Dear Neighbors:

I want to thank all of you who took the time to attend my March town hall meeting with Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess. Over 120 people attended, many bringing lively questions about transportation, public safety, public campaign financing, and flood control. Dialogue is key to effective representation, and we had a great conversation.

I want to invite you to my next town hall meeting, coming up on Wednesday, April 2. Lake Forest Park Mayor Dave Hutchinson will join me to answer your questions about city and county issues. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Third Place Commons in the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre, 17171 Bothell Way Northeast. I hope you will be able to attend.

Every year the King County Council holds Committee of the Whole (COW) Town Hall meetings in the nine council districts. The COW town hall meeting in District One will be Monday, May 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and public campaign financing is the topic I have selected. The meeting will be at the Shoreline Conference Center, 18560 1st Avenue Northeast, Shoreline. Read more about my campaign finance proposal.

Over 120 people attended my recent town hall meeting with Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess.

I am always looking for better ways to share information with you, so in the spirit of trying something new, I have recorded my first “King County Conversations” Podcast. The topic of the Podcast is the new Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station. I will be recording new Podcasts about King County news and events throughout the year, and you will be able to find them posted on my website and in my eNews. Learn more about Podcasts. Enjoy!

Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1

Independent Consultant Report on Animal Care and Control

An independent consultant has delivered his findings (part I and part II, pdf) to the King County Council on animal care provided by King County’s Animal Services. The results are particularly shocking considering that six months ago the citizens’ advisory committee on animal services found major flaws in the County shelter operation. We owe our animals better.

Recent news articles: Report rips King County animal shelters; Consultant condemns animal care at shelter in Kent; Animal Shelters: Speed up reforms.

I am deeply involved in this issue and am working with my colleagues to find a solution. The Council’s options are somewhat limited as management of animal services is the responsibility of the Executive Branch. However, I am working to ensure the Council fully exercises its authority as an oversight body. The Council will hold a town hall meeting on Animal Care and Control from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, April 14 at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 South 152nd Street, Burien. I encourage you to attend.

Transportation Updates

I regularly ride the 41 into the office.

I receive many calls and emails about the transportation concerns of people in my district. As a regular bus commuter myself on the #41 at Northgate, I know the importance of frequent, reliable bus service. Here is an update on the progress being made to address some of your concerns.

• Transit Now Partnership Program Receives Green Light

On March 24, the King County Council approved a series of Transit Now Partnership Program projects. A major component of the Transit Now initiative, these partnerships will bring 86,000 hours of new transit service to many parts of King County over the next five years. Transit Now is a voter approved initiative intended to help Metro keep pace with regional growth by expanding bus service by 15 to 20 percent over the next 10 years.

Through the implementation of the Partnership Program, District One will see increased service on Route 644 (scheduled 2008), Route 48 (scheduled 2009), and Route 75 (scheduled 2010).

• Sound Transit Considering New Ballot Measure

Sound Transit is currently developing a transit-only ballot measure for possible submission to voters in November 2008. The Sound Transit Board may decide on June 28 whether to place the measure on the ballot. The draft plan is being shaped by community input, and can be reviewed here.

The draft plan provides for light rail service to Northgate and increased express bus service along the Bothell Way/Lake City Way corridor. However, I am disappointed that the draft plan does not address the needs of my constituents in Shoreline, who are not slated to receive transit improvements in the plan. I am working with Shoreline officials and Sound Transit representatives to examine how we can make sure Shoreline needs are served by the ballot measure. I am also working to make sure funding is provided to study future light rail transit along the Bothell Way/Lake City Way corridor.

• Metro Routes 306 and 312 Update

During the last several months I have received a high volume of correspondence regarding Metro Routes 306 and 312. These express routes service Woodinville, Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park, and North Seattle along Bothell Way Northeast/Lake City Way. Overcrowding on these routes during peak-period trips is a major problem.

I am happy to share with you that in June 2008 Metro will add a new evening trip on Route 312. The trip will run weekdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. This additional service will help relieve overcrowding during the evening peak-period.

Second, Sound Transit Route 522 does not currently make stops south of Northeast 125th Street as it travels the Bothell Way/Lake City Way corridor. Metro, on the other hand, makes four stops south of Northeast 125th Street, which results in extreme overcrowding on the Metro buses. I am initiating discussions with Sound Transit representatives to push for Route 522 to also make stops south of Northeast 125th Street to help reduce overcrowding on the Metro routes. I will keep you updated.

With Beratta Gomillion, Executive Director of the Center for Human Services.

Center for Human Services Award

On March 7, I was honored to receive the Center for Human Services’ (CHS) annual Dorrit Pealy Award for community service. The mission of CHS, which serves about 100,000 community members each year, is to strengthen the community through counseling, education, and support to children, youth, adults, and families. CHS offers tremendous services to our community, and I am grateful to have been honored.

Legislative Updates

• Public Campaign Financing

The General Government and Labor Relations Committee is reviewing my campaign finance reform legislation, co-sponsored by Councilmember Dow Constantine, Motion 2007-0430. The legislation will give us a roadmap for bringing public campaign financing, or voter-owned elections, to King County races.

Voter-owned elections allow candidates to receive public funding for their campaigns once they demonstrate broad community support. For example, a citywide candidate in Portland, Oregon must collect 1,000 small contributions of $5 to become eligible for $200,000 in public funding. A candidate who opts into the public finance system is also eligible for emergency matching funds if her opponent outspends her.

Voter-owned elections free candidates to focus on concerns of the citizens rather than major donors and lobbyists, who tend to hold disproportionate influence in local races.

Currently seven states and two cities operate public campaign financing systems: Arizona; Connecticut; Maine; New Jersey; New Mexico; North Carolina; Vermont; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Portland, Oregon.

• King County Adopts Menu Labeling Regulations

On March 12, as the result of two months of negotiations with the restaurant industry, the King County Board of Health adopted new regulations regarding the display of nutritional labels at restaurants. I am pleased the negotiations resulted in a compromise that is beneficial to both King County residents and the restaurant industry. Read more about these new regulations.

Rotary Music4Life

I recently learned about a great new program, Rotary Music4Life™, which gives youth in our county an opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. Seattle Rotary clubs are working with Seattle Public Schools and the Northwest Youth Music Association to help return instrumental music instruction to the core curriculum of Seattle Public Schools. Rotary Music4Life™ is acquiring 1,200 lovingly-used musical instruments for fourth and fifth graders in the Seattle Public Schools, and the program will eventually be expanded to include other grade levels and districts. If you have a musical instrument you would like to give to the program, please visit their website.

About my E-Newsletter
I hope you enjoy my updates! Please review my recent e-newsletters.

To remove yourself from my e-newsletter list, send an email to fergusonenews@kingcounty.gov and copy "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

To subscribe to my e-newsletter, send an email to fergusonenews@kingcounty.gov and copy "Subscribe" in the subject line.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.

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