Campaign Corner
Campaign Corner
For Other Published Responses to date:
The Highline Journal reached out to the six Sea Tac City Council Candidates for a “Question of the Week.” The city of Seattle will be hosting FIFA (The International Federation of Association Football) next summer, during June and July 2026. Seattle is amongst 16 cities to participate in the world’s premier international soccer competition. Below is the question regarding the event’s impact to our region and the non-edited response from candidates.
Question:
This coming summer, 750,000 additional visitors are expected to come through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for the FIFA events. What are your concerns, and how do you suggest SeaTac residents prepare for this exciting opportunity?
Takele Gobena, Sea Tac Council Position No 2: No response received.
Caitlin Konya, Sea Tac Council Position No 2:
“Thank you for reaching out with an opportunity to provide my thoughts on FIFA. Please see my response below!
SeaTac faces both incredible opportunities and serious challenges as the gateway city for FIFA next year. My main concern is that without deliberate planning, our neighborhoods, infrastructure, and public services could be stretched beyond capacity. Increased traffic, noise, and visitor volume could disproportionately affect residents who already shoulder the daily impacts of airport operations.
I’m encouraged that the current SeaTac City Council has directed that FIFA revenues be used to benefit residents first. That means ensuring this temporary windfall strengthens our long-term infrastructure, public spaces, and local workforce first.
To prepare, I would prioritize pedestrian safety improvements, transit connections, and green buffers that reduce noise and pollution. I would also support jobs-first strategies: contracting local labor, requiring living wages, and including local hiring preferences in FIFA-related contracts. We should also partner regionally. For example, Seattle and Tacoma are developing coordinated visitor management and transportation plans that SeaTac can align with to ease congestion and improve safety. Afterall, we are the gateway to the region.
Most notably, our hospitality and transportation workers will face unprecedented crowds, so I support our current council in further exploring how to provide training on identifying human trafficking, crisis management, and ensuring ride-share and airport drivers are compensated fairly during high-demand periods.
FIFA is a globally visible event but as someone who hears jets overhead daily, I understand both the pride and pressure of living in SeaTac. For us, success isn’t measured in visitor numbers. It’s measured in how much residents’ quality of life improves, how many jobs go to neighbors, and how well our neighborhoods thrive long after the final match.”
konyaforseatac@gmail.com
www.electkonya.com
Isabelle Kerner, Sea Tac Council Position No 4: No response received.
isabelle@kernerforcouncil.com
www.kernerforcouncil.com
Mohamed Egal, Sea Tac Council Position No 4: No response received.
egalforseatac@gmail.com
www.egalforSeaTac.com
Bedria Abdullahi, Sea Tac Council Position No 6: No response received.
Michael Sanford, Sea Tac Council Position No 6: No response received.
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