Nickels Newsletter - February 2006

Dear Friends,

This past month was marked by events that touched us, saddened us and elated us. We were saddened by the passing of Coretta Scott King, the first lady of the civil rights movement. It was her tenacity that moved our nation to rightfully set aside a day in January honoring her husband. More than that, Mrs. King shared her husband’s dream and continued his legacy with passion and dignity. We mourn her loss and will rededicate ourselves to her and her husband’s dream that “one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal.”

Just days before Mrs. King’s passing, our state legislature honored the memory of former state Rep. Cal Anderson by passing a landmark civil rights bill. Rep. Anderson became the first openly gay member of the Legislature when he was appointed to the House in 1987. He served until his death in 1995. During his tenure he courageously fought the battle to pass legislation to protect gays and lesbians from the hatefulness of discrimination. Rep. Ed Murray, elected to the House in 1996, took up the battle. We owe a debt of gratitude to both men for their grace and dignity in the face of bigotry. I’m proud that our state can now fully realize its reputation as a guardian of equality and social justice for all people.

Our Seahawks in the Super Bowl! What a ride it has been -- we have waited 30 years to finally realize a shot at the top prize. And the Seahawks had an incredible season. It was a tough loss, but our Hawks are still winners -- NFC Champs. It’s especially thrilling to have this happen during my watch as mayor. I’m looking forward to seeing the Hawks in Super Bowl XLI in Miami next year. Blue Thunder will roar again next season!

Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Seattle continues making progress on climate change

When the Kyoto Protocol went into effect last Feb. 16, the United States was not one of the 141 countries signing on. That was not acceptable so I offered a challenge to cities across the country to join Seattle in committing to the goals of the agreement. With a goal of signing on 141 U.S. cities, a year later, more than 200 cities have signed on. And we’re making progress here in Seattle. We’re converting our garbage and recycling trucks to use clean-burning biodiesel and other low-sulfur fuels, and City Light is the first large electric utility in the country to reach “zero net emissions.” And now the University of Washington has taken a major step in its commitment to fight global climate change. The UW is now City Light’s largest partner in the utility’s Green Up program -- with 100 percent of the electricity it receives from City Light being renewable energy.
Read the news release
Read more about Green Up

Seattle Center Monorail will be back on track by summer

I’m happy to announce we have a plan to repair the Monorail and get it back on track safely and responsibly this summer. Cost of the repairs will range between $3 million and $4 million, but the majority of the bill will be paid by insurance. The rest will be covered through grants and operation revenue when the Monorail resumes service. No general fund dollars will go to the repairs. The Monorail is not only an important transportation link that carries more than 2 million people a year, it is an irreplaceable part of Seattle’s character.
Read the news release

Construction starts on Fire Station 10

We took a giant step toward our goal of making Seattle the most prepared city in America when we broke ground for Fire Station 10. This facility, being built under the 2003 voter-approved Fire Facility and Emergency Response levy, will be the first station we’ve built since Gerald Ford was president (1974-77). The 61,000-square-foot facility will also house a new Emergency Operations Center, where the City’s operations and administrative functions take place during a declared emergency, and a new Fire Alarm Center. This new facility will strengthen our ability to respond to a man-made or natural emergency.
Read the news release

A homerun for affordable housing

It was my pleasure to join with the Seattle Mariners and other volunteers to help frame a Habitat for Humanity house at Safeco Field. Once the house is completed, it will be moved to City-owned land in the Judkins Park neighborhood. This was a great team effort to help provide housing for a family in need. The two-story, four-bedroom home will be put in a land trust to preserve long-term affordability.
Read the news release

Seattle is recycling more and throwing away less

Seattle is green and our recycling rates show it. Thanks to the residents of Seattle we are recycling more and throwing away less -- a key step in becoming a truly sustainable city. Since we began enforcing recycling on Jan. 1, more than 90 percent of inspected apartments and businesses are recycling correctly. Out of 450,000 household garbage cans collected in the first three weeks of January, 203 were left behind for having more than 10 percent recyclables in them.
Read the news release

Clean & Green program marks milestone

Last month’s Clean & Green in the Haller Lake neighborhood was the 50th since I launched the program in 2002. One Saturday a month, I join with community volunteers and City work crews to tackle clean-up projects. I’ve had the honor of rolling up my sleeves with more than 5,500 people who give up part of their Saturdays to make a difference in their neighborhoods. Throughout the city, we have picked up 125,000 pounds of litter, fixed 2,849 broken streetlights, removed 5,709 graffiti tags, and more. That spirit of commitment and community is what makes Seattle such a beautiful place to live.
Read the news release

Appreciating our neighbors

We just celebrated the 12th annual Neighbor Appreciation Day here in Seattle. We set this day aside each year to remind Seattle residents to say “thank you” to those who have made their neighborhoods a nicer, safer place to live, work and play. And each year we hold a contest for Seattle school children to submit drawings for the year’s Neighbor Appreciation Day card. This year’s winner is Michelle Pham, a fifth grader at Dunlap Elementary School. These greeting cards, available free at neighborhood service centers and public libraries throughout Seattle, are suitable for use throughout the year.
View 2006 greeting card art

Supporting race and social justice efforts

It seemed only fitting to start off the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with the announcement of more than $340,000 in Neighborhood Matching Funds for organizations working to increase tolerance, understanding and social justice. We award Neighborhood Matching Fund several times a year to community groups who then match the public funds with locally raised money, donated materials, and volunteer labor. This is the third year we have dedicated awards specifically for fulfilling the goals of my Race and Social Justice Initiative. I was pleased to award more than $340,000 for 32 community projects -- great projects that will help bridge the gap between races, classes and communities.
Read the news release and list of projects

Making Seattle a good place to do business

In March 2002 I convened the Economic Opportunity Task Force (EOTF), a group of 39 business, labor, education and community leaders. My charge to the group was to develop recommendations for the City on how we could better support businesses and enhance Seattle’s job base. By July 2002, EOTF members had developed 69 recommendations, which helped shape the agenda for my first term. And by last July, we had completed, or made progress on more than 80 percent of the recommendations. Now, at the beginning of my second term, the EOTF has presented me with a second set of recommendations, building on the first set. Our economic outlook is much brighter than in 2002 when I first convened the EOTF, but we will continue to meet new challenges and opportunities to secure our economic future. I appreciate the dedication and commitment of the EOTF -- its work is invaluable to continuing the momentum we have established in strengthening our business climate and growing our jobs base.
Read the news release