We were happy to see Mayor Nickels send a press release touting a new park for the Belltown neighborhood—a 17,000-square-foot “park boulevard” on Bell Street. As Seattle grows and as more people live in Seattle’s neighborhoods, Seattle needs great parks and green spaces to play, to relax, and to escape. This will be a treasure for the Belltown community.

But it’s odd that Mayor Nickels is suddenly so enthusiastic about it. Just last year, he strongly opposed the Parks and Green Space Levy, which is funding Belltown’s new green space: “It is surprising that the mayor won’t support things that are so important to our neighborhoods,” Councilmember Tom Rasmussen said at the time. continue reading »

And that’s fine. The photo above is me saying no to the Viaduct Tunnel in response to a question to candidates at the annual Seattle Chamber of Commerce breakfast. The Tunnel is one of its highest priorities.

I used my speaking time to the Chamber members to focus on the tax implications of the massively expensive and unfunded tunnel, as well as the economic implications of spending billions of dollars a year on imported oil and gas. continue reading »

While our “leaders” were drinking champagne yesterday to celebrate the tunnel boondoggle, Seattle Public Schools announced that it will lay off 170 teachers in the coming school year. Class sizes will rise, harming the quality of our children’s education. Our priorities are badly misplaced. continue reading »

Today Mayor Nickels joined Christine Gregoire at a champagne reception to celebrate the signing of the Viaduct Tunnel bill. Yep, champagne — the photo attached is straight from the reception.  

What are they celebrating? They have picked the most expensive, the most risky and the most polluting option. It wastes money needed for more urgent priorities, such as providing good schools for our children, eliminating overcrowding on buses, making our neighborhoods safe, and preparing Seattle for a better economic future. continue reading »

Today’s paper reported that the Sound Transit bored tunnel through Beacon Hill created a 21-foot hole underneath a house, one of several “voids” in Beacon Hill that has resulted from the tunneling. How do the soils of Beacon Hill compare with those beneath downtown Seattle where a tunnel would go? According to the State Department of Transportation, the glacial sand, silt, clay and other soils are similar to the hard and dense soils along most of the proposed SR 99 bored tunnel alignment. Except these soils are beneath office and residential towers, not single family homes. continue reading »