Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan came to the West Seattle Senior Center on Saturday Feb. 24 to speak at a Town Hall sharing her perspective and to answer some questions.

Durkan was joined at the event by members of several city departments including fire, police, housing, transportation, planning, human services, economic development, utilities and neighborhoods. "We bring City Hall to you," Durkan remarked.

She noted that she was the first female mayor in the city's history to deliver a State of the City address, which she did last week at Rainier Beach High School. 

She chose the location because she said, "I believe every part of this city is the answer to our future."

She touched some of the same issues she made in that address including the level of anxiety regarding the "explosive growth" in and around Seattle and "income disparity" and said her number one goal was "all about affordability."

If we don't solve the affordability problem she said,"We are going to lose the soul of the city I love."

On opportunity for youth she said, "We expect in the next 7 to 10 years over 700,000 plus jobs to be created in Washington State. Most of those jobs will require some post high school certificate. Only 30 percent of Washington high school students get that certificate or degree. That means almost 70 percent of our kids are not going to be part of the new economy if we don't change what we're doing." 

Her own aims include, "We want every kid in Seattle Public Schools to have a FREE ORCA card (bus payment card)... We want kids to get used to transit and we've got to encourage more use of transit... For every student who graduates from Seattle Public Schools we will provide two years of college. It is one of the things I am most excited about."

Durkan asked people how many were shocked by the new property taxes recently mailed to homeowners, with an average increase of 17 percent. "That is all because of the McCLeary" Decision which will be a pressure on affordability. That ruling found the state to not be in compliance with "its constitutional duty to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders." The state is currently being fined $100,000 a day for non-compliance. Property taxes fund education.

She noted that jobs are key to continued prosperity especially for youth. "I see it like this. We've got all those new shiny buildings. I want every kid to know they can have any job, working in any building, building any building, or owning the damn building. That's the future we need."

Citing the need for unity Durkan said,  "I think that if we pull together we can tackle some of these issues."

Problems like transportation, homelessness, and affordability have been "years in the making and they are not going to be fixed overnight." She said she's already earned a nickname at City Hall, "The Impatient Mayor"  because "I don't think we can wait." noting that the first piece of legislation she signed was for the sale of piece of city property so she could put the money into "Safer shelter for the homeless and $2 million for people who are right on the edge in rental assistance."

Durkan touched on transportation saying, "The good news is we're gonna get  Sound Transit 3. I'm going to work really hard to accelerate it so we get it quicker. The hardest part of it is siting stations and working with community." In the meantime. "We know when the viaduct comes down it's going to present incredible transportation challenges to everyone in the city." She noted that with the current set of transportation infrastructure projects currently underway or planned, "traffic in Seattle is going to get much, much worse in the next three years and it won't be they Mayor's fault," which drew a laugh from the crowd. "The viaduct will be torn down, First Ave will be torn up because of a street car, the convention center is going to be built, all of the busses are coming out of the tunnel and on to the city streets, Pine and Pike will be a challenge  due to the Convention Center. At different times Fourth Ave. and Fifth Ave will be closed due to the construction of Rainier Square so it literally at times will be almost impassable."

She said the city is working with employers to increase flex time, with Metro and Sound Transit to get better and more frequent transit. 

She pointed to a better future with the removal of the viaduct saying, "When we see that Belltown has no viaduct running through it and there's rolling streets that go right down to the waterfront, and the aquarium is connected to the Market, and people can walk without the roar of traffic.... then Seattle Center, we're going to rebuild it so it going to be that next emblem of the future...and rebuild Key Arena and we get hockey and maybe get our Sonics back and we keep the arts groups that are there and make sure we invest in Arts groups around the city. One of the things I think that makes Seattle what it is, is the eclectic nature of each of the neighborhoods. You come to West Seattle and say 'I could move you to Ballard,' you'd be like 'no'... 

On housing she said, "I know growth is hard and on HALA and Upzoning, we have to have growth. Look we are gonna grow. We are not gonna undo HALA and Upzoning because we have have more density in the city. But I also believe that not one size fits all. We have to have ways to engage the neighborhoods and communities better on defining what they will look like."

Remembering the Seattle Fire and our history as a staging area for the Yukon gold rush, "Seattle has always been about re-creation and the invention of the future. We will continue to invent that future. I want to listen to you and I want to serve you. But we can only do it if we do it together.

She closed with questions from the audience which touched on housing affordability, re-training, and more. Gunnar Scott of Highland Park asked about local issues including the roundabout  at Highland Park Way and SW Holden Street which was denied a state grant last November. The project has been a wish by the community Scott said for "seventy years." He expressed concerns about the increasing density without addressing such infrastructure improvements. Scott also mentioned the impending reauthorization of a nearby homeless encampment and said that Highland Park has long been an "under-resourced neighborhood." He extended an invitation to the Mayor to visit which she accepted. Mayor Durkan said she would look at the issue in the next six months with SDOT.  She said her homelessness efforts should help with the encampment issue but "it's gonna take time."

Jamie a teacher at Franklin High School was concerned about the increasing cost of living in Seattle asking how we can afford it. Durkan said it would call for "hard choices" to resolve the issue acknowledging that taxes have gone up quickly. "We are looking at a defecit and I've asked all city departments where we can make cuts."

David Toledo asked about youth and Seattle arts specifically asking about a Work Readiness in the Arts Program that existed under Mayor Mike McGinn's administration. Durkan said it was critical to have kids learn about the arts. "We're going to have additional programs like that," and continued, "Any great city in the history of the world has a vibrant arts community."

Diane Vincent said she is a lifelong renter in need of retraining and said her rent is $1100 but her social security income is $594. "So I have to work. Senior is not synonymous with retired. I will have to work the rest of my life. I've been on the wait list for senior apartments for three years. I passed the eligibility review last year." She said has training as a toxicologist and wants to work with children "but I spend all my time trying to survive and trying not to be one of the homeless." She noted there are many people like her out there in Seattle. She needs help in housing and in finding employment. Durkan said she is looking at cooperative efforts with King County and State regarding landlords who could be given a property tax credit for holding the line on rent. But that requires a change in state law. She said she is putting together a new rent program and see what can be done to help people who need rental assistance. Durkan said all segments need help with job training and seeking.

Switching to transportation Durkan also mentioned the imminent arrival of autonomous vehicles. "All predictions are within seven to 10 years we will have autonomous vehicles. I have two sons and I can promise you if they can pick up their phone and push a button and a pod will show up, that's what they'll do. But what no one really talks about is that there are good economic projections that by the time we automate... up to 20 million Americans will lose their jobs....Delivery people, taxi and uber drivers, but no one talks about what we do as a city as autonomy comes.  As this city gets more expensive how do we get retrained for new job opportunities? Durkan said she's working on it.

A question came up about education regarding adult students. Durkan spoke about the 13th Year program for a few Seattle schools, including Sealth, that provides a year of college for high school graduates. Durkan said, "It's not K-12 anymore. All the data show without early learning they won't be as successful. If we don't have post secondary education they won't get the jobs of the future." She expressed hope the programs would grow with a full four year program free for everyone eventually.

A second generation landlord in the Morgan Junction urban village said she came to advocate for increasing inventory in housing by upzoning, speeding up the permitting process, release restrictions on backyard cottages and other housing potentials. She also asked about mental health and addiction issues noting her brother suffered from mental illness and addiction but could not get help because the system is "broken" stating "If someone is crazy they are not going to make a rational decision about their addiction!"

Durkan said she is a "data-driven person" and talked about homelessness in her answer noting that one size does not fit all and "we know there are different solutions for each situation" and said she is working on solutions with an effort called One Table that is a community approach joining King County,  Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, and Mayor Durkan's office as well as local philanthropists to work on homelessness and behavioral health. "We can't deny that many people on the street have a problem with mental health or substance abuse. If we don't address that reality we won't change it."