For the last several weeks, the City Council has deliberated on a proposal to create a Seattle Parks District. Under state law, the city government can ask the voters to approve this new, dedicated and sustainable funding source for our...
Oh, the Places You’ll Go with Seattle Parks and Greenways!
You know all this from my previous blog entries (Part I, Part II, and Part III): Our city proudly counts 465 parks spanning 6,200 acres of beaches, forests, fields, playgrounds, ball courts, community centers, and rain-kissed open space. We rely on these parks for respite from city life, room to stretch our legs, space to […]
Make Way for Play! A How-to guide to Take Back Your Street
Ready for some exciting homemade neighborhood fun inspired by you, your family and your neighbors? This spring and summer we can take over the streets and expand our neighborhood park space. The point is to celebrate community and culture in every neighborhood through an opportunity called “place-making.” The asphalt isn’t just for cars anymore. This […]
Urban Politics #349: A Seattle Park District
I proposed changes to the Council's Seattle Park District legislation that call for a more diverse citizen oversight committee and increased funding for recreation programs.
Parks – Recognizing Costs Savings, and Energy Efficiencies, and Labor Reductions
We Councilmembers will make a decision next Monday whether and how to create a funding source dedicated to Parks alone. We have loved our parks and greenspaces for more than a century. We look to parks for health, sanctuary, and play. Unfortunately, we have been unable to maintain them as if they will be around […]
Investing in our future – the Proposed Seattle Park District
This August, a ballot measure may be presented to Seattle voters that could create a sustainable and dedicated new funding source for Seattle Parks. In the past, we have voted for levies with which you are undoubtedly familiar. You may just beginning to hear about the proposed Seattle Park District. I have repeatedly heard a […]
Funding our Parks: The Big Picture
We held our second meeting of the Select Committee on Parks Funding on Monday, March 17th. My council colleagues and I received extensive briefings from the co-chairs of the Parks Legacy Advisory Committee, Barbara Wright and Charlie Zaragoza, by Ben Noble and Mike Fong from the Mayor’s Office, Christopher Williams from Parks and Meg […]
Lockers: One Way to Help
You may have read this in The Stranger, but in case you haven’t, I wanted you to see a letter that Councilmember Harrell and I wrote. Thanks for reading — Sally Imagine you have lost your job, your home, maybe your marriage or long term relationship. You now find yourself alone and homeless in Seattle. […]
Catching up with our Neighborhoods–Guest Blog Post
Councilmember Bagshaw’s Legislative assistant, Alberta Bleck, attended the Magnolia Queen Anne District Council meeting on January 13 in Bayview Manor. Alberta will be contributing her thoughts on this program and others on a semi-regular basis as a guest blogger for Councilmember Bagshaw’s office. If there are any topics you would like to see covered on […]
Civic Cocktail: A Family-Friendly Downtown
Earlier this week I sat on a panel for the Seattle Channel's program Civic Cocktail to discuss strategies that make for a family-friendly downtown. The first half of the video below is a one-on-one discussion between host Joni Balter and...