“There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little, and builds itself. It’s called a tree.” – George Monbiot INTRODUCTION: We call ourselves the “Emerald City” within the “Evergreen State” and yet our City laws have many loopholes that enable the removal of scores of trees each year, including healthy, […]

WHEREAS,    Malik Nkrumah Davis made his hometown of Seattle a better place for all, serving the city with distinction, energy, and love throughout his life and career; and WHEREAS,    Malik Davis was first and foremost a family man — a devoted husband, father, brother, and son; and WHEREAS,   Malik Davis was born in Seattle on […]

Friends and Neighbors, The Biggest Loss for Colleagues Family, Friends, Seattle We were all devastated by the passing of our esteemed colleague and dear friend Malik Davis. For those of us who knew Malik and his passion for public service, for Seattle, and for family, we are experiencing a deeply painful sadness with this sudden loss. […]

Summary & Introduction:  Problem: The Seattle city government continues to struggle to collect revenues sufficient to cover its costs, including for its infrastructure. This fiscal problem is caused by a combination of factors: some revenue sources declining, city government officials struggling to manage existing costs (such as personnel and pensions), and City Hall taking on […]

After conducting research and conferring with constituents, I have concluded that gasoline-fueled leaf blowers should be phased out in Seattle because they harm public health and the environment. Leaf blowers powered by clean electricity and batteries have become more powerful and effective. Our city government should lead by example in converting to cleaner, less noisy […]

Context: For the City government’s ongoing and increasing efforts to reduce homelessness, please see Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Homelessness Action Plan (CLICK HERE) and the website of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (CLICK HERE). This blog post about a single entity and site (Tent City 3) should be considered within the broader context of the […]

The sudden safety closure of the West Seattle “High-Rise” Bridge in March 2020 has been a major challenge for Seattle and Washington State. Even though the West Seattle Bridge is not in Seattle’s District 4, Councilmember Alex Pedersen provides periodic updates on the closure, stabilization, repairs, and other issues impacting the bridge because he was […]

APRIL 4, 2023 UPDATE: Wedgwood Community Council hears again from new developer of the shopping center The Wedgwood Community Council again hosted the local real estate developer that has big plans to construct a 5-story housing project with street-level retail and underground parking, anchored by a new grocery store on 35th Ave NE at NE […]

Introduction: During the past four years, the Seattle City Council has adopted several new policies and provided substantial funding to benefit many residential tenants. This has been in addition to the federal stimulus checks, temporary boosts to unemployment insurance, and ongoing rental assistance in various forms. Some of the policy changes I supported and some […]

INTRODUCTION: In September 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) asked City Council to allow for-profit companies to put thousands of e-scooters on certain parts of Seattle’s sidewalks so those companies could then charge people who ride the scooters on Seattle’s streets. While interested in another alternative, environmentally friendly mode of short-distance transportation, I shared […]