Seattle Forward

Update on Preschool for All Planning Efforts

Here’s a quick update on the status of major planning efforts initiated last fall by the Council’s Preschool for All resolution.

On Monday, February 3, at 9:30 a.m. in City Hall you can hear national experts Dr. Hirokazu Yoshikawa and Dr. Christina Weiland present new research on the benefits of universal preschool. We welcome you to Council Chambers to see them in person or you can also watch them live online or on TV through Seattle Channel 21.

Additionally, the City’s Office for Education has selected a “Dream Team” of renowned experts to assist the City in designing a high-quality, universal preschool program.

Seeking Public Input on Police Chief Search

Councilmember Harrell and I have been asked to serve on the Mayor’s 12-member police chief search committee. As this committee starts to meet, a parallel Community Advisory Committee will be collecting and contributing public input about the necessary qualities of and priorities for the new chief.

Want to share your perspective? You can do so online at spdchiefsearch.com by February 6 or in person at any of the community workshops listed below.

The search committee will deliver three candidates to the Mayor, who will then pick his appointment. At that point the Council will begin its formal confirmation process and receive further public input at those meetings.

Sending the Right Signal

The Council’s public safety committee voted today to lift a restriction on the appointment of senior police commanders from outside of the Seattle Police Department. The City Council imposed the restriction way back in 1978, a move that required top commanders to be appointed only from within the Police Department’s ranks.

Allowing the chief to select the best possible candidates from inside or outside the department sends the right signal to our police officers. We expect them to compete for these important leadership positions with the best and the brightest from the around the country. We want them to serve under and learn from the best police commanders available.

It also sends the right signal to police chief candidates. Truly effective and sustainable reform necessitates strong leadership. The legislation passed out of committee today signals that the political leadership of Seattle is serious about reform and moving the department forward. It empowers the next chief to bring whoever she or he feels will best advance effective and constitutional policing practices.

The Council's public safety chair Bruce Harrell and I sponsored this legislation, which will now go to the Full Council for a vote on Monday. If you’re interested in reading more (including a table of other cities' hiring practices), here is a memo with more detail about the bill.

City Inside/Out: Preschool, Police, Waterfront and More

The January edition of the Seattle Channel's City Inside/Out program airs at 7:30 p.m. tonight. This month, Councilmembers O'Brien, Bagshaw and myself joined host Brian Callanan to talk about preschool for all, the police department, the tunnel, potential Metro service cuts, the minimum wage and more. Take a look below:

Getting Around Town

One of my priorities as Council President for the next two years is to hold more Council Committee meetings out in neighborhoods when appropriate.

Your elected representatives are out in the community on a regular basis (see where I've been here), but it is another matter to take the official business of government closer to where people live or work. I have encouraged my colleagues to consider holding at least one of their Council committee meetings out in a neighborhood this year. Combined with the Council's two Town Halls, that would be nearly one official Council meeting outside of City Hall each month.

A New Year at City Hall

Today was a big day at City Hall. Hundreds packed the building for the swearing-in of new Mayor Ed Murray, new Councilmember Kshama Sawant, the three reelected Councilmembers and our reelected City Attorney.

Working together, those of us in the City have a fresh opportunity to build the public’s trust and confidence in local government.

The Council also held our first Full Council meeting of the year, where we finalized City Council committee and regional committee assignments. I will chair the Education and Governance Committee, which will focus on realizing the goal of voluntary, high-quality, affordable preschool available to all Seattle’s children. The Committee also oversees intergovernmental relations, the City’s personnel policies, and any legislative matters relating to ethics and elections.

In addition, my colleagues selected me to serve as the President of the City Council for 2014-2015. This means that I chair the City Council meetings and ensure all members of the legislative department can perform their work efficiently and effectively. Below are the remarks I made in acceptance of this position: