Seattle Forward

Police "Stings" Target Bad Drivers

Every once in awhile, the police department shoots an email to Council members on the city's special Pedestrian Safety Committee to inform us about yet another "sting" operation aimed at driver's who fail to yield to pedestrians crossing at street corners.  Well, another one happened on March 27 when police issued 53 citations to drivers failing to yield to pedestrians at 41st and Stone Way North in the north police precinct and at Martin Luther King Way at East Alder Street in the east precinct.  On average, during these operations one third of all pedestrian crossings resulted in a failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian. 

I've written about these "sting" operations before here and here. 

This type of police enforcement is important because the most significant factor in pedestrian injuries and deaths in Seattle is the failure of drivers to yield. 

Intiman's Crime and Punishment

I got to read part of the script of Intiman's adaptation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment yesterday afternoon at Tougo Coffee near 18th and East Union Street.  Fittingly, I read the part of Inspector Porfiry. 

The reading prompted a lively discussion of morality, faith, and the nature of evil.  Our little reading group tackled everything from former Vice President Cheney's core motivations, to capital punishment and lifelong imprisonment, to questions about crime and how to best deal with serious, violent offenders.  Good give and take on very complicated topics. 

The neighborhood reading was part of Intiman's Front Porch Theater series.  Check out details on the play (running now) and consider attending.

SAVE the PI Globe!

Here's a news release that was issued yesterday afternoon about our efforts to preserve the Seattle P-I globe—

COUNCILMEMBERS MOVE TO SAVE P-I GLOBE
Burgess, Clark, Godden to nominate landmark for historical preservation

SEATTLE - Seattle City Councilmembers Tim Burgess, Sally Clark and Jean Godden - all former news reporters - are calling for the Seattle P-I Globe to be designated as a historical landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Board. The Councilmembers will be working with P-I alums and plan on submitting a formal application and other paperwork next week. If accepted the designation would provide protection for this 18 ton, 3-story high historical visual icon as long as it remains in Seattle.

“To me the globe represents a part of Seattle’s journalistic history which needs to be kept alive for future generations,” said Councilmember and former P-I Columnist, Jean Godden.

Councilmember Sally Clark, chair of the Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee and a former print journalist, called for quick action on designation given the recent demise of the city’s oldest continually operating newspaper.  “We can’t act too soon to ensure the P-I’s contributions to our community are not forgotten.”

“As a former radio journalist and longtime Seattleite I can’t imagine our skyline without the reassuring glow of the globe - a symbol of high journalistic standards,” said Councilmember Tim Burgess.

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For those who want to know more about the process, check out the City's Landmark Preservation Board's website.  No public funds will be used for this preservation effort. 

Read news coverage here and here. 

Human Trafficking

The reality of street prostitution was brought into sharp focus again today with news of criminal charges against individuals involved in human trafficking, including coercive violence, involving young women and children.  You read the details here.  

This case is yet another reason why it is so important to move forward with the Seattle-King County plan to establish safe housing for children involved in prostitution.  These kids need a safe place where they can escape their "pimps" and receive the 24/7 wrap around services they so urgently need.  Read previous posts and details about these services here.

Snow Storm Fact Finding

The Council finds itself in the position of having to dig deeper into the city's response to the December storms. Stories published in The Seattle Times last week showed that our earlier review was incomplete. The "after action" report presented to the Council was very inadequate.

Last Friday I asked Council President Conlin to request all documents that were given to the Times as a result of their public disclosure filings be provided to the Council. The Council will also soon direct the City Auditor to conduct a review of these and other documents. Clearly, we must redo our review with more aggressiveness.

That being said, my larger concern remains the city's failure to recognize the big picture, strategic implications of the storms. This failure led to multiple operational problems--not hiring sufficient private plows to augment city plows, not coordinating closely enough with Metro, not realizing the huge negative impact on the business community. These strategic shortcomings are far worse than any of the operational errors, in my opinion. Just think major earthquake, a more severe storm, or, heaven forbid, a man-made disaster.  It's essential that city emergency operations and decision-making be strategically and operationally sound.  The response to the December snow storms raises questions about both areas.

Battery Street Tunnel From the Inside

Earlier today I did a walking tour of the Battery Street Tunnel which was closed for inspection and cleaning.  I "ran" through the tunnel back in the late 1970s as part of the Seafair Torchlight Run (when I could run!), but today was the first time I had a personal tour.  It's bigger when you're standing on the pavement and not just whisking through in a car. 

The Battery Street Tunnel, built in the mid-1950s, will likely be closed when the new deep-bore tunnel replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct is opened in 2015 or 2016.  Inside the northbound lanes we watched as a sewer-rat video camera broadcast images from deep inside the storm drainage system running under the tunnel.  The video camera is mounted on a husky little platform with four large rubber tires; it reminded me of one of the police department's bomb detection mobile cameras.  The camera "vehicle" is lowered into the sewer by a technician who then "drives" it through the sewer, remotely controlling its speed and camera angle. 

At the north portal of the northbound lanes, crews were drilling deep soil bores, some as deep as 170 feet, to collect soil samples for testing and evaluation.  The north portal of the new deep-bore tunnel will be in this general area and soil sampling is an important part of the engineering work required for tunnel design.  In the above photo, I'm watching as a technician transfers some of the soil sample to a small jar for additional testing.  The whole operation seemed like a crime scene forensic exercise; collect the evidence, package it for transmission to the lab, wait for the results. 

In the southbound tunnel we watched as the walls were cleaned with a giant, truck-mounted brush, then sprayed with a cleansing solution.  Last night, the fire suppression system was tested.  The sprinklers in the tunnel are designed to release a deluge of water if there is a fire.  We also tested the emergency phones positioned at several points in the tunnel; I picked up one handset and the police 911 center answered in seconds. 

As we stood at the north end of the tunnel, I tried to visualize what it will be like in a few years to drive into a new tunnel that will stretch all the way south of the stadiums and how I would use the three streets that will be opened across Aurora just to the north (John, Thomas, and Harrison), a transformation that will reconnect lower Queen Anne with the south Lake Union area.  Once completed, the Mercer Corridor and the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement projects will revolutionize how we move between these neighborhoods.  After 40+ years of congestion, confusion, delay, and debate, we are finally on the verge of good solutions.  It's about time!

Ethics Violations and Mismanagement at Fire Dept

Earlier today, I issued the following statement regarding the Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) staff report on ethical violations and mismanagement at the Seattle Fire Department.

"The Commissions staff report details very serious violations of the Code of Ethics and mismanagement in the fire department. It is very troubling. It reveals a culture that allows favoritism, protection of wrongdoing, and a cavalier attitude toward ethical behavior. This culture led senior department officials to repeatedly reject the pleas of firefighters who tried to do the right thing by reporting mismanagement and misconduct.

"The specific violations of the Code of Ethics and mismanagement are serious enough, but more egregious, in my opinion, is the failure of department commanders, including the Fire Chief, to decisively intervene to correct the mismanagement and punish the wrongdoing when it was brought to their attention. This demonstrates a serious breakdown in leadership and behavior that falls far short of what we expect from senior city employees.

"The Council will work with the Mayor to ensure that corrective actions are taken, that all facts related to these incidents are made public, and that the integrity and accountability of the fire department are restored."

You can read and download the SEEC report here.  The Mayor also commented here. 

Voter-Owned Elections for Seattle

The following news release was issued this morning.

Councilmembers Announce a Path Forward for Voter-Owned Elections in Seattle

SEATTLE - Seattle City Councilmembers announced today a timeline to develop a publicly financed elections program for local campaigns in the city of Seattle.  The plan proposes development of a proposal over 2009 and early 2010 with a possible ballot measure placed before voters in 2010.  If voters approve a measure, candidates could participate in a program as early as the 2011 election cycle. 

Public financing, sometimes called “voter-owned” elections, allows a candidate to qualify for public funds to run an electoral campaign if he or she is able to demonstrate a broad base of community support.  Candidate participation would be optional. Participants would agree to standards such as limits on private fundraising, a limit on using personal funds, or limits on third-party funding assistance.  Programs currently operate in many cities, including Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Albuquerque, NM.

Congratulations, Chief Kerlikowske

Congratulations to Chief Gil Kerlikowske on his selection by President Obama as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.  He will bring a reasoned and street-wise voice to drug enforcement in our country, and a progressive approach to federal drug policy-making.  

As Chief of the Seattle Police Department, Kerlikowske instituted community policing practices that partner the police with citizens and neighborhood groups in solving problems, resulting in more sensible approaches to addressing drug activity and other crime.  Kerlikowske led the police force by personal example, respecting and supporting innovative, yet practical, services for those struggling with addictions, such as our needle exchange and methadone van programs, as well as the 1811 Eastlake housing project for chronic alcoholics.  

Traditional drug enforcement methods aimed at first-time and casual users do not work.  New approaches are needed.  Chief Kerlikowske will lead this policy debate at the national level quite effectively.

Letters to a Councilman

A teacher at a north Seattle public high school recently challenged her class to write me letters with their concerns about school, their city, and their hopes and dreams for the future.  Many of them shared intimate details about their lives, their fears, and their complaints. 

Here are some brief excerpts from the 28 letters I received.   Some interesting thoughts here.  The letters give us a chance to "listen" to our young people, always a worthy endeavor.

"Make sure that teachers are fit to teach.  We students are the ones that know about the teachers most.  It's a huge difference to be taught by someone that wants you to learn the material and is