West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
Seattle Port Commissioner Ryan Calkins announced today that he’s running for a second 4-year term. Calkins, who works as a business consultant, says economic recovery from the pandemic-caused hardships will be a priority. He lists job creation as a focus. His announcement also says he “is running to build on his commitment and track record as a climate champion and advocate for mitigation and cleanup in communities that have historically suffered the impacts of pollution, dislocation, and development.” Calkins, an Eastlake resident, holds Position 1 on the commission; so far no one else has registered a campaign for that seat. The formal filing period, however, isn’t until next month. Commissioners are elected in a countywide vote.
.
(2018 Emergency Hubs drill photo courtesy Tamsen Spengler)
The state’s “Good Samaritan Law“ will expand to protect emergency-services volunteers in more circumstances, thanks to teamwork between West Seattle advocates and legislators. The bill has passed both houses of the Legislature. It’s explained in this announcement as:
House Bill 1209 expands Washington’s Good Samaritan Law by providing that a person is not liable for any act or omission while providing volunteer nonmedical care or assistance at the scene of an emergency or disaster, unless the act or omission rises to the level of gross negligence, or willful or wanton misconduct.
The main sponsor, Pierce County Rep. Dan Bronoske – who happens to also be a firefighter – explains, “Say a flood is approaching and the only way to help you escape is to break down a door or windows, response teams would be able to take that emergency step without fear of personal liability. That does not mean you would be left without financial help like insurance or disaster aid, just that the emergency volunteers responding would be protected too.”
Key advocacy came from the volunteers of the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs; West Seattle-residing Hubs advocate Cindi Barker tells WSB they first approached West Seattle state Rep. Eileen Cody, who in turn worked with Rep. Bronoske to make the bill happen (Cody and West Seattle Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon are among the co-sponsors). Barker tells WSB, “The Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs have been aware of this issue for several years; the question of liability protection often comes up when we do outreach about emergency preparedness and talking about helping our communities after a disaster. The State Attorney General’s Office had provided us information that a general response after an earthquake would not be covered by the Good Samaritan provisions because when it was written, it addressed medical responses only. Even most recently, during the COVID response, some people have held back from volunteering, worried about the liability. So we decided to fix that gap.”
Next step will be for Gov. Inslee to sign the bill into law; no date for that is set yet.
This Thursday, the West Seattle Democratic Women invite you to learn about two hot topics from their guest speaker. Here’s the announcement:
In honor of Women’s History Month, for its meeting on Thursday, March 25th, the West Seattle Democratic Women have invited Alison McCaffree from the League of Women Voters of Washington to present the history of the Equal Right Amendment and current efforts to get it passed. She will also tell us about Speak Up Schools in Washington State, a program created to inspire people to testify in front of the Washington State Redistricting Commission which will draw the lines for our legislative districts this year. Why do we care about these issues? How do they impact us? To join us on Zoom for this interactive and engaging presentation, email Mary Fisher at maryfisher1@comcast.net by 11 a.m. Thursday for the Zoom link. Speaker begins at 7 p.m, after we share positive news of the month in a pre-meeting discussion starting at 6:30 p.m.
For the past two months, the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee, chaired by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold, has been considering a proposal to cut $5.4 million from the Seattle Police Department budget. Despite representing a relatively small part of the SPD budget, it’s loomed large in symbolism even more than effects. Today, on the eve of a possible committee vote, a new proposal – but first some backstory:
The $5.4 million was actually added to the SPD budget last December – as explained in the original council memo, $1.9 million in federal pandemic reimbursement, $1.9 million to cover spending on paid parental leave, and $1.6 million to cover increased separation-pay costs that accompany increased departures from the department. But, sponsoring councilmembers including Herbold originally argued, that money shouldn’t be needed because, said the memo:
• SPD would have had sufficient appropriation authority to cover the $5.4 million had it not overspent its overtime budget, due largely to over-deployment of officers during the largely peaceful demonstrations in the summer of 2020, including a deployment of officers that exceeded $10 million in overtime costs in less than 60 days; and
• That there would be salary savings in SPD’s budget achieved in 2021 due to higher than anticipated attrition that has already occurred in October 2020 and may continue to occur during November 2020 and December 2020.
So they instead sought to move the $5.4 million to the “participatory budgeting” process which has been under way, focused on the development of alternative public-safety responses.
At the committee’s last meeting March 9th, SPD and mayor’s office reps made their case for keeping the money in the budget. Deputy mayor Mike Fong declared flatly that SPD “is in a staffing crisis.” He and others recapped that the department lost 200 officers last year. We have reported, following Southwest Precinct leaders’ appearances at local community meetings, that the precinct serving West Seattle/South Park has lost a third of its staff. The precinct-by-precinct staffing reports in the March 9th agenda packet showed that SW Precinct patrol staffing dropped from 79 to 66 just in the last quarter of last year.
This is not because the staffing budget has been cut – but a variety of factors, including the perceived lack of City Council support, has led to departures, SPD says. And if this cut is made, the committee was told, the department could be in a staffing shortage “beyond mitigation.”
Already, the committee was told, the department has “minimum staffing days” more frequently citywide, as well as an increase in times when it’s on “priority call” status – times when they can only dispatch officers to the highest-priority calls, such as violent crimes. Response times are higher, with averages no longer meeting the 7-minute target. And with the redeployment of officers to the patrol ranks, they’ve lost “problem-solving teams,” like the Community Police Teams. But the SPD presentation didn’t just focus on what’s wrong currently – it also focused on how it’s not too late for a positive turning point, with the department still experiencing a record number of applicants for the openings it has – while warning that more officers “will leave if they see these continued cuts.” SPD also spelled out what it would do with the $5.4 million if it’s not cut, including technical support for the increase in online reporting.
At tomorrow’s committee meeting, a vote is possible – which would then send the measure to full council. But at this morning’s weekly council briefing meeting (one hour and 45 minutes into this video), when each councilmember provides a preview of the week ahead, Herbold announced she had come up with a new version of the bill to present tomorrow. We requested and just received a copy – see it here. It cuts less, moving $2 million to “participatory budgeting” instead of the original $5.4 million, and specifies other spending such as 5 mental-health responders to join SPD crisis responses, and also funds the civilian positions, technology improvements, and separation pay funding that SPD had requested, Herbold said..
In addition to announcing the new proposal, Herbold said that even if it – or another version – passes out of committee tomorrow, a final full council vote is likely to be delayed because those overseeing the consent decree have questions before final action. Tomorrow’s meeting is at 9:30 am; the agenda explains how to view it as well as how to sign up to comment.
The 15th candidate to enter the race for Seattle mayor is Jessyn Farrell. This is her second mayoral campaign – she finished fourth in the August 2017 primary. Farrell is a former state legislator (2013-2017) who is senior vice president of Civic Ventures, described in her campaign announcement as “a public policy incubator,” and has also been executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition. She vows to “establish a new standard for successful, thriving cities” with priorities including “making housing more affordable and establishing universal birth-to 5-childcare.” Her website says she’s seeking community collaboration to develop a full policy platform. Farrell is a Northeast Seattle resident. The primary to narrow the race to two candidates is August 2nd; the lineup will be finalized in May.
Adding his name today to what’s now a 14-candidate list in the Seattle mayor’s race is someone who once, albeit briefly, held the title: Former City Councilmember Bruce Harrell. He was council president when then-mayor Ed Murray resigned in 2017, but declined to keep the interim mayoral position, so the council appointed another member, Tim Burgess, to serve the two months until the next election. Harrell then decided not to run for council re-election in 2019. His campaign announcement today is in the form of an “open letter” to Seattle residents. It tells his personal story as well as laying out a wide-ranging platform including business assistance, affordable health care, job creation, arts/culture/nightlife revitalization, public/private partnership to address homelessness, addressing structural racism and police bias, and more. His few days as mayor in 2017 were marked by issuance of four executive orders, as we reported here. This isn’t his first run for mayor – he ran in 2013, finishing fourth in a primary field of nine. This year’s primary is August 2nd; the candidate lineup will be finalized in May.
Another candidate has announced she’s running for Seattle Port Commission: Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, executive director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, has entered the race for Position 4, currently held by first-term Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck. Hasegawa’s announcement quotes her as saying, “I’m running in the wake of economic devastation because I have the values and the experience to meet the dire needs of this moment. The Port is uniquely positioned to be a model for bringing together industry, business, workers and communities to rebuild our economy and be better than it was before. I bring the necessary perspective and sense of urgency to ensure that the next rising tide will lift all of our ships.” The announcement explains that in her current role leading CAPAA, she “advises the Governor, State Legislature and other agencies on laws, programs, and policies impacting historically marginalized communities.” She also has worked as communications/outreach manager for King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight and as a legislative assistant to King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles. Her port priorities include “shaping an equitable economic recovery for our region, reducing pollution and carbon emissions from the Port; ensuring safety at the Port for all travelers and workers; and promoting clean & ethical supply chains to address the growing issue of labor trafficking and economic exploitation.” Hasegawa lives on Beacon Hill. Position 4 is one of three commission seats on this year’s ballot; the field won’t be finalized until May, and the primary is August 2nd.
Last month, we reported twice on a City Council proposal to change the rules for small businesses operating from home, as more have done to stay afloat during the pandemic. Tomorrow afternoon, the council is expected to vote on the proposal. It passed the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee 4-1. Here’s how the agenda document summarizes the proposed changes:
Specifically, during the COVID-19 civil emergency, the bill would remove the following requirements that currently apply to home occupations:
Customer visits are by appointment only
There shall be no evidence of the home occupation visible from the exterior of the structure
No more than two persons who are not residents of a dwelling unit on the lot may work in a home occupation, regardless of whether the persons work full or part-time or are compensated.
The home occupation shall not cause a substantial increase in on-street parking= congestion or a substantial increase in traffic within the immediate vicinityIn addition, the legislation would (1) allow a home business to operate in a required parking space provided that no changes are made that would prevent the space from being used for parking in the future and (2) allow home businesses to install a nonilluminated sign up to 720 square inches bearing the name of the home occupation.
You can read the full text of the proposal here. To comment during the 2 pm Monday meeting, you can sign up starting at noon by going here; you can comment any time via email at council@seattle.gov.
For everyone who suggests the solution to a problem is to elect new leadership, there’s someone else who points out that many elected positions don’t draw many candidates. That’s true. (Just one example – both of our area’s State House representatives ran for re-election unopposed last year.) If you are interested in finding out what it takes to run for an elected position, King County Elections has just announced workshops. From the WSB inbox:
King County Elections will host four virtual Candidate Workshops in an effort to empower potential candidates to take the leap and run for office.
Tuesday, March 16, 6 p.m. – 8p.m.
Thursday, April 1, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Thursday, April 29, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.Virtual meeting over Zoom webinar – click here or visit bit.ly/kingworkshops to choose a date and register.
The workshops will be held to demystify the process by empowering potential candidates with key information they need to file their candidacy. This year there are over 330 local, nonpartisan offices up for election.
“We know that one of the key reasons people don’t vote in local elections is because they don’t see candidates on the ballot who look like them or represent their community,” said Director of Elections Julie Wise. “These workshops are an opportunity for less experienced or first-time candidates to get information and ask questions directly from the team that will ultimately help them through the filing process.”
The workshops will cover a range of topics including the elections calendar, online candidate filing, filing fee petitions, ballot order, local voters’ pamphlet filing, and more.
“Running for office takes a tremendous amount of courage and even the most technical parts of the process can be intimidating. We want to make to make things as easy as possible,” said Wise.
The workshops will be in preparation for the candidate filing period this year, Monday, May 17 through the following Friday, May 21. All Declarations of Candidacy must be received by King County Elections before the close of business on Friday, regardless of postmark.
Though the rest of the election cycle is still months away, there’s one local election happening right now, with online voting. You might even have received a postcard about it. Here’s the announcement:
King Conservation District (KCD) is holding its annual Board Supervisor election in March to fill an open Board of Supervisors seat. The 2021 election has attracted an unprecedented eight candidates for the position. Brittany Bush Bollay, Kali Clark, John Comerford, Wayne Gullstad, Doug Hennick, Natalie Reber, Melissa Tatro, and David Toledo are all vying for the open seat. Candidate statements can be read at kingcd.org/elections.
In 2020, KCD made international headlines by offering electronic ballot access for their Board Supervisor election. Those changes increased the visibility, and accessibility, of the election and doubled voter turnout from the prior year. To increase awareness of the election in 2021, KCD will be mailing out over 800,000 postcards to eligible voter households in the district with information on how to vote in our board election. …
KCD is a natural-resources-assistance agency authorized by Washington State and guided by the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC). Its mission is to help people in King County steward their natural resources and offers services to assist people with forestry management, streamside and shoreline restoration, farm conservation planning, and other environmental efforts. KCD promotes conservation through demonstration projects, educational events, technical assistance and, in some cases, providing or pointing the way to funds which may be available for projects. KCD has no regulatory or enforcement authority and only works with those who choose to work with KCD.
An all-volunteer, five-member Board of Supervisors is responsible for overseeing all KCD programs and activities. Three of the members are elected while the other two are appointed by the WSCC, an agency created to assist and guide conservation district activities in Washington State. Supervisors serve a three-year term and oversee the operations of KCD. Board members contribute local perspectives on important natural resource management and conservation issues, seek feedback about conservation programs from district residents, set KCD policy, and direct KCD’s work plan and budget.
KCD’s district includes all eligible voters in King County (but does not include City of Enumclaw, City of Federal Way, City of Milton, City of Pacific, and City of Skykomish that are not within our service area). Voters will have the option of voting through electronic ballot access, print and mail, or picking up a ballot at the KCD Office at 800 SW 39th St Suite #150, Renton, WA 98057.
Ballots are available to eligible voters online and at the KCD Office (800 SW 39th St Suite #150, Renton, WA 98057). Voters may return ballots electronically through the electronic ballot marking system by 5:00 p.m. on March 23, 2021, or print and mail the ballots with a postmark of March 23, 2021. Ballots postmarked March 23, 2021 and mailed to King County Elections, 919 SW Grady Way, Suite 200, Renton WA 98057 will be counted and accepted through March 26, 2021.
Side note – Current KCD supervisors include West Seattleite Chris Porter.
Less than two weeks after kicking off his City Council Position 8 candidacy with a citywide tour including a West Seattle Junction stop, Mike McQuaid has withdrawn. We noticed it on the city elections website this afternoon and confirmed it with a campaign spokesperson. The Seattle Times reported last Friday that McQuaid had been charged with assault and harassment in 2015 after, according to a police report, he threatened and threw a rock at a man working on a landscaping project outside his South Lake Union condo building. The Times report says the charge resulted in a “deferred prosecution” agreement and a dismissal in 2018. McQuaid’s withdrawal leaves West Seattle-residing incumbent Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda alone in the Position 8 race for now; filings won’t be finalized until May.
Today the state House passed a major environmental bill sponsored by one of our area’s lawmakers, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, who chairs the House Environment and Energy Committee. Here’s the news release:
Washington is one step closer to joining its west coast neighbors in establishing a clean fuel standard. House Bill 1091, sponsored by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-West Seattle) directs the Washington State Department of Ecology to adopt a rule establishing a Clean Fuels Program that would limit greenhouse gas emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. It passed the House today with a vote of 52-46.
“It is long past time for Washington to join our neighbors in Oregon, California, and British Columbia in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector,” said Fitzgibbon. “We owe it to future generations to protect the climate, improve our air quality, and create jobs in the biofuels industry. Washington can be a leader in clean fuel production, but we are falling behind our neighbors. This bill protects our climate, cleans our air, and grows clean energy jobs. This program is overdue, but it’s not too late for us to do our part.”
The transportation sector is responsible for roughly 45% of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also help reduce the state’s contributions to climate change. The most recent National Climate Assessment, a federal report prepared by hundreds of scientists, details the disruptive impacts anticipated in the United States and the Pacific Northwest if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed. The addition of fire season to the west coast calendar highlights the urgency of the moment.
This would create opportunities for Washington producers of clean transportation fuels – from biodiesel, to renewable natural gas, to the clean electricity produced by the state’s utilities. The policy itself is technology-neutral, not mandating use of any specific renewable fuel. Currently, Washingtonians spend $9 billion annually on gasoline and diesel, while the vast majority of locally-produced clean fuels are shipped to states that already have a clean fuel standard. A clean fuel standard will create a market for clean fuels right here in Washington.
Prior to passing the full House, the bill advanced through the House Environment & Energy, Transportation, and Appropriations committees. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Our area’s senior House Rep. Eileen Cody also voted for the bill, which you can read in its entirety here. As for the Senate, here’s what our area’s State Senator tweeted tonight:
I 👀 you @joefitzgibbon! Marathon of a debate for Clean Fuels in WA State.
We’re ready to fight for it in the Senate. #WaLeg
— Joe (@meetjoenguyen) February 28, 2021
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The first West Seattleite to declare she’s running for City Council citywide Position 9 has campaigned for a council spot before.
Back in 2015, Brianna Thomas finished fourth in a field of nine during the first-ever District 1 primary election.
At the time, she had a resumé of political and community organizing. Since then, she’s learned about City Council work from the inside, as chief of staff for Council President Lorena González, whose run for mayor is opening the position Thomas is seeking.
We talked with Thomas by phone at midday today, a few hours after her campaign was announced.
Two days after the announcement of a proposal to relax rules for operating businesses at home, a City Council committee discussed it this morning. The Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee is chaired by the bill’s main sponsor, Councilmember Dan Strauss. No vote today, but the committee heard a presentation from council staff as well as comments from councilmembers and the public. The latter included the proprietor of a business cited as inspiration for the bill, a cider company that tried becoming home-based because of the pandemic but ran afoul of city rules. The main presentation/discussion starts at 1 hour, 21 minutes into the meeting video (which you can watch above or here on the Seattle Channel website). The presentation included a mention that if this is adopted, city staff also could start researching making some or all of its provisions permanent; otherwise, it would be temporary, for up to a year. Here’s the slide deck from today’s presentation:
Many of the questions asked during the briefing were from North Seattle Councilmember Debora Juarez. She expressed concern that, as written, the proposal could open the door for neighborhood businesses run from homes to endanger small businesses in nearby business districts. For example, she said, what would be stopping someone from turning their garage into an espresso stand, taking business away from an established shop a few blocks away that has higher expenses because it’s a permanent brick-and-mortar business? “I’m supportive of the intent, but the application … is where I get concerned.” Other agencies’ rules would still apply – for example, health rules for commercial food/beverage service – Strauss said. You can read the proposed legislation here; it’s expected to return to the committee for a potential vote on March 10th.
RSVP today if you are interested in this event with the West Seattle Democratic Women tomorrow:
February 25th via Zoom:
The West Seattle Democratic Women are offering a rare opportunity to hear a presentation by Reverend Harriett Walden, founder of Mothers for Police Accountability, member of Seattle’s Community Police Commission, and a well-respected community leader for her compassionate approach to challenging issues. The presentation begins at 11:45; pre-meeting discussion and short business meeting start at 11 a.m. To join us, email maryfisher1@comcast.net by 5 p.m. Wednesday [today]. There will be time set aside for questions.
(Photo via seattle.gov.)
As reported here Wednesday, South Lake Union community activist Mike McQuaid is the second candidate to declare he’s running for Seattle City Council citywide Position 8. He is the first to make a campaign stop in West Seattle. As part of a citywide post-announcement tour today, he stopped at Husky Deli in The Junction:
His campaign announcement didn’t address one major topic that has been on the City Council’s front burner in various ways during the past year – crime and public safety. So we asked about his views on that.
Council Position 8 is one of four citywide positions that’ll be on your ballot in August and November – along with Council Position 9, Mayor, and City Attorney.
The first challenger for Seattle Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman announced her candidacy today: Hamdi Mohamed. She is currently a King County Office of Equity & Social Justice policy adviser. Her announcement says Mohamed would be “the first-ever woman of color and East African (on) the Port Commission, as well as the only commissioner to live in the airport community.” Her past work includes serving as deputy district director for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. The announcement says that Mohamed priorities include creating “more living-wage job opportunities for all of our communities at the Port,” expecting that such jobs will play a big role in the post-pandemic recovery, and “prioritizing diversity and access for small businesses in contracting.” She also vows that environmental justice will be at the heart of her campaign. The primary is on August 2nd; the lineup of candidates won’t be finalized until May.
City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda has her first challenger for citywide Position 8: South Lake Union community advocate and business owner Mike McQuaid announced today that he’s running, and planning a citywide campaign tour tomorrow, including a West Seattle stop. The campaign news release describes McQuaid as “a fourth-generation Seattleite who served as elected member, president and transportation chair of the South Lake Union Community Council from 2010 – 19 during a period of significant growth and revitalization” and says he “has also served in a number of volunteer civic leadership capacities including a mayoral appointment to the Seattle Sister Cities Coordinating Council and a leadership role in the then Key Arena – Redevelopment Community Advisory Group.” The announcement cites pandemic recovery and neighborhood-business resiliency among his priorities and says the candidate is “passionate about Seattle’s parks, transportation infrastructure and neighborhoods.” McQuaid’s campaign stops in all seven council districts tomorrow will include a visit to Husky Deli in The Junction between 1:30 and 2 pm.
Another citywide candidacy announcement today – this time, Sara Nelson is running again for City Council Position 9, the citywide seat currently held by Councilmember Lorena González, who announced Wednesday she’s running for mayor. Nelson ran for the seat in 2017 and finished third in the primary. She is co-founder of Fremont Brewing and has worked as a City Council policy adviser (for former Councilmember Richard Conlin). Her announcement says she “wants to put her success in business and city government to work for all Seattleites,” and quotes her as saying, “I will work to bring back jobs and community resources to Seattle by revitalizing our downtown core and neighborhood business districts.” Nelson lives in Green Lake. She is the first candidate for this seat to send us an announcement, but five people have registered campaigns with the city. The field won’t be final until May; the primary is August 3rd.
Six years have passed since King County voters approved the first “Best Starts for Kids” levy, you’ll be asked in August if you support renewing it. King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s announcement says it has served more than 500,000 children in the past six years (here’s a report), “providing comprehensive supports from prenatal development all the way to young adulthood.” The programs proposed to be funded through the levy include:
• Home-based services for new parents – provides support for new families throughout the first years. In these programs, an average of 97 percent of new parents started breastfeeding, helping their babies off to a healthy start. This exceeded the goal of “Healthy People 2020,” a federal initiative with a goal of 82 percent of new parents breastfeeding.
• Programs that promote healthy development for youth – provides support for children and young people to develop leaderships skill, connect with their community, and succeed in school. The levy served 40,000 children and young people with programs before, during, and after school, and throughout the summer.
• Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative – flexible funds and intensive case management helped 9,200 young people and families. Ninety percent of enrollees did not enter the homeless system, and 92 percent remained housed at least one year after exiting the program.
Child care would also be addressed, “new funding for 3,000 children under 5 who currently have no access to child care.” So what will it cost? The first-year rate is 19 cents per $1,000 valuation, $114 a year for a “median-priced King County home,” with annual increases capped at three percent, raising about $811 million over the six years. The announcement says this is five cents more per $1,000 than the original Best Starts for Kids levy. You can read more about this in the full announcement. Next step for the proposal is a County Council decision on whether to send it to the ballot.
(Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, WSB file photo)
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
A proposed State Legislature bill encouraging students in our state to learn more about Native history contains 2 words that could spell trouble for the Duwamish Tribe.
The bill SB-5161 (“Teaching Washington’s tribal history, culture, and government”) is scheduled to be reviewed tomorrow (Wednesday, January 27th) in executive session of the Senate Committee on Early Learning and K-12 Education.
At issue, according to Duwamish Longhouse director Jolene Haas (also the daughter of tribal chair Cecile Hansen) is the phrase “federally recognized,” which describes the tribes that are included in the scope of the bill.
The first high-profile candidate for Seattle Mayor has announced her campaign. Colleen Echohawk leads the nonprofit Chief Seattle Club, which provides services to urban Natives experiencing homelessness. Her announcement says she is “running on a people-first platform to achieve an equitable renewal from the COVID-19 pandemic” and quotes her as saying that “we have a once-in-a-generation chance to rethink how [the city] works, and who it works for.” The announcement describes Echohawk’s priorities as including “an investment in community-based organizations and businesses” as well as “the establishment of a Public Safety Department, with community-based mental health workers and neighborhood liaisons.” Echohawk is a North Seattle resident. In addition to her nonprofit work, she has been involved in a wide variety of advisory groups on major regional issues – our archives note that she was on the Stakeholder Advisory Group for Sound Transit‘s West Seattle to Ballard light-rail plan. Three other candidates have registered campaigns for mayor; this is the first announcement we’ve received. (Campaign website photo)
Port of Seattle commissioners are elected in a countywide note, but the seats are of special interest here given the port facilities along West Seattle shores, along Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River. 
So we’re noting that Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman has officially announced she’s running for a third 4-year term. Bowman is a Beacon Hill resident. Her announcement says she plans to “focus on economic recovery in the upcoming year and new term.” As points of pride in recent years, she points to “the work we’ve done to build career pathways and apprenticeship programs for young people coming from high school into skilled trades.” She also notes sustainability work and the port’s change in governance from a “traditional CEO” to an executive director, which she calls “a ‘no drama’ approach to Port management.” So far, no one else has registered a campaign for that seat, Position 3, but the primary isn’t until August 3.
P.S. The Port Commission meets twice a month – you can track meeting info here. They also meet monthly with their Port of Tacoma counterparts as managing members of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the two ports’ partnership.
| Comments Off on ELECTION 2021: Seattle Port Commissioner Ryan Calkins running for a second term