Mayor Mike McGinn delivered his proposed 2013-14 budget to the Seattle City Council on Monday afternoon Sept. 24. It was his third budget message and, partly because times are better and city revenues not so constrained as they were in the grim years of the Great Recession, this message was more favorably received than in [...]
Category: Councilmember Godden
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Seattle City Council approves rental housing inspection legislation
News Release:
This Seattle City Council voted today (5-0) to approve rental housing inspection legislation, improving living conditions for Seattle’s more than approximately 269,000 renters occupying 147,000 rental units. Council Bill 117569 provides a multi-faceted approach to addressing Seattle’s sub-standard housing through a registration and inspection program.
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Seattle City Council approves arena legislation
News Release:
The Council voted 6-2 today to approve a revised agreement with private investor Chris Hansen for a new sports and entertainment arena. The final version of the bill includes technical amendments discussed over the past ten days with the King County Council.
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Rethinking Seattle’s Living Room
In recent days, we’ve been reading some pessimistic reports about the future of KeyArena. It’s dismaying indeed to read these pieces, as it is far too early to fear for Seattle Center’s future. To paraphrase the late, great Mark Twain, accounts of KeyArena’s death are premature.
In recent years, KeyArena has turned a profit – not a large one – but a profit. And the facility is helping with Seattle Center’s finances. In fact, as the Center is presently structured, the facility’s health is vital to keeping Seattle Center, often referred to as “Seattle’s living room,” closer to the bottom line.
The Center’s annual budget ($34.5 million in 2012) is partly financed by the city’s general fund. In recent years, the Center … Continue Reading »
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Council honored the accomplishments of former Councilmember Cheryl Chow
On September 17, 2012, former Seattle City Councilmember Cheryl Chow received special recognition for her public service in Seattle. The Seattle City Council presented her with a Proclamation and declared Monday, September 17, 2012 as "Cheryl Chow Day."
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All for the love of a clown named J.P.
The first Patches Pals began queuing at midnight for Saturday’s 11 a.m. tribute to the late Chris Wedes, the man they knew as J. P. (Julius Pierpont) Patches, one of the Northwest’s most beloved and enduring characters. Wedes, who succumbed to cancer in July, was host of KIRO-TV’s long-running (1958-81) children’s television show.
Although he had been off the air for decades, J. P. remained a Northwest icon. He continued to make personal appearances throughout the region and to donate time to such causes as Seattle Children’s Hospital. It was not unusual to see grown men blink back tears when they had an opportunity to shake hands with their childhood hero. Nor was it surprising to see thousands filling McCaw Hall on Saturday to remember the beloved clown they loved dearly … Continue Reading »
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Council Committee receives report on March 2012 Seattle Public Utilities fraud
News Release:
The Seattle City Council’s Libraries, Utilities and Center (LUC) Committee this morning received a report from the City Auditor and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) on the steps taken to protect the utility from fraud and theft.
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Seattle City Council approves Yesler Terrace redevelopment legislation
News Release:
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously today to approve legislation allowing the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) to redevelop the 22-acre Yesler Terrace public housing neighborhood.
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Have a question for the Seattle City Council? Get it answered on Seattle Channel’s Council Edition
News Release:
Do you have a question for the City Council? Will the proposed NBA/NHL arena become a reality? What are the Council’s 2013 budget priorities and how will they align with those of Seattleites? What does passage of the Library Levy mean for Seattle libraries? What does the Council’s vote on Yesler Terrace mean for the neighborhood and residents? Whatever your questions, submit them now.
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Splendors of the Waterfront
Seattle’s waterfront is “a many-splendored thing.” The late Ivar Haglund used that phrase, in full page ads in the papers, to describe the less-than-splendid 1959 waterfront.
At that time, the waterfront neighborhood was being criticized by civic activists who deplored conditions there. Concerns over the shabby, neglected waterfront were a perennial story, one that would be voiced time and again, punctuated by periodic attempts to improve matters. But, in fact, there were more proposals and plans than concerted activity.
In the 1980s, a civic group analysis of the waterfront described the area from Pier 59 Pier 70 as “a virtual no man’s land.” They singled out a bleak section from Piers 62 to 65, which, at the time, was wrapped in … Continue Reading »