Recent happenings in and around City Hall.
Council unanimously confirmed David Jones as the new City Auditor. Before voting on Jones, I urged him to (1) support creation of an audit committee made up of city and outside experts to guide his work, (2) beef up his office staff with experts who know how to establish program evaluation protocols and complete those evaluations, and (3) shift his focus to a performance, accountability and outcome orientation. I believe Jones can do all this and lift the Auditor's office to new levels of effectiveness.
Yet more on the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel. This piece in last Monday's Wall Street Journal is interesting. There are legitimate questions about potential cost overruns related to this state-managed, state-financed and state-directed project for a state highway, but those questions should be asked and debated objectively and aimed at solutions, not as part of a subterfuge to derail the tunnel. The former is proper due diligence; the latter is duplicitous. Watching this one closely.
A few weeks back, I wrote about my experience at Mercer Middle School. This week the principal, Andhra Lutz, briefed the full Council on what's been happening at Mercer. It's well worth it to watch Andhra's presentation. Every school deserves and needs a principal like Andhra! Click here to watch a video of her remarks.