West Seattle politics 2285 results

West Seattle Transportation Coalition says ‘Move Seattle’ levy needs to ‘move West Seattle first’

As the City Council gets deeper into shaping the “Move Seattle” transportation levy proposed for the November ballot, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition has just announced its official statement on what it wants to see in the levy:

West Seattle has been working to resolve its transportation challenges for 125 years. We initiated Puget Sound’s first ferry service in 1888 and we built America’s first municipally funded commuter rail system in 1906. Today, that extensive rail line is gone, replaced by inadequate bus service and single lane choke points that hamper the mobility of our 100,000 citizens.

Seattle has not supported or expanded our historically great transportation ideas. Thanks to the lags and half measures the city has offered over the years, there’s widespread perception here that West Seattle and its transportation issues are not, and never have been priorities for the City of Seattle.

It took the City five years to re-build the South Park Bridge after significant lobbying efforts of citizens, six years to rebuild Seattle’s Spokane St. bridge after a freighter rammed the old one in 1978, and decades to re-start the seasonal cross bay West Seattle Water Taxi to downtown. After significant citizens efforts and pressure, the City is finally addressing safety and speeding issues on SW Roxbury Street and 35th Ave SW.

As our Peninsula population increases, traffic increases and further chokes ingress-egress. Our two bridges are gridlocked for hours every day now — with 93,000 vehicles crossing West Seattle’s high bridge, and 13,000 crossing the low bridge. Together, these bridges are Seattle’s busiest, non-freeway traffic corridor, carrying more human and freight volume than any other city bridge. By the time Move Seattle expires, West Seattle’s population in our Alaska Junction and Triangle areas alone will grow to equal or surpass that of Ballard.

Move Seattle fails to address West Seattle’s key issue — getting into and out of the peninsula, safely and efficiently. While the WSTC appreciates and supports the proposals West Seattle pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements, we ask the Mayor and City Council to support and clearly define Council Member Tom Rasmussen’s amendment to Move Seattle. We would like the levy to:

Provide a fully funded, integrated, West Seattle Peninsula ingress-egress plan with a scope of work, timeline, and funding source. Its structure should be fully compatible with conversion to a future Sound Transit dedicated right-of-way, Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit system.

In Sound Transit polling, more than 94% of West Seattle residents supported a dedicated solution for the people living in District 1. Currently, all of West Seattle’s transportation hopes and dreams seem to be bolted to the forthcoming Sound Transit 3 (ST3) proposal. Meaning, West Seattle’s transportation fate is now in the hands of Olympia legislators, the Sound Transit Tri-County Board, and competition from regional and local interests who also need ST3 resources.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking down for West Seattle as our population and development density increase, and the Port gears up with planned expansions on Terminal 5, where freight and industrial growth will further choke traffic flows to SR 99, I-5, I-90, Marginal and Alaskan Ways. It’s a perfect storm of adverse effects on our situation.

West Seattle and South Park need a solution today. We cannot wait for some future, theoretical ST3 or ST4 package. We expect our leaders and elected officials to do whatever it takes to move the people of District 1 now.

We wrote about Councilmember Rasmussen’s proposed amendment, mentioned above, back on Monday.

P.S. Haven’t shared your comments on the levy yet? This page on the city website explains how.

More for West Seattle in transportation levy? Two amendments on the agenda for councilmembers’ discussion tomorrow

Tomorrow morning at 9 am, the City Council – meeting as the Select Committee on Transportation Funding – takes another look at the revised transportation levy destined for this November’s ballot. Councilmembers are proposing a variety of amendments, and we’ve found at least two that include West Seattle-specific language:

*Under the section proposing spending $35 million for “transit corridor improvements,” Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – who chairs the transportation-funding committee – proposes adding the language “including planning for access and egress improvements to the West Seattle peninsula.” See it on page 6 of his amendment:

Rasmussen also has a separate amendment that redefines the “core categories” in which the levy would seek to make “transportation improvements” – instead of “safety … interconnectivity … vibrancy … and repair,” his categories would be “safe routes, “congestion relief,” “maintenance and repair.”

*Under the “Safe Routes to School” section, Councilmember Tim Burgess proposes adding language mentioning two West Seattle elementaries while requiring that SDOT “Complete projects within the first three years of the Levy in walk zones of the following schools that have high levels of poverty: Bailey Gatzert, Martin Luther King, Jr., West Seattle, Dunlap, Dearborn Park, Wing Luke, Northgate, Van Asselt & Wing Luke, Emerson, Concord, Rainier View, Roxhill.” See it on page 4 of his amendment:

The committee meeting taking up these and other proposed changes to the now-$930 million levy intended for the November ballot starts at 9 am tomorrow at City Hall; you’ll be able to watch live on Seattle Channel (cable channel 21 or online at seattlechannel.org). As for your role in the process – more amendments, discussions, public-comment opportunities are ahead before the ballot language has to be finalized in August.

Election 2015: ‘Candidating’ forum Monday in Pigeon Point

June 7, 2015 6:47 pm
|    Comments Off on Election 2015: ‘Candidating’ forum Monday in Pigeon Point
 |   Pigeon Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

If you haven’t gone to a candidate forum yet in the first-ever City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) race yet – maybe you don’t just want to sit down and listen to people answering questions from a table up at the front of the room – tomorrow night’s event in Pigeon Point might be for you. The Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council has invited the candidates over for a round of “candi-dating” – circulating from table to table, so you and your tablemates get to talk with one candidate at a time. That’s at 7 pm Monday (June 8th), Pathfinder K-8 cafeteria (1901 SW Genesee), all welcome. The primary election is August 4th, so the start of voting is only about six weeks away.

West Seattle scene: Green Party’s past & possibly future presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein visits

Such a busy Friday night, we didn’t get to stop by the West Seattle Tool Library for this visit of a past and potentially future presidential candidate – but thanks to Chas Redmond for sharing the photo of Dr. Jill Stein. He says about 25 people were there to hear from and talk with her in the North Delridge evening sunshine. Dr. Stein was the Green Party‘s candidate in 2012 and with 456,169 votes became “the most successful female presidential candidate in U.S. history.” She formed an exploratory committee earlier this year to consider seeking the Green Party nomination again for 2016.

QUESTION FOR DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES: Annex White Center and the rest of unincorporated North Highline, or not?

(Looking southward over the heart of White Center. Photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, as reported here Monday, the issue of White Center/North Highline annexation comes up for another briefing before the City Council’s Education and Governance Committee. Last December, that committee voted to take a step that it stressed just kept the city’s options open for potentially seeking an annexation vote in time to use a state tax credit considered vital for covering some of the costs. Now, another step has to be taken to keep that option open, councilmembers will be told tomorrow. But another vote would be required to actually pursue a vote by residents of the potential annexation area, and if that vote happens, it might not be until after the November election. As a prelude to tomorrow’s briefing – we asked the nine candidates for City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) whether, and why, they do or do not support annexing WC/NH. We sent the questions to their official e-mail addresses just before noon Monday, with a deadline of midnight. Seven candidates replied; we’ve published their responses in the order received and as received, unedited:

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TRANSPORTATION LEVY: Proposal for partial ‘alternative funding’ instead of raising all $930 million via property-tax levy

Some of the concerns about the city’s proposed $930 million transportation levy – which, as mentioned in our daily preview, is the subject of a public hearing tonight – involve how it would be paid for: A property-tax levy. Councilmember Nick Licata proposes shifting a third of the cost to other sources – making it a $600 million levy, with $330 million to be raised via development-impact fees, commercial-parking taxes, and an employee-hours tax. Read on for the full news release:
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Should Seattle annex White Center and vicinity? City Council committee to discuss Wednesday; ‘intention’ notice due Friday

Will the Seattle City Council move ahead with an attempt to annex White Center and the rest of unincorporated North Highline?

(Potential annexation area is in green)
The topic will come back before the council’s Education and Governance Committee, chaired by Councilmember Tim Burgess, this Wednesday morning, largely because time is running out for a specific notice to be filed, if the city wants to keep its options open for accessing a tax credit that would make annexation more financially viable. Details are on our partner site White Center Now; we’re also putting the question “annex, yes or no?” out to all nine City Council District 1 candidates.

City Council District 1 updates: ‘South Park Shows Up’ video; West Seattle Chamber Q&A; new voters’ cards

May 28, 2015 12:37 pm
|    Comments Off on City Council District 1 updates: ‘South Park Shows Up’ video; West Seattle Chamber Q&A; new voters’ cards
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

In the history-making first-ever City Council District 1 campaign – three things to share today:

‘SOUTH PARK SHOWS UP’: Our video clip above is the heart of last night’s community-organized candidate forum in South Park. You’ll find full coverage, including the start of the forum – testing the candidates on what they know about SP – on our partner site The South Park News.

SEVEN QUESTIONS: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce asked the candidates to answer seven questions. Six sent replies, and they are all now published on the Chamber’s website – scroll down the main page for a link to each question and how those six candidates replied.

VOTER REGISTRATION CARDS: Shortly after we got a news release from King County Elections about brand-new voter-registration cards, ours arrived via postal mail. The “card” (paper, not plastic) includes your voter ID number, precinct info, and the numbers of the districts in which you elect representatives – with City Council District 1 brand new on the list.

Election 2015: Your next 2 chances to see/hear City Council District 1 candidates

May 25, 2015 9:19 pm
|    Comments Off on Election 2015: Your next 2 chances to see/hear City Council District 1 candidates
 |   Pigeon Point | South Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Made a decision yet on who you’re voting for in the first-ever City Council District 1 race? Still lots of time to decide, with primary ballots due August 4th, and your next two chances to see and hear the candidates are coming up within the next two weeks:

MAY 27 (THIS WEDNESDAY): “South Park Shows Up!” is not your standard candidate forum, South Park community members promise. They are planning a pop quiz on South Park facts, in fact. But West Seattleites are invited too – and kids’ activities are promised as well as food. 7 pm Wednesday at the SP Neighborhood Center, 8201 10th Avenue S.

JUNE 8 (2 WEEKS FROM TONIGHT): Most local neighborhood councils have had visits from several City Council candidates. The Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council is planning a full-fledged forum, 7 pm June 8th at Pathfinder K-8 (1901 SW Genesee), all welcome.

Any other D-1 forum dates locked in? Please let us know – editor@ westseattleblog.com – thanks!

What will you get for $930 million? Read the proposed transportation levy’s fine print

The heart of the decision over this fall’s transportation levy: What will you get for your money? Two weeks after Mayor Murray and SDOT director Scott Kubly went public with the revised proposed $930 million “Move Seattle” transportation levy (WSB coverage here), it’s officially appearing on the City Council’s Introduction and Referral Calendar – which means that you can read the “fine print.” That includes the proposed “ballot title,” what you’ll see before you vote in November, assuming the language isn’t changed:

CITY OF SEATTLE
PROPOSITION NO. 1

The City of Seattle’s Proposition 1 concerns replacing funding for citywide transportation maintenance and improvements.

If approved, this proposition would replace an expiring levy and fund bridge seismic upgrades, transit corridor and light rail station access projects, pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, upgraded and synchronized traffic signals, street maintenance and improvements, freight mobility projects, and neighborhood street fund projects.

It authorizes regular property taxes above RCW 84.55 limits, allowing collection of up to $95,000,000 in 2016 and up to $930,000,000 over nine years. The 2016 total regular tax limit would be $3.60/$1,000 assessed value, including approximately $0.62 additional taxes.

Should this levy be approved?
Levy, Yes
Levy, No

You can read the legislation in its entirety here – keep in mind the City Council now will start its review, with public-comment opportunities along the way – including a 5:30 pm public hearing at City Hall on June 2nd – before a final version is sent to the county in August. (This link also includes info on how to comment on it right now. And a new stack of “public outreach” links has just been sent around by SDOT – you can find them here; the links on that page include the map we’ve embedded atop this story.)

VIDEO: 34th District Democrats make key endorsements

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“We all knew it was coming down to this anyway, so let’s give them a dual (endorsement) and take it to the streets.”

So said former 34th District Democrats chair Ivan Weiss – with current chair Marcee Stone-Vekich declaring it “the quote of the night” – just before the group took its third vote on an endorsement in the first-ever City Council District 1 race, resulting in dual endorsement of Shannon Braddock and Lisa Herbold (L-R photos above).

The voting had started with five of the race’s nine official candidates nominated for potential endorsement on the first ballot. No one ended up with 60 percent or more – Herbold received 63 votes, Braddock 60 votes, Chas Redmond 18 votes, Brianna Thomas 9 votes, Phillip Tavel 6 votes.

That sent the top two vote-getters to a second ballot, the results of which were Braddock 77, Herbold 70. And that set up the motion and the vote for a dual endorsement.

The other big vote was an endorsement in the West Seattle/South Park Seattle School Board race, which has three candidates, two of which were nominated for potential endorsement – incumbent Marty McLaren and challenger Leslie Harris. The results:

Harris declared herself “speechless.”

10:16 PM: The meeting has just wrapped up – endorsement votes for the two at-large City Council seats were delayed because the candidates were coming from earlier meetings to the north. Both of those races also resulted in dual endorsements – for Position 8, Tim Burgess and Jon Grant; for Position 9, Bill Bradburd and Lorena Gonzalez.

ADDED 7:51 AM MONDAY: Here’s our video (and embedded above) of the heart of the meeting – the hour and a half that involved the two aforementioned votes, among other business, and that started with the endorsement of King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who is unopposed.

Added: Video from the Position 8/9 City Council speeches.

And ahead – play-by-play from the meeting, through the final District 1 results:

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FOLLOWUP: Final results of Amanda Kay Helmick’s City Council District 1 signature effort – 9 names short

Last Friday we reported on the conclusion of King County’s election-filing week, with one matter left unsettled: City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) candidate Amanda Kay Helmick had been determined to get on the ballot via 1,200 petition signatures rather than a $1,200 filing fee, and was told that despite a 100-plus-signature pad, she was still short of the required number of qualified signatures. After several days of doublechecking and other research, Helmick has just announced the official end of her campaign:

Exactly 7 months after announcing her candidacy for Seattle City Council in District 1, Amanda Kay Helmick has ended her grassroots campaign. Her steadfast choice to gather signatures in lieu of the filing fee was successful in getting 1318 people to sign for her, but fell 9 signatures short.

“I am disappointed in the process and outcome. The last several days of comparing the King County Elections list to the petitions, and speaking to individual signers, has been alarming. Invalid voters on the list had no idea their right to vote is in question. There is room for obvious improvements, and I hope King County Elections is working diligently to rectify the situation. I want to thank everyone who signed and helped me in my bid for inclusion on the ballot. Ultimately, the support I needed was not there.”

Amanda will continue to fight for District 1. She is co-chair of the Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights Community Council, co-chair of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, Delridge Rep to the City Neighborhood Council, and Budget Committee Chair of the City Neighborhood Council. She looks forward to working with the newly elected District 1 Councilmember.

This means the nine candidates who are on the King County list comprise the official, final field for the August 4th primary – this is the order in which they will appear on the ballot, per the county’s drawing:

Lisa Herbold
Jody Rushmer
Chas Redmond
Shannon Braddock
Karl Wirsing
Brianna Thomas
Phillip Tavel
Pavel Goberman
Arturo Robles

They all appeared at a candidates’ forum in Fauntleroy on Monday night (WSB coverage with video is here) and at least two more forums are coming up – May 27th in South Park and June 8th in Pigeon Point.

VIDEO: Seattle City Council District 1’s nine candidates share a stage for the first time

(WSB photo, from left – Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, Jody Rushmer, Brianna Thomas, Karl Wirsing, Chas Redmond, Arturo Robles, Pavel Goberman, Lisa Herbold)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In the first-ever City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) race, there’s been at least one candidates’ forum each month since February. The race has been fluid, and the participant lineup hasn’t been the same twice.

Tonight brought the first forum featuring all nine of the candidates that are in the running (as of the end of the official filing period last Friday).

About 60 people filled the seats in the Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy UCC Church for the forum that the League of Women Voters of Seattle/King County co-presented with the Westside Interfaith Network; LWV’s Lucy Gaskill-Gaddis moderated, after an introduction by Boots Winterstein.

As we’ve done with all the previous forums, we recorded this one on video, and will add that here when it’s ready. (UPDATE – Here it is:)

Ahead, we did our best to summarize as it went:

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Election 2015: City Council District 1 candidates’ forum tonight; Helmick signature-challenge update

Two notes this morning in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race:

CANDIDATES’ FORUM TONIGHT: Be at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) tonight for the District 1 forum presented by Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters-Seattle/King County. They describe the format as moderated with some opportunity for audience questions. Doors open at 6 pm, forum at 6:30 pm.

HELMICK SIGNATURES UPDATE: As reported here Friday night, seven months of campaigning might have come to a dead end for Amanda Kay Helmick, who was determined to get onto the ballot via gathering signatures. 1,200 valid signatures are required to make the ballot in lieu of that same number of dollars; Helmick was the only District 1 hopeful going that route. Hours after we covered her taking petitions to the King County Elections office in Renton at noontime Friday, she was notified she’d fallen short by 26. Helmick has since obtained a list of the 147 names that KC Elections had ruled invalid and as of late last night said she had “already found 10 people on the list that are completely unaware and shocked about their status. I have posted the list on my website in case others want to see their status and have it rectified. If someone’s name is on THIS LIST, King County Voter Services has challenged their right to vote. The names were found to be non-registered voters in District 1.” She has posted on her website’s home page what anyone who finds her/himself on that list is asked to do.

WHO’S IN: If anyone has withdrawn or anything else major has changed since filing closed on Friday afternoon, King County Elections will be updating this page at some time later today. But in the meantime, the District 1 race has nine candidates (listed this time in surname-reverse-alphabetical order): Karl Wirsing, Brianna Thomas, Phillip Tavel, Jody Rushmer, Arturo Robles, Chas Redmond, Lisa Herbold, Pavel Goberman, Shannon Braddock.

City Council District 1 race: Who’s in, and why the lone signature-gatherer might be out

The official filing period for this year’s elections is over. And for one of the first candidates to jump into the City Council District 1 race, it’s taken a turn at the end:

Amanda Kay Helmick, who’s been running since October, was the only District 1 candidate to declare she would get onto the ballot by collecting signatures instead of paying the $1,199.76 fee. We wanted to photograph that unique moment of the first-ever District 1 campaign, so we covered her visit to the County Elections Department offices in Renton at midday today as she turned in her stack of petitions.

The staff explained they would start verifying the signatures immediately, and offered her the chance to leave a standby check for the filing fee in case she fell short, since the filing deadline was just hours away. She declined, explaining to us in a short interview afterward that she believes a candidate should be put on the ballot by the people, not by money.

Then, late in the day, Helmick told us the Elections Department notified her she had fallen short and did not qualify for the ballot – she turned in 1,318 signatures but fell 26 short. She is asking for a “judicial review,” but for now, she’s not on the list: “I am supremely disappointed,” she told WSB, “but determined to at least see this all the way through.”

The nine candidates who are on the list, according to the unofficial list on the KC Elections website, are:

Pavel Goberman
Chas Redmond
Arturo Robles
Phillip Tavel

Shannon Braddock
Lisa Herbold
Jody Rushmer
Karl Wirsing

Brianna Thomas

Robles, Rushmer, and Wirsing just surfaced in the past week and a half; the other six have been in for a while, starting with Redmond, who declared his candidacy almost a year and a half ago.

Also of local note: County Councilmember Joe McDermott is running unopposed; two more candidates have joined the local School Board (Position 6) race since last night’s candidate forum, and the field is now Suzanne L. Sutton, Nick Esparza, Marty McLaren, and Leslie Harris. (Of the four school-board positions on the ballot this fall, McLaren is the only incumbent running for re-election.) Though the filing period has closed, this all remains “unofficial” until KC Elections finalizes it early next week. The primary election is on August 4th.

Election 2015: Who’s filed for what so far, with one day to go

One day remains in the official 2015 candidate-filing season – so by this time tomorrow, the field will be more or less set for this fall’s elections. Here’s the list of who’s filed for what so far; in offices of West Seattle note, District 8 County Councilmember Joe McDermott has filed for re-election and has no opponent at this point; in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race, six candidates have filed so far – Pavel Goberman, Chas Redmond, Arturo Robles, Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock, and Lisa Herbold; we know Amanda Kay Helmick, who’s been collecting signatures in lieu of the four-digit filing fee, plans to file tomorrow, so that means a field of at least 7 in this race. We’ll update tomorrow. (Side note: As we write this, we’re at South Seattle College‘s Georgetown Campus to cover the forum for at-large Council Positions 8 and 9 and School Board Position 6 – the WS/SP seat in which Marty McLaren and Leslie Harris are the two filers so far – coverage including video, coming up later.)

Election 2015: As filing week continues, George Capestany leaves District 1 City Council race

Today is the second-to-last-day of filing week for this fall’s candidates, so by the end of tomorrow, we’ll have the official list of who’s in the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race. Some have already filed, and one person has just announced he’s out: George Capestany. The statement he sent:

Today, George Capestany, active community volunteer, “goat guy,” and longtime West Seattle neighbor, is withdrawing from the race for Seattle City Council, District 1.

“After much thought, have decided to not pursue the seat for City of Seattle, District 1,” said Capestany. “When I began this quest I truly felt that I could win. Tom Rasmussen was a opponent I could really separate from and define a distinct difference in political and economic views. While I still believe West Seattle residents have been left out of virtually everything that goes on at City Hall, I have been impressed by the many good candidates who have filed. And, once the districts take effect, I believe West Seattle will be well served.”

Campaign Treasurer, Ron Sullivan stated, “While many citizens of this community think George would have made an excellent representative in City politics, we respect his decision to end his campaign.”

“I sincerely want to thank all of my supporters for their help and support,” added Capestany.

Capestany had entered the race last November; Councilmember Rasmussen announced his decision not to run in January. Meantime, if you’re interested in tracking who’s filed so far, the countywide list – updated at least twice a day – is here. The voting begins in mid-summer, with the primary election on August 4th.

West Seattle Chamber hears transportation-levy pitch, asks non-levy questions too

(WSB photo)

One week after they stood on a Beacon Hill street corner with the mayor, announcing the revised Transportation Levy to Move Seattle, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and SDOT director Scott Kubly pitched it to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

They were the guest speakers at the Chamber’s monthly lunch meeting on Wednesday at The Kenney (WSB sponsor).

The conversation wandered around to non-levy transportation topics too.

Councilmember Rasmussen, who chairs the Council’s Transportation Committee, talked about the $930 million levy in general, noting the big addition for West Seattle – the Fauntleroy Boulevard project, currently funded only through design, is now in the levy. Kubly gave more of an overview of SDOT’s mission, especially its multimodal intent, and its view that the future has arrived, with the increasing use of carsharing (Car2Go) and ridesharing (Lyft, Uber) in the big picture as his department also factors in existing infrastructure and neighborhood needs.

As for the levy process, he recapped the input SDOT had gathered so far, particularly via the online survey – with 8,000 respondents – and hundreds of comments, while explaining they also looked forward to events like this one where they could hear from people face-to-face.

When Kubly invited questions, a few did address points in the levy – how much money is West Seattle-specific (no numbers beyond the $16 million or so for Fauntleroy Boulevard) and why some of the levy was going to what seemed like basic needs like crosswalk repainting (state tax-revenue constraints were cited). But more of the questioning was along the lines of long-running West Seattle transportation issues:

-The increasing perception of a parking crunch and its effect on businesses. Kubly said people need transportation options, and reiterated his view of the importance of car-sharing among other such options.

-The challenge of limited options for heading outbound from West Seattle, which drew some mutters of agreement. This led Kubly to mention the city advocating for making sure West Seattle would get something out of the next Sound Transit ballot measure (aka Sound Transit 3).

-Concern about the likely rechannelization of 35th SW, in the face of increasing neighborhood population. Kubly said SDOT expects that 35th will become safer and more efficient.

The question of cost arose, specifically the cost of the levy ($275/year for the owner of a $450,000 home) and last year’s voter-approved transit-funding measure ($60 more on car tabs starting this summer). One attendee observed that the latter is still leaving deficiencies in local bus service, including the Alki area.

So, Kubly was then asked, is SDOT working on further efficiencies, in general as well as in light of the levy? He cited one example, working with utilities to reduce the amount of street-digging-up that’s been going on.

And then a question he was asked at a previous West Seattle meeting – what happens if the levy doesn’t pass?

It would mean cutting SDOT’s budget, Kubly replied.

Next steps for the revised levy: It’s going through the City Council, which ultimately will vote on whether to send it to the ballot (a November vote is expected).

P.S. Regarding the 35th SW project – this Saturday morning is the walking tour, and SDOT’s project page has details on where you can catch up with it if you don’t want to go along for the entire three-hour tour.

City Council campaigning: Filing week begins, with a new District 1 name; at-large forum set for Thursday

ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:30 PM: This year’s much-contested, much-discussed City Council races are intensifying – here are three reasons why:

FILING WEEK: By Friday, we’ll know who’s in and who’s out – it’s filing week, and candidates have to either pay a fee or submit signatures, to finalize their candidacy.

AT-LARGE CANDIDATES’ FORUM THURSDAY: We’ve been paying most election attention so far to the District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) City Council race – but you’ll also be voting on two at-large seats, Positions 8 and 9. So far, per the city website, six people are running for #8, including West Seattle resident David Trotter, and three for #9, including West Seattleites Alon Bassok and Lorena González. This Thursday (May 14th), three south-end groups including the 34th District Democrats are presenting a forum for the two at-large seats at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor; 6737 Corson Avenue S.), 7 pm (with pre-forum mingling at 6:30).

TWO DISTRICT 1 FORUMS AHEAD: The District 1 field is back to 10 candidates listed on the city website; as previously reported here, two forums are scheduled before the month’s out, 6:30 pm Monday, May 18th, at Fauntleroy UCC Church, presented by the Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters, and 7 pm Wednesday, May 27th, in South Park.

P.S. We had to look this up so thought we’d share – the rules for campaign-sign placement.

5:48 PM UPDATE: Another candidate – potentially the 11th, if everyone else on the list makes it official by end of day Friday – for District 1: Arturo Robles.

Revised transportation levy: What’s in it for West Seattle? Sign up today for WS Chamber lunch on Wednesday

(WSB photo from May 6th levy-revision announcement)
What’s in it for West Seattle? The next discussion of the revised city transportation levy is set for this Wednesday at the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly lunch meeting, 11:30 am at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, seen in our photo (above) speaking at last week’s announcement, will be there with at least one SDOT rep, updating the proposal announced last week. Today’s your last chance to register at the earlybird price, $25 members/$35 nonmembers – sign up here.

UPDATE: Fauntleroy Boulevard project part of revised transportation levy

(WSB photo from this morning’s announcement event)
11:23 AM: We are on Beacon Hill, where Mayor Murray is announcing the revised transportation levy. The West Seattle headline: The Fauntleroy Boulevard project is now part of the levy. More to come.

11:56 AM: Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen – longtime advocate of the Fauntleroy Boulevard project – and Mike O’Brien also spoke. Various notes: $35 million more for sidewalks in the revised levy (we’re looking for proposed locations). The total package to be funded is now up to $930 million – $30 million more than the first draft – but the city says that is not from an increase in the proposed tax level, but from additional revenue they expect will be generated as “assessed value of new construction” rises. Lander Street Overpass – touted as key for freight as well as for surface-level travel between West Seattle and SODO – is still in the package, and the Delridge corridor is shown on the highlights map, too. Rasmussen said the first council consideration of the revised levy will be on May 12th; a public hearing is planned June 2nd. More to come.

1:52 PM: If you’d like to see how the mayor framed this, here’s the news release. Meantime, we’ve added a few of our photos from the announcement event, and here are a few more notes. The amount of money allotted for the Neighborhood Street Fund also has increased. We’ve sent a followup question to CM Rasmussen’s office to ask whether the Fauntleroy Boulevard proposal that’s now in the levy is the with-undergrounded-utilities or without-undergrounded-utilities version, and will add the reply when we get it.

3:36 PM: CM Rasmussen says $16 million will be earmarked for Fauntleroy Boulevard. While that isn’t the full amount that would need for undergrounding, he says, they are working with Seattle City Light on “cost-sharing.” He also adds that he is “thrilled” that the project made it into the revised levy and says it’s evidence the mayor listened to community members, and him, who said they wanted it included. (It dominated the discussion during SDOT director Kubly’s visit to the Southwest District Council a month ago, for example.)

Election 2015: Jody Rushmer joins District 1 City Council race, according to city’s online list

One week from the start of the official filing week for the District 1 (West Seattle and South Park) City Council race, another candidate has appeared on the city’s list of who’s runningJody Rushmer. No contact info listed yet, and we haven’t found a website or Facebook page, but for everyone who’s keeping track, Rushmer becomes current candidate #9. Next candidates’ forum is two weeks from tonight, as noted here over the weekend.

District 1 City Council election: Another chance to see/hear the candidates

checkbox.jpgEarlier this week, we mentioned the May 27 candidates’ forum in South Park for those running for the new District 1 City Council seat serving SP and West Seattle. We’ve since learned of another forum happening before that one. The Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County invite you to the forum they’re presenting at 6:30 pm Monday, May 18th – a little over two weeks away – at Fauntleroy UCC Church (9140 California SW). It’ll be a moderated forum “with the opportunity for questions from the audience,” according to WIN, which is a coalition of local churches.

SIDE NOTE: WSB coverage links from the three forums held so far, all in West Seattle (all of which we recorded on video):

–April 8th, presented by the 34th District Democrats @ The Hall at Fauntleroy
–March 14th, presented by VIEWS @ Senior Center of West Seattle
–February 5th, presented by WSB @ Highland Park Improvement Club