>>
>> YOU
>> YOU ARE LOOKING AT VIDEO FROM KING COUNTY ELECTIONS HEADQUARTERS IN RENTON WHERE
MORE BALLOTS WERE DROPPED OFF
THIS MORNING.
YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT A BUSY
DAY?
IMAGINE WORKING THERE.
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN A RECORD
NUMBER OF BALLOTS TURNED IN AND
THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF TIME
TO VOTE BEFORE THE EIGHT
O'CLOCK DEADLINE TONIGHT IN
ADDITION TO VOTING BEING ABLE
TO TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT CIVIC
ISSUES IS FUNDAMENTAL TO A
HEALTHY DEMOCRACY.
TO FIND OUT WHAT'S BEING DONE
IN OUR COMMUNITY TO KEEP THOSE
CONVERSATIONS GOING, I'M JOINED
TODAY BY WHITNEY KEYS, THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
SEATTLE CITYCLUB WHITNEY,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
ON SUCH A BUSY DAY.
>> MY PLEASURE.
SO TELL ME HOW DOES THIS
CITYCLUB HELP GET LOCAL PEOPLE
INVOLVED IN COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITIES CIVICS?
>> WELL, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS
FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS.
WE WERE STARTED BACK IN THE 80S
BY EIGHT WOMEN WHO WERE
ACTUALLY LEFT OUT OF CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THERE WERE A LOT OF CLUBS THAT
WERE MEN ONLY AT THE TIME SO
INCLUSION WAS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO THEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
CAME TO TALKING ABOUT CIVIC
ISSUES.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT
EVER SINCE CREATING PROGRAMS
THAT HELP INFORM PEOPLE, GET
PEOPLE CONNECTED AND ENGAGED
AND INSPIRED WHEN IT COMES TO
OUR DEMOCRACY.
AND WE DO THAT CURRENTLY
OF COURSE BECAUSE OF CAUVIN
THROUGH A LOT OF VIRTUAL
PROGRAMS RIGHT NOW.
>> YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
THE ELECTION RESULTS ARE GOING
TO BE, BUT CAN WE AT LEAST
PREDICT HOW THE RESULTS MIGHT
IMPACT US HERE IN WASHINGTON?
WELL, WE ARE FORTUNATE HERE IN
WASHINGTON THAT DESPITE THE
STEREOTYPES OF THE SEATTLE
FREEZE I THINK WE HAVE.
WE'RE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A GOOD
COMMUNITY AND A GREAT STATE AND
A GREAT PLACE WHERE ALL
DIFFERENT OPINIONS ARE
RESPECTED.
THAT'S WHAT CITYCLUB IS ALL
ABOUT.
WE ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT
POSITIONS MODERATES,
INDEPENDENTS COME TOGETHER TO
TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT ISSUES
THAT IMPACT US, WHETHER THAT'S
HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING, PUBLIC
HEALTH, EDUCATION.
AND SO I THINK WHICHEVER WAY
THE DICE ROLLS AFTER THE
ELECTION TODAY WE WILL STILL BE
DOING WORK WHERE WE BRING
DIFFERENT PEOPLE TOGETHER AND
CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES ARE
SHARED.
AND IT'S ALWAYS RESPECTFUL,
KIND, THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION.
I'M SO GLAD THERE'S AN
ORGANIZATION LIKE YOURS.
>> A LOT OF US LIVE IN OUR OWN
POLITICAL BUBBLE.
BUT CAN YOU GIVE US SORT OF THE
BIRD'S EYE VIEW?
WHAT IS THE POLITICAL SCENE
LIKE HERE IN OUR REGION?
WELL, TO BE HONEST IN OUR
REGION THERE CERTAINLY PEOPLE
THAT HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES.
AGAIN, SOME ON SOME OF THOSE
ISSUES THAT I JUST MENTIONED
HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION AND SO
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LISTEN
TO OTHER PEOPLE AND TRY TO FIND
COMMON GROUND.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S BEEN
LACKING SO OFTEN IN OUR COUNTRY
AND IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE REALLY TRIED TO DO THAT.
CITYCLUB, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS PUT
ON PROGRAMS IN THE PAST YEAR OR
SO AROUND GUN OWNERSHIP AND
BRINGING DIFFERENT PEOPLE
TOGETHER.
SOME PEOPLE WHO FEEL THAT WE
SHOULD HAVE MORE LEGISLATION
AND AND MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL
AND OTHERS THAT FEEL LIKE NO,
I'M A RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNER, I
DON'T NEED SO MUCH GOVERNMENT
INVOLVEMENT AND HAVE A
CONVERSATION SO WE CAN REALLY
LEARN ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.
WE MAY NOT CHANGE OUR
PERSPECTIVES BUT AT LEAST WE
UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE
REASONABLE RATIONAL PEOPLE THAT
HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
THAN WE DO AND HOPEFULLY PEOPLE
CAN COME AWAY LEARNING A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE MAYBE
SOMETIMES SHIFTING YOUR
PERSPECTIVE.
SO I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OUR
ORGANIZATION.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER WONDERFUL
CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR
COMMUNITY THAT ARE DOING THIS
IMPORTANT WORK TO BRING US
TOGETHER INSTEAD OF KEEPING US
SO DIVIDED AND SEPARATED.
>> SO IF SOMEONE WANTED TO BE
PART OF SEATTLE CITYCLUB HOW
WOULD THEY DO THAT AND YEAH,
THAT'S GONNA BE MY QUESTION.
>> SURE.
IT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE WE
DO HAVE THE WORD KLEBB AS PART
OF OUR NAME AND THAT ORIGINATES
AGAIN FROM OUR 40 YEAR HISTORY
.
BUT WE ARE NOT A PAID
MEMBERSHIP CLUB.
SO ALL PEOPLE ARE WELCOME TO
THE PROGRAMS THAT WE PUT ON.
WE DO A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS WE
HAVE CIVIC COCKTAIL'S WHICH ARE
HELD IN THE EVENING HOSTED BY
JONI BALTER AND THOSE ARE
WONDERFUL PROGRAMS FOR ABOUT AN
HOUR THAT ARE ALSO HOSTED ON
THE SEATTLE CHANNEL AND WITH
TOWN HALL WHERE YOU CAN LISTEN
FOR AN HOUR IN THE EVENING
ABOUT ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT
TOPICS.
FOR EXAMPLE, TONIGHT 30 EXCUSE
ME WEDNESDAY NIGHT TOMORROW
NIGHT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A
REPUBLICAN AND A DEMOCRAT
TALKING ABOUT THE RESULTS
OF THE ELECTION AND WE'RE ALSO
GOING HAVE THE INTERFAITH
AMIGOS TALKING WHO ARE A NUMBER
OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARE GOING
TO SHARE HOW, YOU KNOW, AS
DIVERSE AS PEOPLE'S SPIRITUAL
BELIEFS ARE, THEY CAN COME
TOGETHER AND WE CAN HAVE SOME
INSPIRATION AND HOPE.
SO A PROGRAM LIKE THAT IS
AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE.
IT'S RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST FIVE
DOLLARS THROUGH TOWN HALL.
IF YOU'RE UNDER TWENTY TWO
YOUTH ARE FREE AND WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF OTHER PROGRAMS THIS
MONTH WE'RE DOING A CIVIC BOOT
CAMPS WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN
ABOUT HOW MARGINALIZED
COMMUNITIES CAN HAVE A VOICE IN
THE GOVERNMENT AGAIN.
TICKETS ARE USUALLY FREE FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE TWENTY AND UNDER
AND THEN OUR PRICING STARTS AT
TWENTY DOLLARS BECAUSE WE ARE
NONPROFIT AND WE'RE STRUGGLING
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE RIGHT NOW
TOO TO TRY TO GET DONATIONS
COMING THROUGH.
SO WE DO CHARGE FOR OUR
PROGRAMS BUT THERE'S NO FEE TO
BE A MEMBER.
AND WE PUT ON AGAIN MANY MORE
PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AT
A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PRICE
POINTS TO HAVE SO PEOPLE CAN
HAVE ACCESS TO THE DIVERSE
SPEAKERS AND DIVERSE TOPICS
THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER WITH
ME.
>> IT'S AMAZING THAT YOU DO
WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
YOU'RE KEEPING THE CONVERSATION
GOING.
YOU'RE KEEPING IT CIVIL AND WE
SURE NEED THAT.
WHITNEY CASEY, THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE SEATTLE
CITYCLUB THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE ELECTION
DAY ANXIETY IS IMPACTING LOTS
OF DIFFERENT FOLKS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY THIS YEAR.
UP NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO
A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST ABOUT
WHAT IS CAUSING RISING