I have a confession to make. When I was a freshman legislator in 1995, and thrilled by a terrific season of Mariner baseball, I voted for the bill that funded the new stadium. You may remember that the people had narrowly defeated a tax package…MORE
Opinion
Senate budget a 'shared pain'
Mon, 04/06/09
(Editor's note: The following opinion piece was provided from Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles' e-newsletter.)
Monday, the senate introduced our "operating budget." Our Majority Leader, Sen. Lisa Brown, described it as “shared pain.” And, painful…MORE
Mayor's incentives just a disguise for developer giveaway
Fri, 04/03/09
The housing shortfall has grown for people below 40 percent of county-wide median and the King County 2008 Housing Benchmarks Report shows similar growing gap for Seattle's very low income households.
• By contrast there is a surplus…MORE
Does Seattle need to build a new jail?
Wed, 04/01/09
(Editor's note: This article appears originally in Seattle City Council member Nick Licata's Urban Politics newsletter.)
You may remember that last November, council member Tim Burgess and I, using slightly different approaches, convinced…MORE
Operating budget will be 'all-cuts'
Sat, 03/28/09
Last week, I wrote about the cuts our state budget is facing and that we would be releasing our Senate budget proposal sometime this week, and the House would release its proposal shortly after that.
I have learned in my years down in…MORE
Viaduct forum: What was said, what wasn't
Fri, 03/27/09
If you didn't know any better, you might think Ballard was populated with reserved Scandinavians who show little emotion. At last Monday's Alaskan Way Viaduct and Tunnel forum in Ballard, home of the only group to endorse Speaker Chopp's…MORE
Budget shortfall among nation's 'most severe'
Sun, 03/22/09
Last week we received more devastating, albeit expected, news. Our national recession and our state’s rapidly increasing unemployment rate, now at 8.4 percent, the highest our state has faced since 1987, have significantly reduced our tax…MORE
New 9th Avenue park still has long way to go
Mon, 03/16/09
Early last year, Groundswell NW received a nearly anonymous e-mail with information that the 7th Elect Church of Israel property in the 7000 block of 9th Avenue Northwest was being very quietly marketed for sale. At first we thought it might be…MORE
Finally, the multifamily code update
Wed, 03/11/09
(Editor's note: the following appears in the council member's newsletter, Seattle View from Sally Clark.)
Our multifamily code -- the rules that apply to building anything from a townhouse up to a 40-story condo high-rise -- was last…MORE
Licata getting set for another run at council
Tue, 03/10/09
This weekend I sent out a letter to supporters announcing that I would be seeking another term on the Seattle City Council and not running for mayor or retiring entirely from Municipal government.
Below is copy from the letter that was…MORE
