Photo by Jen Nance

Over 200 people packed the ballroom at Jumbo’s Chinese restaurant in South East Seattle last night for an inspiring rally in support of Mike McGinn as Seattle’s next mayor.

Members and leaders of the Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, East African, Hispanic, and other communities filled up Jumbos ballroom for their chance to meet Mike and hear from various local luminaries such as Linh Thai, State Rep. Bob Hasagewa, Mar Marillo, Yusuf Kabdi, Michael Neguse, Mohammed Sheikh, Andrea John-Smith and others about why they endorse Mike McGinn for the next mayor of Seattle. The event concluded with a wonderful Vietnamese fan dance performance.

The diverse cross section of guests was a testament to the inclusiveness of the campaign and the optimism that it inspires. Guests and volunteers left the event full, energized, optimistic about the future of Seattle, and carrying McGinn yard signs to display their support with.

The event doubled as a food drive to support the Rainier Valley Food Bank, and many pounds of food were donated.

Saturday afternoon, the McGinn campaign celebrated the opening of its newest office in South Seattle. Citizens and volunteers alike packed into the new location to hear Mike speak briefly about the state of the campaign and field questions from concerned community members seeking answers to local challenges. (And to enjoy a big pile of Banh Mi from Tony’s Deli.) continue reading »

Mike will be in South Seattle on Saturday Sept. 19th to meet with community leaders and open up the campaign’s new office. The branch is located at 6951 MLK Jr. Way South in King Plaza, just west of the Othello Link Light Rail Station. The grand opening is scheduled for 3 PM.

In an effort to get more people involved in the discussions shaping this election, Mike will also be hosting a series of town hall meetings that begin Saturday morning in Columbia City.

Town Hall Meetings:

Columbia City Town Hall (10:30-11:30am)

Saturday, September 19th
Columbia City Branch of the Seattle Public Library
4721 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle

Beacon Hill Town Hall (8:00-9:00pm)

Saturday September 19th
Jefferson Community Center
3801 Beacon Ave. S., Seattle

Lake City Town Hall (11:00am-12:00pm)

Sunday September 20th
Meadowbrook Community Center
10517 35th Ave. NE, Seattle

Northgate Town Hall (1-2pm)

Sunday September 20th
Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave. NE, Seattle

Persistent summer weather greeted the hundreds of attendees at Seattle Tilth’s annual Harvest Fair Saturday afternoon, a celebration of the season’s urban bounty, community togetherness, and all things green. Though Mike couldn’t attend due to a scheduling conflict (so many events, so little time), he would be glad to know that interest in urban gardening and locally produced food has never been stronger. continue reading »

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 »