISSUE FACING VOTERS IN YOUR DISTRICT: The priority for our state has to be education. We must fully fund K-12 education as well as ensure that every student has the opportunity for higher education. This is an investment we must make if we hope to solve our economic crisis and get our state back on track.

IF ELECTED, WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS IN OFFICE TO
ADDRESS THIS ISSUE?The first step is to convene stakeholders in education to identify areas of policy change that will have the highest benefit. This can be policy shaped on the state or local level. Our looming budget deficit creates an enormous funding challenge; but there are ideas we can go after that don't require significant resources.

DO YOU SUPPORT/OPPOSE REFERENDUM 74: SHOULD GAY MARRIAGE BE LEGAL IN
WASHINGTON? BRIEFLY, WHY? Absolutely. This is a civil rights issue - there is no reason that loving couples in our state should be denied the right to commit themselves to each other in marriage.

DO YOU SUPPORT/OPPOSE, INITIATIVE 502 TO MAKE SMALL AMOUNTS OF
MARIJUANA LEGAL TO PEOPLE 21 AND OLDER? BRIEFLY, WHY? Yes. It's time we legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Washington. Legalization has the potential to bring in much needed revenue to our state, while also actually improving the safety issues surrounding the purchase and use of the drug.


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