West Seattle, Washington
21 Wednesday
The newest round of election results is out – and Shannon Braddock is still ahead of Lisa Herbold in the City Council District 1 race, though now by fewer than 100 votes:
Braddock – 49.99% – 11125 votes
Herbold – 49.57% – 11030 votes
(For comparison, here’s the final count from last week.) Next count, 4:30 pm tomorrow. The county’s full results list says 24,699 ballots have been counted in the District 1 race, and its most recent ballot-return statistics say 27,512 ballots were ready to count from this district, which suggests more than 2,800 ballots are yet to be counted.
(UPDATED 7:03 PM with day’s second results release)
4:12 PM: The first of two expected vote-count updates for today is out and in the Seattle City Council District 1 race, Shannon Braddock‘s lead over Lisa Herbold has shrunk again –
Braddock – 10,078 – 50.74%
Herbold – 9,691 – 48.79%
That’s a 387-vote gap, with thousands more ballots remaining to be counted. Last night, Braddock’s lead was 638 votes.
4:41 PM: To be more specific about ballots remaining, the county releases a nightly count (8 pm) of how many ballots have been returned. As of last night’s count, 27,298 ballots were in and “ready to count” in District 1. Just under 20,000 have been counted (in addition to the Herbold and Braddock numbers above, 94 ballots were tallied as “write-ins”).
Probably a good time for you to check the status of your ballot – invariably there are some whose signatures weren’t validated or which haven’t (yet) been counted for one reason or another, and you may still be able to fix that – go here to check. (And note that the final stage is “your ballot will be counted” – that does NOT mean it hasn’t been counted yet, it’s just the final status they give.)
7:03 PM: Second run of the day is in – Herbold is now 104 votes behind Braddock.
Braddock – 10,905 – 50.02%
Herbold – 10,801 – 49.54%
9:37 PM: As pointed out in comments, the total number of votes in the race does not equal the number of ballots counted – this version of the results (unlike the plain-text version) shows the number counted per race, and it says 24,000+ have been counted, leaving 3,000+ as of this evening’s returns.
7:11 PM: King County Elections has just published the only set of results it plans to release today/tonight. See the full list here; if you’re watching the District 1 City Council race, Shannon Braddock was ahead of Lisa Herbold by 729 votes as of last night, and tonight, her lead is 638:
Shannon Braddock – 8491 – 51.69%
Lisa Herbold – 7853 – 47.81%
Next update is scheduled for 4:30 pm Friday. Today’s 4:30 pm release was canceled because of technical trouble that the county explains here.
11:11 PM: According to King County’s ballot-return stats, updated nightly at 8 pm separate from the results, more than 10,000 ballots are waiting to be counted in this race.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:43 PM: King County Elections‘ second vote count is out, and it’s not the last one of the day – the KCE website says they’re also planning an update at 7 pm. The City Council District 1 race has tightened a bit since last night, with Shannon Braddock still ahead of Lisa Herbold:
Braddock – 7,416 – 52.43%
Herbold – 6,656 – 47.06%
The full list of results is here.
7 PM UPDATE: Tonight’s second and final update is in. The percentage gap has tightened yet again:
Braddock – 7581 – 52.25%
Herbold – 6,852 – 47.23%
Next vote count will be out Thursday afternoon.
THURSDAY 4:53 PM NOTE: KC Elections just announced it’s NOT going to have an afternoon update today – just 7 pm. (ish)
(WSB photo: Braddock supporters, including County Councilmember Joe McDermott at right, awaiting results)
It’s the marquee race of the night in West Seattle and South Park: Results for the first-ever City Council District 1 seat after the first count (the second one is Wednesday afternoon):
Shannon Braddock 53%
Lisa Herbold 46%
8:33 PM: Herbold has spoken to supporters and told them it’s not over yet, with many votes left to be counted, pointing out that she came from behind to be the primary-vote leader. She also reiterated the issues behind her run:
Her party was at the Highland Park Improvement Club.
9:04 PM: Braddock said it’s too soon to take anything for granted but it’s been a great campaign:
Video from our crew at her party at Talarico’s Pizza is coming up now added.
BACKSTORY: Braddock is an Admiral resident and chief of staff for County Councilmember Joe McDermott. Herbold is a Highland Park resident and legislative assistant to City Councilmember Nick Licata. They were two of three candidates who entered the race on February 11th; when all the votes were counted in August’s primary, Herbold led Braddock by 2.4 percentage points, with 42 percent of the primary votes split between the seven candidates who didn’t make the cut.
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
Tonight’s most-watched ballot measure is Seattle Proposition 1, the $930 million transportation levy known as “Move Seattle.” Find results here – it’s passing (corrected) 57 percent to 43 percent after the first count.
Other ballot measures of note:
Seattle Initiative 122, “Honest Elections,” regarding campaign funding – results here – passing with 60 percent approval
ADDED 10:17 PM: In a statement sent to media, Honest Elections backers say, “”Seattle voters won big tonight. Seattle leads the nation, first on $15/hour and now on campaign finance reform. We look forward to seeing more cities and states implementing their own local solutions to the problem of big money in politics. … This is what democracy looks like, and we expect to see more grassroots campaigns like this one in Seattle. More than 32,000 voters put Honest Elections on the ballot, and hundreds of people who’d never helped with a political campaign before made small dollar contributions, knocked on thousands of doors and made thousands of phone calls to pass Honest Elections. People around the country are tired of waiting for Congress to get big money out of politics. We may not be able to change Citizens United, but we’re doing everything we can by passing our own citizen initiatives to limit big money and give ordinary voters a stronger voice in government.”
Back to results:
King County Proposition 1, “Best Starts for Kids” – results here – passing with 53 percent approval
ADDED 10:17 PM: We talked with King County Executive Dow Constantine, who pushed to get “Best Starts” onto the ballot:
While our camera continued rolling, we asked what else he thought was noteworthy this Election Night. See his full response here; in short – passage of “Move Seattle” (he had been at its victory party earlier); the prevalence of what he described as “level-headed” candidates in the City Council race; and the results in an Eastside County Council race, Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci defeating longtime incumbent Councilmember Jane Hague – Constantine observed that the Eastside is increasingly Democratic.
Back to results:
State Initiative 1366, state taxes/fees – results here – passing with 54 percent approval
State Initiative 1401, animal trafficking – results here – passing with 71 percent approval
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-issue results, go here.
West Seattle and South Park residents also voted, as did the rest of the city, for two at-large positions – Positions 8 and 9 – in the new composition of the City Council. The results:
District 8 – Tim Burgess* vs. Jon Grant
Results here – Burgess 59%, Grant 42%
District 9 – Bill Bradburd vs. Lorena González
Results here – González (a West Seattleite) 76%, Bradburd 24%
For the results in Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, go here – leaders in those districts, respectively, are Harrell, Sawant, Johnson, Juarez, O’Brien, Bagshaw
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
Four Seattle School Board seats are on the ballot, only one with an incumbent – District 6, which includes West Seattle and South Park. While only the residents of a board district vote in the primary, school board seats are citywide votes in the general election.
District 6 (West Seattle/South Park) Leslie Harris vs. Marty McLaren*
Results here – Harris 75%, McLaren (the only incumbent on the ballot tonight) 25%
9:17 PM NOTE: Harris was at Herbold’s party (see photo above – she was cheering for Herbold, more demure about her victory, noting it’s not over until it’s over).
District 1 – Michael Christophersen vs. Scott Pinkham
Results here – Pinkham leading with 66%
District 2 – Rick Burke vs. Laura Obara Gramer
Results here – Burke leading with 79%
District 3 – Jill Geary vs. Lauren McGuire
Results here – Geary leading with 59%
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For the full list of results around Seattle and the rest of King County, go here; for the full list of state-measure results, go here.
For the first time since word of E. coli illnesses led to the voluntary closure of Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon, the state has identified which locations are linked to confirmed cases.
The list just made public does NOT include the West Seattle location (which opened at 4730 California SW in The Junction less than two months ago). The 25 patients confirmed so far in this state reported eating at five Chipotle restaurants identified by the state as:
Hazel Dell, 7715 NE 5th Avenue, Suite 109, in Vancouver
1404 Broadway Avenue and 4229 University Way NE in Seattle
512 Ramsey Way 101 in Kent
1753 S. Burlington Blvd. in Burlington
Earlier this afternoon, the state hosted a media briefing from its laboratory facility in Shoreline; a little far for us to go today, so we were among several organizations who participated via a phone/Web hookup.
They confirmed it’s Shige toxin E. coli, which can “cause kidney damage among other serious problems.”
Our state has 25 patients “associated with this outbreak” – nine of whom have been hospitalized, though none with the illness that can lead to kidney damage – and Oregon has 12.
The Washington patients all live in the western part of the state – 11 in Clark County, 2 in Cowlitz, 2 in Island, 6 in King County, and 4 in Skagit County.
“The exact source of illness is still unknown,” but 23 of the 25 WA patients reported eating at a Chipotle. They are still trying to identify “a common food item” – more likely, they say, to be produce than meat. They’re testing samples from multiple restaurants and hope to have results later in the week. They also are awaiting tests on 20 people who reported getting sick after eating at a Chipotle but have not been confirmed as E. coli patients.
Health authorities still don’t know when the Chipotle stores, closed voluntarily, will reopen, but they are working with the chain to “identify criteria” for reopening. They still want people who became ill after eating at a Chipotle recently to consult their health-care provider.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Homelessness is an emergency, Mayor Ed Murray and County Executive Dow Constantine proclaimed today. This excerpt from their announcement spells out why:
Last winter’s One Night Count found 3,772 men, women, and children without shelter in King County, including more than 2,800 in Seattle – a 21 percent increase over 2014. In 2015, 66 homeless people have died in King County, including 47 on the streets and in unpermitted encampments in Seattle. The state now reports that 35,000 people in King County become newly homeless at some point during the year.
Part of the declaration includes a city plan to spend $5 million more on getting people off the streets and, for those who are on the streets, covering some basic needs, like sanitation. The plan will be discussed at a special City Council meeting tomorrow, and is to be funded through the sale of city property in West Seattle, according to the city documents related to today’s announcement. From the Frequently Asked Questions document:
How is the City paying for this new investment?
The $5 million investment is funded from the proceeds of the sale of excess property located on Myers Way South.
We’ve reported in recent years about the city process of figuring out what to do with that land, the “Myers Parcels“ in southeast West Seattle, next to the Joint Training Facility. Some community advocates have lobbied for preserving some of it as greenspace, as reported here most recently back in February.
The city Finance and Administrative Services Department clarified, when we inquired, that the property hasn’t been sold yet. More on that later.
First, what today’s announcement means for helping homeless people:
Both Murray and Constantine signed emergency proclamations. Murray was quoted in the city announcement as saying, “The City is prepared to do more as the number of people in crisis continue to rise, but our federal and state partners must also do more. Cities cannot do this alone.” Constantine was quoted as saying, “Emergency declarations are associated with natural disasters, but the persistent and growing phenomenon of homelessness – here and nationwide – is a human-made crisis just as devastating to thousands as a flood or fire. We call on the federal and state governments to take action, including shouldering more responsibility for affordable housing, mental health treatment, and addiction services.”
Go here to see what the city is proposing, or read the details below:
On the county side, Constantine is proposing $2 million in spending, some of it “already pending before the King County Council, to address immediate human needs and the root causes of homelessness,” according to the news release, which adds that both entities already invest heavily: “The City of Seattle already invests more than $40 million annually to assist people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, including single adults, youth, families, domestic violence survivors, older adults, and veterans. King County invests $36 million a year to assist individuals and families at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.”
That represents a bigger share of those services than ever, says the city announcement: “A decade ago, City resources represented less than 40 percent of the total funding for homelessness services. The City is now responsible for over 60 percent of homelessness investments.”
Thousands of those who need help are children, the city says:
There are 32,000 homeless children in Washington state, with nearly 3,000 homeless children currently attending Seattle Public Schools. On average, that’s more than 1 student per Seattle classroom.
The city announcement says they’re trying to be strategic with the spending:
The City is currently analyzing all homelessness investments and expanding data collection to ensure resources are targeted at the most effective strategies. Seattle is also launching a new effort to reduce administrative burden on agencies by allowing non-profit partners to provide a range of services under portfolio contracts, rather than separate contracts for each type of service.
We don’t know yet what share of the new funding might be spent in this area. We checked with one local agency that offers emergency help to people in crisis, West Seattle Helpline, whose executive director Chris Langeler told us it’s good news in general:
We are excited by Mayor Murray and Executive Constantine’s announcements today declaring a “State of Emergency” and new resources dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ending homelessness in Seattle and King County. The West Seattle Helpline has served hundreds of members of our community this year who are homeless or at-risk of experiencing homelessness by providing rent & utility assistance, transportation assistance, or clothing. With rents continuing to rise and utility costs increasing as winter approaches, we are seeing heightened demand for assistance and more of our neighbors facing the threat of eviction.
We have initiated a dialogue with the City of Seattle’s Department of Human Services and are exploring ways that we can work with the City to be a part of the solution to homelessness. We’re hopeful that the heightened focus and additional resources will help more of our West Seattle neighbors-in-need stay safe in their homes.
Now, back to the $5 million in city funding for extra services, described as coming from Myers Way sale proceeds. A document late in the day looking ahead to tomorrow’s meeting clarified that the $5 million will for starters come from an “interfund loan” out of the city’s “Cash Pool,” to be repaid from sale proceeds of some of the “Myers Parcels” land. That sale is still in the future, we found out from Cyndi Wilder in the city Finance and Administrative Services Department:
The Myers Way excess property has not yet been sold. The Myers Way property is still under active property review, meaning the City is working on strategies for the reuse and disposition of the property. We anticipate selling a portion of the site for commercial development, but a larger portion of the property, including certain wetlands and much of the tree canopy, would be retained for environmental protection. In 2016, the City Council will review legislation to authorize land to be retained and land to be sold. We understand that proceeds from the sale of any portion of the property not needed for identified future City purposes or retained for environmental protection would be directed toward the emergency response to homelessness. Information about the property is available here, and we’ll be updating that page with information about the property disposition as it becomes available.
Tomorrow’s meeting to finalize the emergency-response plan is at 2 pm at City Hall.
Haven’t voted yet? Don’t miss the chance to choose the first-ever District 1 City Councilmember, to settle the fate of the $930 million Seattle Proposition 1 transportation levy, and to make more than a dozen other decisions. Lots of last-minute voters again this election, judging by how few ballots have been returned so far – in D-1 (West Seattle/South Park), 9,141 out of 60,177. You have until tomorrow evening to vote, and you can do it for free by dropping your ballot off at a King County Elections ballot van or box – the full list is here, and it includes the drop vans at West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW, until 5 pm today and 10 am-8 pm tomorrow) and at Greenbridge (8th SW south of SW Roxbury, same hours). If you’ve been to the one in WS before, you’ll notice a new location – we just stopped by for a photo and discovered they’re by the stadium’s west entrance instead of along the driveway (200 ballots today, as of 1 pm). You also can mail your ballot, as long as it’s postmarked by tomorrow, but that’ll cost you 49 cents worth of postage.
(NOTE: Click “play” to see live feed when Council is meeting – budget hearing resumed just after 2 pm)
10:27 AM: The City Council‘s next round of budget-related discussions is set to start shortly (10:30 am) and today’s list of potential additions/changes to the original budget proposal includes transportation items. Among them, two related to the West Seattle Bridge Corridor “action report” made public in September.
The first item would specify $700,000 to be spent this way:
… The proposed budget action would allocate $200,000 for further analysis of physical and operational improvements in the Corridor. The following evaluations or studies would be conducted if the green sheet were included as part of the City’s 2016 Adopted Budget:
1. Evaluate the feasibility and benefit of installing center barrier sections so response vehicles can make U-turns to speed up response time.
2. Evaluate the feasibility and benefit of installing markings and signs to provide one designated emergency lane in each direction of the West Seattle Bridge upper roadways for use during emergencies.
3. Coordinate with WSDOT to determine the feasibility of traffic management modifications to improve eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct connections to south- and northbound I-5.
4. Evaluate Lower Spokane Street chokepoint relationships to determine if rail, truck and bridge opening blockages can be better coordinated to avoid cumulative impacts.
5. Evaluate better communications protocols for Port of Seattle cooperation with truck queue management and dispersal.
6. Evaluate the process and capability for providing data reports to the Washington State office of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in order for FRA to enforce the maximum 20 minute blockage rule.
7. Initiate an SDOT/WSDOT Peer Review Team to review traffic operational and safety improvement opportunities on the West Seattle Bridge upper and lower roadways and make recommendations.
In addition to the feasibility studies, the green sheet would add $500,000 for installing ITS infrastructure to help communicate delays and wait times associated with train activity in the Corridor. This project would install ITS equipment including Bluetooth readers and dynamic message signs along the Corridor between Airport Way South and Port of Seattle Terminals 5 and 18 in order to collect and display real-time travel time information to trucks drivers and other motorists. Traffic signal system improvements at the intersection of Chelan Avenue Southwest and West Marginal Way Southwest could also be included in the project scope.
The second item, at unspecified cost, basically calls for a report on how the “action report” is being followed up on:
… This Statement of Legislative Intent requests the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) prepare a written progress report on the implementation of initiatives described in the West Seattle Bridge Corridor Whitepaper and Priority Investment List.
The report should describe the Executive’s planning and progress implementing the 2015 West Seattle Bridge Whitepaper and Priority Investment List (the Investment List) recommendations to the Transportation Committee or the appropriate Council committee. The report should be transmitted to the Council no later than March 31, 2016 and should include the following information:
1) A description of all anticipated 2016 SDOT maintenance and capital project activities planned for the West Seattle Bridge Corridor (the Corridor). The report should identify all planned Corridor project activities included in the Investment List and any planned Corridor project activities not included in the Investment List.
2) A comprehensive schedule review defining SDOT’s timing for implementing the Investment List’s recommendations including any multi-year initiatives or projects that may not have full funding.
3) Estimated total investment of City resources in both staff and funding to carry out Investment List recommendations in 2016 and beyond.
4) A description of the on-going metrics SDOT will use to measure the effectiveness of the recommended investments and a Corridor-wide assessment of traffic conditions for all modes in 2016.
See the full list of items to be discussed at today’s budget meeting – no votes, since this is “Round 1” of the budget review – by going here; you can watch the meeting live via Seattle Channel, online (the “live” player is embedded above) or cable channel 21.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? To comment on anything in the budget process – which will continue until a final vote before Thanksgiving – click the “Send Us Budget Feedback” button on this page.
12:17 PM UPDATE: The West Seattle Bridge-related items hadn’t been reached yet when the council recessed for lunch, due back in session at 2 pm.
2:58 PM: They’ve just reached the West Seattle Bridge Corridor items now. (a moment later) Both went by without discussion, aside from a bit of context from Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.
(Aerial-photo graphic via Seattle City Light)
Again today, the City Council has a marathon meeting to go through potential additions/changes in next year’s budget, which will be finalized before Thanksgiving. Reviewing today’s long list – just made public, minutes before the meeting – we see one for potentially rezoning the former City Light substation at 16th and Holden and other nearby properties. This is something community advocates including the Highland Park Action Committee have pushed for, in hopes of expanding the mini-business district at that intersection, as the city continues determining the fate of eight ex-substations in all. Here’s the text of the document – remember, this is a proposal, and a final decision about including it in the budget won’t be made today:
Council requests that the Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) Planning Division, or the proposed new Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), develop and execute a scope of work to consider zoning and land use changes for the properties in and around the intersection of 16th Ave SW and SW Holden Street, including the former Seattle City Light Dumar Substation (“Dumar”) at 1605 SW Holden Street. DPD/OPCD should add this to the scope of work for either the Delridge Action Plan or to the work called for in Resolution 31612 to consider zoning and land use regulation changes in certain single-family areas (implementing recommendations from the Housing Affordability and Livability Action Agenda Committee’s proposal).
The Executive is requested to submit a report to the Council with a project scope, timeline and implementation plan for potential changes to zoning and land use regulations that could apply to this area by July 1, 2016. The project scope must include working with the Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC), property owners of lots being considered for a rezone (to include 1605 SW Holden Street) and other community members to develop recommendations. The rezone analysis should consider the most appropriate zone(s) for the area, including considering the addition of a Pedestrian zone designation.
Seattle City Light (SCL) has submitted legislation (CB 118512) for Council consideration that would declare eight substation properties as surplus and authorize the sale of these properties. The Dumar site is one of the eight properties being considered for disposition.
The Dumar site is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of SW Holden Street and 16th Avenue SW in the Highland Park neighborhood; this property is in a Single Family zone. The other three corners of the intersection are zoned Neighborhood Commercial with a 30 foot height limit. The northwest corner is occupied by a 7-Eleven store, the northeast corner by the City’s Fire Station No.11 and the southeast corner by a two-unit strip mall. As requested in Resolution 31424, SCL conducted outreach to the community about the potential disposition. This included attending district council meetings, community council meetings, soliciting comments through letters and emails and two formal public hearings.
SCL heard from HPAC and from emails from community members, a strong interest in seeing the Dumar site rezoned to Neighborhood Commercial (or an alternative commercial zone) to implement their vision that this intersection will be built out as a small, pedestrian-friendly commercial center. SCL also heard from the abutting owners to the Dumar property who requested that the property not be made a park and, instead, be sold for development as a single family residence. Whether the City disposes of the Dumar property or retains it, this SLI directs DPD/OPCD to initiate an evaluation of the zoning and land use regulations that apply to this site and the surrounding area to determine if a rezone is appropriate and to implement any identified needed changes.
Sponsors are listed as Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen, Bruce Harrell, and Nick Licata. You can watch today’s budget meeting live on Seattle Channel, online or cable channel 21. The budget will be finalized before Thanksgiving; you can send comments about this or any other aspect of the budget via a feedback form you’ll find on this page.
Have you voted yet? If not – please don’t let it slide. You have more than a billion dollars in levies to decide, as well as three City Council positions, four School Board seats and Port Commission spots, and more.
*If you’re not registered – you can still do it by end of day tomorrow, but you have to do it in person, in Seattle or Renton – location details here.
*If you are registered and you have your ballot – you have to get it dropped off or in the mail by Tuesday night, November 3rd. Once again, King County Elections will have ballot-dropoff vans at West Seattle Stadium and outside Greenbridge Library in the final days – Saturday, Oct. 31, and Monday, Nov. 2, 10 am-5 pm, and Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 3 – 10 am-8 pm.
Three forums in three nights in West Seattle for City Council District 1 (WS/South Park) candidates Lisa Herbold and Shannon Braddock – and our hour-long video above is from the finale, last night at High Point Library, one of six district forums presented by the Friends of the Seattle Public Library and SPL around the city last night. Your editor here was honored to have been invited to moderate; our questions and those contributed by attendees spanned topics including transportation, education, taxation, campaign funding, and zoning, featuring some followups on questions that came up the previous two nights. If you haven’t received your ballot yet, you should soon – you have until November 3rd to vote, and unless you are absolutely certain who you’re supporting in this race, you might consider at least listening to one of the recent forums. We’ve recorded each one – in addition to the video above, the others:
*Tuesday’s forum (presented by West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and West Seattle Transportation Coalition), which also included citywide Positions 8 and 9 candidates
*Wednesday’s forum (presented by the 34th District Democrats)
Our coverage from Tuesday includes text highlights as well as full video, but we haven’t yet had time to put together text notes from Wednesday or Thursday (note-taking is close to impossible while participating) – might get the time to do it this weekend, which, barring unforeseen breaking news, doesn’t look too busy so far, so check back if you are interested in that.
Big week of forums for the candidates hoping to represent West Seattle/South Park on behalf of its new City Council District 1 – including three in West Seattle on three consecutive nights. Last night, the second one drew a crowd to The Hall at Fauntleroy as the area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, devoted most of its regular meeting night to hearing D-1 hopefuls Shannon Braddock and Lisa Herbold answer questions. Above is our video of the event in its entirety; 34th Dems chair Marcee Stone-Vekich moderated, and read audience questions after three guest questioners quizzed the candidates on four topics: former State Rep. Velma Veloria on social justice/racial equity issues, Sustainable West Seattle‘s Stu Hennessey on sustainability issues, and your editor here on transportation and development issues. The forum was preceded by the 34 Dems’ Chris Porter presenting local nonprofits who each got to make a pitch (we live-tweeted that section).
Forum #3 is just a few hours away – presented by the Friends of the Seattle Public Library at the High Point Branch (35th & Raymond), moderated by us, 6:30 pm, all welcome, bring your questions!
By Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
The first of this week’s three City Council candidate forums in West Seattle – the only one with all six of the council candidates who will be on your ballot – included one moment of drama: When one candidate asked her opponent a money question.
We’ll get to that shortly. First things first. More than 50 people were at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center to watch the forum, presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and WS Transportation Coalition, moderated by Pete Spalding on behalf of the former and Michael Taylor-Judd for the latter. Each pair of candidates got their own section of the program, citywide Positions 8 and 9 followed by the longest section, for West Seattle/South Park District 1, which is where we begin. We recorded it all on video and are including each section below, just before our notes on the questions and answers. Please note that we’re paraphrasing/summarizing unless you see quotation marks. Also note that because of the sponsoring organizations, the questions were intended to focus on business and transportation issues. After each was given the chance to answer a question, there was also “rebuttal” time, which is why you see each question below followed by multiple responses.
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DISTRICT 1
Candidates Shannon Braddock, Lisa Herbold
OPENING STATEMENTS
Braddock: Stressed her experience volunteering with local organizations including the Lafayette Elementary PTA, West Seattle Food Bank, WestSide Baby, as well as her work as chief of staff for County Councilmember Joe McDermott. “I feel I have a very good overview of the issues affecting (this area).”
Herbold: Echoed moderator Spalding’s declaration that this is a historic election, with West Seattle/South Park electing their first District 1 councilmember. She stressed her experience working for City Councilmember Nick Licata and her career as a community organizer before that, a role in which she said you teach people how to be their own best advocates. She sees a parallel to that work and to what by-district elections are supposed to be about: “We will have more responsive government.”
First question – Do you support an employee head tax?
Big week as the November 3rd election approaches.
BALLOTS MAILED THIS WEEK: By week’s end, you should have your ballot – since King County says they’re going out Wednesday. (The sample ballot on the county website is what yours is going to look like, if you’re in West Seattle.)
THREE CHANCES TO SEE, HEAR, QUESTION COUNCIL CANDIDATES: Unless you are absolutely certain without a hint of a doubt who you are voting for in the City Council races – West Seattle/South Park District 1, plus citywide (at-large) Positions 8 and 9, you might consider going to at least one of this week’s three local forums/debates:
–First and biggest, tomorrow night (Tuesday) brings all six of those candidates (who last shared a table in West Seattle at the Fauntleroy forum five nights ago) to Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way) for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and WS Transportation Coalition co-presented event, focusing on business and transportation related questions. The at-large candidates are up first – Jon Grant and Tim Burgess for Position 8, Bill Bradburd and Lorena González for Position 9 – with District 1’s Lisa Herbold and Shannon Braddock for the finale. Mingling at 6:15 pm; debating starts at 6:45 pm.
–Wednesday night, Braddock and Herbold will be at centerstage in a forum/debate during the 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting, 7 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), with guest moderators (your editor here is among them) asking questions on a variety of topics.
-Thursday night, Herbold and Braddock meet again, as we emcee the Friends of the Seattle Public Library-presented District 1 debate/forum at 6:30 pm at High Point Library, part of a simultaneous series of forums in the council districts citywide. Audience questions too – see you there!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With four weeks left until the general election – the night the voting ends and the vote-counting begins – a forum in Fauntleroy last night featured the six candidates for the three City Council seats that will be on your ballot.
“This is a unique election,” observed Boots Winterstein from the Westside Interfaith Network (WIN), which co-presented the forum with the League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County, whose Lucy Gaskill-Gaddis served as moderator.
The format put most of the questions to all of the candidates – for City Council District 1, West Seattle/South Park, Lisa Herbold and Shannon Braddock; for at-large (citywide) Position 8, Jon Grant and Tim Burgess; for at-large Position 9, Bill Bradburd and Lorena González.
The sharpest differences were evident between each of the two sets of citywide candidates; in the local race, it was more subtle, with little all-out disagreement. And District 1 is where the forum Q/A began.
The general election is November 3rd – exactly one month away – with ballots going into the mail in a week and a half. Two notes tonight:
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 – FLURRY OF FORUMS
Both finalists, Shannon Braddock and Lisa Herbold, were at the city’s “Find It, Fix It” walk on Saturday morning:
At one point in the introductory speeches, it sounded as if Mayor Murray was inviting both to come up to the podium – but they stayed in the crowd. Saturday night, both were due to participate in the Inspire Seattle candidates’ forum at a private residence in West Seattle. If you weren’t there, don’t fret – at least four more chances to see them side by side:
-This Tuesday (October 6th), 6:30 pm at Fauntleroy UCC Church (9140 California SW), presented by the Westside Interfaith Network and League of Women Voters
-Tuesday, October 13th, 6:15 pm, Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way), presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and WS Transportation Coalition
-Wednesday, October 14th, 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), presented by the 34th District Democrats
-Thursday, October 15th, 6:30 pm, High Point Library (35th SW & SW Raymond)
REGISTERED TO VOTE?
If you’re not registered – this Monday (October 5th) is the deadline to get it done online. Just go here.
Story, photos, video by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Successes, challenges, even tragedy took turns in the spotlight as Mayor Ed Murray and a strike force of city staffers descended on North Delridge today for their 12th Find It, Fix It Community Walk, first one in West Seattle.
This was no “drop in and we’ll wander around” event. It was meticulously planned for months, with a community committee involved in planning the route and who would speak where and when. An audio system was carted from stop to stop, and speeches – by community members as well as the mayor and staffers – took up about a third of the hour and a half it actually lasted. With so much planned, it was far more thorough than the last mayoral walking tour we recall in the area, by Murray’s predecessor Mike McGinn five years ago, though part of the route was the same.
We’ll begin at the beginning:
At the starting point, the Louisa Boren STEM K-8 school at 5950 Delridge Way SW, the mayor was introduced by Neighborhood District Coordinator Kerry Wade, who spent months working with community volunteers to ensure this happened without a hitch. With a podium, PA system, and the full crowd, speeches ensued, starting with the mayor explaining what the walks are about:
He introduced the many department heads who were along for the walk:
From left, Seattle Public Utilities’ Ray Hoffman, Seattle City Light’s acting GM Jim Baggs, SPD Deputy Chief Carmen Best, Department of Neighborhoods’ Kathy Nyland, SDOT’s Scott Kubly, Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre, budget director Ben Noble, Department of Finance and Administrative Services’ Fred Podesta. Also taking a turn at the podium, City Councilmembers Tim Burgess and Tom Rasmussen:
The school was also the official first stop on the walk, highlighting the success story of its new crosswalk, installed just before this school year began:
Ironically, as community member Craig Rankin pointed out – having been deeply involved in making it happen (as reported here in March 2014) – it wouldn’t be where it is if the city had had its way:
After he spoke, it was off to the next stop, with residents Michelle Whelan and Maketa Wilborn pointing out one of the many places where the Delridge area – mostly a narrow valley, the “dell” between the “ridges” – has drainage challenges:
Using a tablet, they showed the mayor and SPU director Hoffman some images of problems in the past, and pointed out that nearby slopes are slated for development, wondering just how much worse things will get because of that, if something’s not done.
Stop number 3, as the group headed north, was a piece of city-owned property that will remain greenspace thanks to a community organization’s efforts to keep it from being sold off.
That’s Willard Brown from the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, which – as reported here recently – will be using grant money and donations to buy one of City Light’s surplus substation sites; here’s the aerial look from SCL’s website.
During the Find It, Fix It walk, Brown spoke about how preserving the greenspace will benefit students from the nearby school:
But some “fixing” is still needed here, he noted, adding his voice to those clamoring for drainage and water-routing improvements in the area. Turning west, the group crossed Delridge Way, and stopped by the planting strip on the south side of the Super 24 store, where, as previewed here last week, the Nature Consortium had a cleanup project under way:
(You might recall some controversy over that planting strip – which previously had been part of a small perpendicular-parking area, and then, when converted, was overpaved, leading to the creation of the beds that were weeded today.) NC executive director Merica Whitehall spoke here during today’s event:
She told the mayor and participants about her organization’s work with the community and with the West Duwamish Greenbelt, in tandem with thousands of volunteers every year:
The alley leading toward Delridge Library was the next segment of the route:
While walking northbound in the alley, community advocate Pete Spalding (above right) talked about neighbors’ watchfulness and the principle “if you see something, say something.” The mayor also heard from library manager Jane Appling, whose staffers and clients have to deal with what happens in the alley, too, and with North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s Michael Taylor-Judd (below left):
(At right in the photo above is city traffic engineer Dongho Chang, seen at many a local project meeting.) Concerns related to the alley, besides its overall condition, continue to range from vandalism to drug use; the mayor mentioned the ongoing work to hire more officers for SPD, as well as rampant problems attributed to the nation’s “drug epidemic.” Finding needles and syringes was a problem also mentioned by Delridge P-Patch volunteers, who spoke at the next stop:
They also spoke of successes including their Giving Garden – growing food-bank donations – and how they were able to convert some young area troublemakers into garden volunteers. Some of the walkers moved on through the garden, still beautifully in bloom for fall …
… while some stopped for treats, including the mayor:
Food was the focus at the next stop, the space reserved on the ground floor of Cottage Grove Commons for the Delridge Grocery Co-op‘s future permanent home:
DGC volunteers met the visitors and talked about their years of work to get a store open to help make Delridge less of a “food desert.” This week, they announced to their 400+ members that they had been told “informally” that DGC would be declined for a loan it had hoped would bring a big boost toward opening – but they vow to push on and find financing some other way. This stop was a rare chance, by the way, to look inside their future space at 5444 Delridge Way SW – mouse over our Instagram clip to play a :15 clip panning around inside:
In the courtyard of Cottage Grove Commons, those who hadn’t straggled off along the way heard about the building – open now for almost two years as housing for people who were previously homeless – and that one of residents and managers’ biggest concerns is nearby traffic and safely crossing the street. This is where tragedy was mentioned – the death of a CGC resident hit by a car in November of last year. This next clip also includes the mayor’s closing remarks:
With his promise to return, the first West Seattle “Find It, Fix It” walk wrapped up after about an hour and 20 minutes – a visit that had been months in the making.
Perhaps one of the most important exchanges was back at the P-Patch, where the garden volunteers said they didn’t know how to ask for help with some of their problems – where to go in city government. The mayor said for one, speaking up at the event was the same as asking for help. For two, he said, his staff is working on ways for people to navigate the tangle of city departments and services more easily. Sometimes it might seem like departments are in silos – but a sighting along the way was a reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way:
Staffers from multiple departments – including the firefighter in our photo – carried grabbers and bright yellow bags, picking up trash and debris as they walked in the Saturday sunshine.
P.S. Both candidates for West Seattle’s new District 1 City Council seat were there too; photos to come, in a separate report looking ahead to Election Day, now exactly one month away.
P.P.S. Lots of side conversations – we’ll be adding notes about the ones we hear of, like this mention from Sanislo Elementary, whose reps brought up the illegal dumping that’s a chronic problem nearby.
From 11 am to 1 pm tomorrow, many eyes will be on Delridge Way SW as the first Find It, Fix It Community Walk in West Seattle travels along about a mile of the busy arterial. It’s happening one year into the mayor’s program, which describes each walk as “a gathering of community members, City officials, and the Mayor to help identify issues that affect the safety and aesthetics of a neighborhood.” In addition to the mayor and community advocates, Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess are also expected, according to a council tweet. A group of residents has spent many weeks planning for this, and some events are already scheduled – we mentioned the Nature Consortium-led beautification project (volunteers appreciated!) – and the Delridge P-Patch has announced that it will host a Cider Social 1-4 pm, starting right after the walk, which ends at the garden. You don’t have to register to be part of any or all of this – either be part of it from the start (11 am, Louisa Boren STEM K-8, 5950 Delridge Way SW) or join along the way (should be hard to miss). See you there!
West Seattleites who don’t want former substation sites sold to the highest bidder made their case to the City Council Energy Committee this morning, as previewed here on Monday. (Above, you can watch the full Seattle Channel video of this morning’s meeting.) In addition to the two sites – Delridge and Fauntleroy – for which community groups might get an extra year to raise purchase money, the Dakota site on Genesee Hill might also get a partial reprieve:
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen said this morning that he’s introducing an amendment to give that community, where the save-the-sites-as-open-space movement began, up to three years to raise money to buy it. Katie Stemp of Seattle Farm School told the committee about her new idea for the site, and members of the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council spoke of their longtime advocacy for keeping it as community-owned space – particularly considering it’s across the street from the under-construction Schmitz Park at Genesee Hill, which will be home to West Seattle’s most populous elementary school when it opens next school year. The two West Seattle substations that do not appear to have community purchase efforts under way right now are Dumar (in north Highland Park) and Andover (on Pigeon Point); Seattle City Light has said other city departments are not interested in the West Seattle sites. In addition to testimony about specific purchase efforts, some West Seattleites argued that open space is priceless -citing a big backlog of demand for community features such as P-Patches, for example. As committee chair Councilmember Kshama Sawant pointed out, this was the committee’s first look at the substations’ fate, so no vote today on the proposed ordinance that would authorize their sale – that’ll be at a future meeting; we’ll continue to follow up as the process proceeds.
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