Seattle Forward

AIDS Action Day in Olympia

Washington State Senate chambers in Olympia last Wednesday at the end of AIDS Awareness Day activism.  Left-to-right, me, Councilmember Sally Clark, Attorney General Rob McKenna, Lifelong AIDS Alliance executive director David Richart, Rep. Jeannie Darneille (D-Tacoma), and Sen. Ed Murray (D-Seattle).

Last week I had the privilege of participating in AIDS Awareness Day lobbying in Olympia with my colleague, Sally Clark.  I helped kick off the day with a brief talk to about 200 activists at United Church in Olympia, a couple of blocks from the capitol.  We have made great progress developing treatments for HIV-AIDS, raising awareness of the disease, and safe-guarding privacy and the civil rights for those living with HIV-AIDS.  But, there is much more to do; perhaps most pressing is to make certain that funding for medical and social services remains intact. 

Water Fee Rebate and Temporary Surcharge

On Tuesday I will cast one of my most difficult votes since joining the City Council in January 2008, made especially difficult by the economic hardship we are experiencing. 

Here's the Seattle PI's take.  And here's my perspective: 

First a little history. Before the great Seattle fire in 1889 the city's water supply and fire hydrants were provided by private companies.  Because those hydrants failed to provide adequate water pressure to fight the fire, city leaders quickly launched a public utility to manage the city's water system, and  from then until 2005 our water rates funded our fire hydrants. 

However, a few years ago a former city employee sued the city in King County Superior Court claiming

Roosevelt, Density, Neighborhood Concerns

I went on a walking tour of the Roosevelt neighborhood this morning, along with colleague Jean Godden.  Very informative.  I had two overwhelming thoughts.

First, we saw several rental properties owned by an absentee-landlord who clearly doesn't care one whit about the safety or tranquility of the neighborhood.  Nearly all his properties are run-down, filthy messes . . . and have been for years.  Shameful beyond belief.

Second, a Sound Transit light rail station will be constructed in this neighborhood in several years providing an opportunity for a neighborhood transformation. The residents I walked with can't wait!  It's important that future development protect the cohesiveness of the neighborhood, open up views of Roosevelt High School, and protect the single-family residential neighborhood to the east. 

The Roosevelt station area, if developed carefully, can become a shining example of good neighborhood-focused planning: higher density tucked in close to the station, mixed use, increased walkability, and environmentally-sensitive design enhances public safety (e.g., lighting, open space, more eyes on the street, etc.) and protects neighborhood character and traditional views.  It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds up north in the Roosevelt neighborhood. 

Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske

If local media reports are accurate, Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske may soon depart for Washington, D. C. to become the nation's leading drug policy authority.  You can read the speculation here and here.

If it's all true, I'm very happy for Chief Kerlikowske.  He will be a reasoned and articulate voice for wise drug policy, and will bring a progressive, street-wise perspective. 

In my brief 14 months on the City Council, I have been struck by the police department's openness to new strategies re drug enforcement.  For example, police commanders are currently studying new alternatives to incarceration for low-level drug offenses, including pre-arrest diversion programs like one pioneered in High Point, North Carolina.

There is broad acknowledgment in our city that traditional enforcement efforts aimed at drug users are not working and that new approaches are necessary.  I have found Chief Kerlikowske to be very proactive, even intrigued by various possibilities.  I'm not referring here to drug traffickers or those involved in organized drug distribution activities, but rather casual users, first time offenders, and other low-level participants.  Chief Kerlikowske has readily acknowledged that we can't "arrest our way out" of these challenges and that new responses are needed.  I couldn't agree more.

The City Council, working with the Mayor, has started a review of the city's approach to low-level drug offenders.  This review is primarily related to decisions the city faces about jail capacity, but it can influence much more, including police philosophy and enforcement strategies. 

A final note.  There's a saying from the Christian Scriptures, "a prophet has no honor in his own home."  In many ways, this description fits Chief Kerlikowske.  Around here, he's the police chief with all the ups and downs that entails, even sometimes taken for granted.  But, on the national scene, he is regarded as one of the country's leading police practitioners, highly regarded among academics and his policing peers.