Editor’s note: This is a press release from the candidate’s campaign.

Hello, I’m Erica Norton, and I’m asking for your vote this November. I’ve lived in Federal Way since 2010, and I’m proud to call this city my home. Lately, I’ve noticed drastic changes to Federal Way, and I don’t feel like we are being heard by our leadership. I want to find and implement remedies to our problems. These issues are: increased criminal activity, homelessness, and losing small businesses.

I have a bachelor’s in cultural anthropology from Washington State University. I was published in a peer-reviewed journal for scientific research during my post graduate studies. I’ve owned a successful small business for 11 years. I started and ran a non-profit which focused on our senior citizens in need. I held elected leadership positions in AA on both district and state levels, bringing together and organizing large groups of people. I participated in the Federal Way Homelessness Coalition, a citizen-run organization which focused on ending the homelessness crisis in our city.

I will bring my experience with running organizations and a successful business to the City Council. We need fiscal responsibility in our City Council. I am the person who will be a true representative of the citizens who live in Federal Way. So many of us have been silent while we’ve watched our beautiful city fall apart around us. I will stand up for Federal Way. I will listen to you, respect you, and work at the direction of the taxpaying citizens of our city.

I will do everything in my power to tackle the criminal activity in Federal Way. It is time to say “ENOUGH!”

I will support our police department. We need our law enforcement officers! We are very fortunate to have a well-trained police force, and I will do everything in my power to see they are fully funded and receive the training and respect they deserve as our protectors.

I will continue my work to end the homelessness crisis in Federal Way. How can this be achieved? By helping our homeless neighbors to move from hopeless people to fully participating upstanding citizens. I have personal experience in this arena, and I’m fully qualified to take the necessary steps to help people lift themselves into personal accountability. Everyone in Federal Way can become a contributing citizen to our city, I am living proof of this.

Finally, my experience as a business owner will be a considerable asset to the City Council. Small businesses account for the majority of jobs in our community. Small businesses are the greatest contributors to our tax base. We need contributing small businesses to keep our city vibrant. We need small businesses to offer jobs to our growing population. We must attract and retain small businesses in Federal Way.

I am positive we can work together to bring Federal Way to a place of peace, safety, and prosperity. Please vote for Erica Norton, City Council Position No. 2, this November. For more information, go to citizensforericanorton.com.