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Dear Neighbors:
Colleen and I spent the recent Council Recess hiking and camping along Oregon’s southern coast, exploring the Oregon Caves National Monument and taking in a lively performance of “The Tempest” at the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle the challenge of chairing King County’s $3.9 billion budget process, which gets started in October.
I know you are busy with family and work obligations, but I hope you will take a moment to share your views on King County government, and how we can shape a 2008 budget that reflects the priorities of our community. You know my mantra: maximum public involvement is the key to effective democracy. So, take part!
Thank you again for taking the time to read this edition of e-news and to help me better represent you.
Sincerely,
Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1
North King County Economic Summit
I have been pleased to help support, develop and maintain a vibrant small business community in North King County. I am working with the cities of District 1 and their chambers of commerce to put together the North King County Economic Summit. The event takes place Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at the Lake City Elks Lodge (14540 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forest Park). Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. and the luncheon begins at noon. If you are interested in attending the summit, please contact Shari Tracey at (206) 296-1636 or shari.tracey@kingcounty.gov.
As a public official my top priority is to promote public trust by maximizing public involvement in government. I believe the lobbying scandals in Congress and the low levels of competition for local elected office share a common genesis: the troublesome fact that mounting a viable candidacy means raising significant amounts of money. Campaigning should be a lively opportunity for voters and candidates to debate the issues of the day. Too often, however, well-intentioned candidates find that the most important part of the race is the fund race.
With big money comes the perception of undue influence. If we are to restore public trust in government, we need to reduce the importance of fundraising and return power to the grassroots. I believe a proposal for “fair elections,” or voluntary public financing, has the potential to do just that.
I recently introduced legislation calling for a report on public financing options in King County, and declaring Council intent to include in our 2008 state legislative agenda a change to state law to allow local governments the flexibility to engage in campaign finance reform. You can view a copy of the legislation and track its progress here.
Elected leaders in the jurisdictions that have instituted public campaign finance systems have found strong public support for this reform, which encourages candidates to demonstrate viability by seeking a broad spectrum of small donors rather than a small concentration of large donors. Candidates for office have the option of receiving public matching funds if they are able to demonstrate sufficient grassroots support for their candidacies—raising small $5 or $10 donations. The public appreciates a system that reduces the perceived influence of major organizational donors. Candidates enjoy spending time engaging voters and debating major issues rather than dialing for dollars. More people than ever are running for office and individuals who don’t usually contribute to political campaigns are making newly meaningful $5 contributions and getting involved in our democracy. And the option to receive public funding is completely voluntary. Everyone wins.
I look forward to reviewing the report and lobbying for this change in the next state legislative session. Please contact me if you would like to take part in this effort, or contact your state legislators directly and urge them to support the bill to repeal the prohibition on public financing of local campaigns.
For more information about Public Campaign Financing, here are some resources to check out:
Washington Public Campaigns
League of Women Voters
Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC)
The King County Veterans Citizen Levy Oversight Board currently has an opening for a resident of King County Council District 1. Information about the Oversight Board is available here. Many of the required meetings are held during daytime business hours. If you think you might be interested in serving, please contact Shari Tracey at shari.tracey@kingcounty.gov for more details as soon as possible. This position is currently vacant and we would like to fill it by the end of September if possible.
King County wins $800,000 state grant for Courthouse and City Hall Park Restoration
My work to revitalize City Hall Park and the historic King County Courthouse received a major boost recently when the state of Washington awarded King County a grant worth $800,000 to help finance the historic restoration of the courthouse south entrance.
Whether you have served on a jury, testified before the County Council or participated in a trial, you know that the King County Courthouse truly is the people’s building. Sadly, a disastrous 1960s remodel destroyed much of the historic fabric which once conveyed the dignified purpose of the building. The original main entrance that connected the building to City Hall Park was converted to a loading dock. An alley filled with heavy equipment, scraggly bushes and plenty of rats now divides the courthouse from its neighboring park, which has become an unwelcoming and shady island of empty benches.
Last year, as Capital Budget Committee Chair, I appropriated funding to draw up plans to reopen the historic south entrance to the Courthouse and to turn one of Downtown Seattle’s last green spaces into a welcoming park. Now, the project has been designated the state’s highest priority in the Historic Courthouse Rehabilitation Program which allocates $5 million annually for historic restoration projects in courthouses in Washington’s 39 counties.
The next step in this multi-jurisdictional effort involves the City of Seattle budget process this fall. I encourage you to contact the Seattle City Council to urge councilmembers to include funding for rehabilitation and security of the city-owned City Hall Park in this year’s budget: visit http://www.seattle.gov/council/councilcontact.htm to contact the Council. For more information on this project, check out this Seattle P-I article by reporter Neil Modie: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/273154_courthouse08.html
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The south entrance to the Courthouse before 1967. |
The south entrance to the Courthouse as it exists today. |
City of Kenmore gets Brightwater property for park
Kenmore residents can look forward to a new park, thanks to an Interlocal Agreement signed by the City of Kenmore and King County. I was pleased to sponsor legislation at the County Council to approve this Interlocal Agreement and transfer ownership of the site of the North Portal of the Brightwater construction project to the City of Kenmore. As part of the Brightwater mitigation agreement, the property, near the intersection of 192nd Street and 80th Avenue NE, may be used for parkland, open space and recreational purposes at the city’s discretion.
UW Bothell Business Development Partnership
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Bob meets with Walter Freytag, BDC Director, and Steve Holland, UWB Business Program Director. |
Representatives from the University of Washington Bothell Business Development Center (BDC) met with me earlier this month to celebrate the success of the Center and its many contributions to North King County residents. I was thrilled to support this exciting program by bringing King County on board as a founding partner.
The Business Development Center connects energetic and idealistic student consultants who seek real world experience with small businesses that stand to benefit from their academic expertise. The partnership enriches the students’ experience while promoting economic development in the Northshore community.
Since it was established in February 2006, the BDC has provided consulting services to 22 King County-based businesses resulting in increased revenues, profits, capacity, and effectiveness. Additionally, over 50 students who are residents of King County participated in the BDC’s consulting projects.
If you own a small business or know of a business that could benefit from BDC consulting, please contact UW BDC.
King County Voters Approve Parks Bond Measures
On August 21, voters in King County overwhelmingly passed two measures supporting our King County Parks. King County operates 25,000 acres of parks and 175 miles of trails, including the 17-mile Burke-Gilman Trail.
Among the parks in District 1 that will benefit with increased operating and maintenance funds are West Hill Park in Kenmore, East Norway Hill Park in Bothell, and the Burke-Gilman Trail running through the district from Seattle to Bothell. Funding also supports the Woodland Park Zoo, a regional resource.
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Shari Tracey, Vicki Stiles and me. Photos are of three prominent locations in Shoreline: Aurora Avenue at approximately 150th, ca. 1945, the Richmond Beach School in 1909 and the Bessie B Lunch in 1933. |
When I was elected to represent District 1, my first official visit to the new district was to the Shoreline Historical Museum. The history of our communities is one of the most important pieces of information we can pass on to future generations, and Vicki Stiles, Executive Director of the Shoreline Historical Museum, is an excellent example of a person who makes that happen. Recently, Vicki presented my office with historical photos from District 1. I highly recommend that you also visit the Shoreline Historical Museum. For more information, visit: http://www.shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org.
New Staff Members Join District 1
I would like to introduce two new staffers that joined the District 1 team over the summer.
Tibor Horvath is responsible for scheduling, assists with constituent services and database management and other special projects. When you call our office, Tibor will most likely be answering the phone. Tibor resides in West Seattle and grew up in the Broadview area of our District. Tibor is active in the Bokreta Hungarian Dance Ensemble, which performs in and around Seattle at local events and festivals, and has been president of this organization for many years. Tibor is currently active in several organizations, primarily those working for LGBT equality and immigrants’ rights.
Joe Fitzgibbon is our newest intern. Joe is a longtime King County resident and recent graduate of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, with degrees in History and Political Science. He will be helping out with constituent communications, research, media monitoring and other special projects.
Calling all Ronald School Graduates: Saturday, September 15, 2007 at Noon, the Shoreline Historical Museum will be holding an All-Ronald Reunion for the many people who attended the historic Ronald school, which now houses the Shoreline Historical Museum. If you attended Ronald School and would like to reconnect with your buddies from the past, you can obtain information by contacting Vicki Stiles at (206) 542-7111 or shm@shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org
New Space Theater: Festival of Original One Act Plays, September 14 & 15, 20-22, 27-29. The New Space Theater is located at 17517 15th Avenue N.E. in Shoreline. For more information go to http://www.myspace.com/newspaceshoreline, or for tickets call (206) 650-9448.
There are many other fun Fall events happening. For special events in your city, click on their website below, or click on the “Community” section of my website. http://www.metrokc.gov/council/members/ferguson/community.htm
Seattle: http://www.seattle.gov/arts/default.asp (Check out the link on my website under “Community” and “Seattle” for links to your neighborhood association).
Shoreline: http://www.cityofshoreline.com
Lake Forest Park: http://www.cityoflfp.com/city
Kenmore: http://www.ci.kenmore.wa.us
Bothell: http://www.ci.bothell.wa.us
Woodinville: http://www.ci.woodinville.wa.us
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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