There has been some blog and newspaper coverage by staff at The Stranger of comments I made at a meeting of the Georgetown Community Council last week. Just to set the record straight, I have not taken a position on where the new city jail should be located.
During the community meeting, which covered numerous topics, I was asked about the jail siting process. I commented that the Interbay site, "in my own neighborhood," would score very high as would the site near the First Avenue South bridge (just a few blocks from where I was standing when I made these comments). My comments were not an endorsement of any particular site but merely a reflection of the fact that, in my view, these two sites meet the evaluation criterion, which, of course, is why they are on the short list of potential locations. I was not endorsing any specific site.
I favor a regional solution to the jail siting, with King County continuing to play a significant lead role. Just yesterday my colleagues and I discussed this issue (and many others) with the Bellevue City Council. Bellevue, and other north and northeast county cities, have joined with Seattle and formed a working group that will hopefully develop a solution that makes sense for the entire region. This process will continue through the end of the year. I will keep an open mind, evaluate all of the facts carefully, and then make a final decision with my colleagues.