Dear Neighbors:

Like many of you, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of our county's prosecutor, Norm Maleng, at the age of 68. Norm was a symbol of justice for all of us in King County and especially those of us in the legal community. I was privileged to work with Norm when I served as Chair of the Law, Justice and Human Services Committee of the King County Council. As a young lawyer I heard the stories of Norm’s renowned idealism, and it was an honor to get to know Norm as the compassionate, honest, consummately respectful, and above all, decent individual that he was.

Norm was a lawyer's lawyer, and the people's lawyer. My deepest condolences go out to Judy and Mark for the loss of a wonderful husband and father, and to all of the King County residents whose lives were touched by this great man. I know Norm's team in the Prosecutor’s Office will continue to honor Norm by carrying on his ideals as they do the people's work during this difficult time.

A public service will be held in Norm’s honor on Saturday, June 2nd, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington Campus. The service begins at 5pm.

Public Health Town Hall Recap

Thank you to those of you who joined me in Shoreline for my Public Health Town Hall with the new director of Public Health, Dr. David Fleming.

We had the pleasure of announcing some exciting news: the public health centers in North Seattle and Bothell that had been slated for closure will have funds to operate through 2008. Back in December, I helped secure temporary funding to keep the clinics open through 2007. Recently I’ve worked with Executive Sims to identify a $5 million reserve fund that will keep the clinics running through 2008 while we study sustainable, long-term solutions to ensure access for public health services. Securing this funding was crucial—these clinics serve nearly 80,000 uninsured or underinsured citizens annually. Read a Seattle Times article about the funding.

My next Town Meeting will be Monday, June 25th. See below for details.

Return of the Mosquito Fleet

From the late nineteenth century through the early 1950s, a “mosquito fleet” of small steamer lines crisscrossed Puget Sound and surrounding lakes, providing passenger ferry service to dozens of communities throughout King County.
I recently co-sponsored an ordinance that will create a ferry district to provide passenger-only ferry service within King County and explore restoring service on much of the old mosquito fleet network. The legislation calls for a study of possible service including a link between the University of Washington and Kenmore via Lake Washington.

This service has great potential for reducing traffic congestion and protecting the environment by providing another enticing reason for people to leave their cars in the driveway and hop on public transit. The popularity of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi between downtown Seattle and West Seattle makes me optimistic that new passenger service to connect other King County communities will be a success.

Read an article on the subject that appeared in the P.I.

Where's Waldo?

You may be interested in the recent developments in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of North Seattle where the former Puget Sound Camp Fire/Waldo General Hospital site at 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 85th Street has been purchased for development. I have heard from many concerned Maple Leaf residents who cherish the grove of mature trees and the historic building on the site that are threatened by the current plan for development.

On May 2nd I testified in support of nominating the Camp Fire USA/Waldo General Hospital as a Seattle Landmark. The nomination passed unanimously thanks to the hard work of the Maple Leaf Community Council in preparing a well-researched application. However, this is only the first hurdle to protect the building from demolition. The next phase of the Landmark process is the designation hearing which will occur on June 20th. If you want to get involved, visit www.savewaldo.org or the Maple Leaf Community Council Web Site.

If you are involved in an historic preservation effort in your neighborhood, let me know, or contact Sam Downing of my office at 206-296-0341 or samuel.downing@metrokc.gov.

Citizen Panel Reviews King County's Charter

If you’ve lived here for some time, perhaps you recall the stormy years of the late 1960s and the scandals that led the citizens of King County to support becoming a home rule county. This move replaced the old county commission governance structure with a county council-county executive model.

The King County Charter was adopted by the voters in 1968 and serves as the constitution of King County government. One of the provisions of the document, which outlines the structure and scope of county governance, provides for a citizens’ commission to review the Charter and propose amendments every decade. The County Council can then place those proposed amendments before the voters. 2007 is Charter review year. I hope you will take part in the review process.

Join me at the District 1 hearing of the Charter Review Commission on Tuesday, June 5th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Shoreline Center, Ballinger Room 18560 1st Ave NE. The Commission is co-chaired by former Governor and King County Councilmember Mike Lowry and former King County Councilmember Lois North. District 1 is represented by Kirstin Haugen of Bothell. If you have a question or comment for Kirstin you can email her at kirstin.haugen@metrokc.gov.

Here is the link to an informative website if you have questions regarding the Charter Review process or the Commission itself.

Action Plan For Mental Health and Chemical Dependency

I want to invite you to join me and my colleagues on the County Council at the King County Council Town Hall Meeting on Mental Health and Chemical Dependency:

Special King County Council Public Meeting – Mental Health Town Hall
Monday, June 25, 2007
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
(Public Reception at 6:00 p.m.)
Shoreline Conference Center
18560 1st Ave. Northeast, Shoreline
Directions to the Town Hall

I have written previously about my proposal to address the challenge of assisting large numbers of mentally ill and chemically dependent people in our criminal justice and other crisis systems.

Get Involved!

From time to time our office receives notification of a commission or board vacancy, that we would like to fill with a District 1 resident.

Currently, there is an open position on the Veterans Citizen Levy Oversight Board. The Board is responsible for reviewing the expenditure of levy proceeds, and for reporting annually to the King County Executive and the King County Council. If you would like more information about this position, please contact Sam Downing in our office at 206-296-0341 or Samuel.downing@metrokc.gov.

Other Volunteer Opportunities in District 1:
Volunteers needed for Off-Leash Dog Park Study Group
Shoreline is seeking volunteers to serve on an off-leash Dog Area Study Group to help site the area provided for in the 2006 Park Bond. You can obtain more information about this project, including an application by visiting their website, or by calling (206) 546-5041.

Farmers Markets in District 1!

My wife Colleen and I look forward to this time of year as the weather improves, the flowers bloom, and the Farmers Markets and Festivals take off for the Summer. We like to attend the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables.

I hope you find this resource useful to your summer planning!

Third Place Commons Lake Forest Park Farmers Market
Open Sundays 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. from May 13th - October 7th
Bothell Way and Hwy 104

Lake City Farmers Market
Open Thursdays 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. from May 17th - October 4th
NE 127th Street & 30th Avenue NE

Bothell Farmers Market at Country Village
Open Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. from May 4th – September 28th
238th & Bothell-Everett Hwy (SR 527)

Woodinville Farmers Market
Open Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. from May 5th – October 13th
Woodinville Village (Hwy 202 and Woodinville-Redmond Rd)

“On Board” for Shoreline Parks

Congratulations and thanks to our very own District 1 staff member, Shari Tracey. The Shoreline City Council appointed Shari to serve on the Shoreline Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Board. The Board advises the Shoreline City Council and City staff on a variety of parks and recreation issues including plans and policies, park operation and design, program activities, property acquisition and development of rules and regulations.

Shari has been a Shoreline resident for 15 years. She was Co-Chair and Treasurer for the Citizens for Shoreline Parks and served on the Board of Richmond Little League. In her spare time, Shari enjoys working on a variety of community projects in Shoreline, spending time with her family and dog, and is currently attending Shoreline Community College.

Thank you for your service, Shari!

Welcome Andrew Bjorkman

Please join District 1 in welcoming our intern, Andrew Bjorkman. Andrew worked with District 1 in 2005 and 2006, and will be part of our team this year through August 10th.

Andrew grew up on Queen Anne and currently attends Hamilton College in New York where he is majoring in Government. He also hopes to pursue Spanish or Latin American studies and eventually go on to law school.

District 1 Dates

Here are a few events in June at which I will be speaking:

District 1 Charter Review Commission Hearing, Monday, June 5th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Shoreline Center, Ballinger Room, 18560 1st Ave Northeast, Shoreline

Shoreline Rotary, Wednesday, June 6th, 7:00 a.m. at Shoreline Center, 18560 1st Ave Northeast, Shoreline

Echo Lake Neighborhood Association, Tuesday, June 19th, 7:00 p.m. at Shoreline Center, Ballinger Room 18560 1st Ave Northeast, Shoreline

Mental Health Town Hall, Monday, June 25th, 6:30 – 8:30 (Public reception at 6:00) at Shoreline Center, Shoreline Room, 18560 1st Ave Northeast, Shoreline

Roosevelt Neighborhood Alliance, Tuesday, June 26th, 7:30 p.m., Roosevelt High School, Room 242, 1410 Northeast 66th St., Seattle

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Phone: (206) 296-1001 | Fax: (206) 296-0198 | TTY/TDD: (206) 296-1024 | Toll Free: (800) 325-6165
Mailing Address: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200, Seattle, WA 98104-3272