Dear District 2 Friends and Neighbors:

The General Election is Tuesday, November 2— I encourage you to vote. King County Elections anticipates a large turnout due to the record amount of new registered voters with a 73 percent increase over new registrations since 2000. Since the primary election, King County has registered 23,507 new voters. If you vote absentee and have not yet received your ballot, please contact King County Elections at (206) 296-VOTE (8683).

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2005 Proposed Budget: Good News!

The King County Council is currently in the midst of 2005 budget deliberations. King County Executive Ron Sims delivered his 2005 Executive Proposed Budget on Monday, October 11, to the King County Council. Executive Sims announced that the County budget is only facing a $9 -$13 million shortfall, as opposed to the $20 million originally predicted. This is great news for human services funding and for District 2. To place these cuts in perspective, the County has cut over $100 million in the past few years, so the 2005 cuts are modest in comparison. With less cuts to make, more vital programs will continue to be funded.

As a first year member of the Council and the Budget & Fiscal Management Committee, the budget process is intriguing. Balancing a $3.3 billion budget is no easy task. Our goal is to finish the budget before Thanksgiving, and I am working hard to ensure scarce dollars for District 2 programs and to maintain current levels of funding for human services. For more information visit the Executive’s proposed 2005 Budget website and the Executive’s Budget Address to the Council.

Your participation is crucial, whether by email, phone, or in person at one of the next public budget meetings. I hope to hear from you in the next few weeks about what is important to you.

Special Meetings:

Tonight, Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Budget & Fiscal Management Committee Special Public Hearing
For information, please contact Angelica Vazquez, Committee Staff, at (206) 296-1661.

Monday, November 1, 2004, 11:00 a.m.
King County Council Meeting to take Public Testimony
For information, please contact Anne Norris, Clerk of the Council, at (206) 296-0364.

Both meetings will take place in King County Council Chambers, 10th Floor of the Courthouse (516 – 3rd Avenue, Seattle).

Controversial Critical Areas Package Adopted

After numerous public meetings, months of public testimony, and eight hours of debate on Monday night, the King County Council adopted the Critical Areas package on October 26 at 1:00 a.m. The Washington State Growth Management Act requires King County to protect critical areas, vital groundwater, and natural habitat, including wetlands. An update and review by King County of regulations protecting critical areas was mandated by the State of Washington to be performed by December 1, 2004.

Although I did not serve on the Growth Management and Unincorporated Areas Committee which oversaw the Critical Areas package, I actively met with constituents on both sides of this issue and read thousands of emails. I heard from citizens with contrasting opinions—some wanted more severe regulations than proposed, some wanted nothing to change, some wanted all critical areas regulations to be repealed. I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to draft a better Critical Areas package that will help maintain the rural character of unincorporated King County, increase salmon, and protect our streams. I am very proud of the final Critical Areas package we passed.

For more detailed information on the Critical Areas package vote, I will soon be posting a letter on my website that I sent to everyone who contacted my office about the CAO. Further information on the Critical Areas package and new regulations is available online.

Election 2004: Integrity at Risk?

This fall, the King County Elections office implemented new election software prior to the primary election. The new election software was necessary due to the new primary ballot requirements passed by the State Legislature this spring. I have heard from many of you regarding your interest in ensuring the integrity of King County’s election process. Dean Logan, Director of King County Records, Elections and Licensing Services, assured me that the new software was tested before and after the primary election in September to ensure security and accuracy.

This testing process will be followed for the upcoming General Election as well. On Friday, October 29, the logic and accuracy test on King County Elections’ voting system will be performed by the Secretary of State’s office, as required by state law. This test is open to the public and you are encouraged to attend if you are interested. The test will be performed at 1:30 p.m. at the County’s Mail Ballots Operation Site (MBOS) located at 3901 – 1st Avenue South in Seattle.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact Dean Logan at (206) 296-1540.

In the Community

Volunteering at Ryther Child Center

A few weeks ago, my staff and I volunteered at Ryther Child Center in North Seattle at 2400 N.E. 95th Street. Ryther is a non-profit organization dedicated to at-risk children. They host a multitude of services including residential care for 6 to 12 year olds in crisis from sexual or physical abuse, emotionally or behaviorally disturbed inpatient care for 6 to 12 year olds, inpatient chemical dependency treatment for 12 to 17 year olds, mental health outpatient treatment, and foster care training for families.

In 1883, “Mother” Ollie Ryther first opened her home to orphaned children and began helping other children in Seattle with a safe place to live. Ryther Child Center is now an impressive organization assisting children greatly in need.

We spent the afternoon sorting and pricing clothing for the Ryther Child Center League thrift shop in Ballard. If you are interested in volunteering with Ryther, please contact Julie Fretzin, Volunteer Coordinator, at (206) 517-0286 or visit their website for more information.

Each month, my staff and I volunteer at a different District 2 organization. If you know of an organization that can use our time, please contact my office.

Retired Metro Van Donations— New Use for District 2

Seattle Youth Garden Works receives a retired surplus van. Pictured with Bob are Director Connor Sharpe, volunteers, and youth.

Bob delivers a retired surplus van to Dorothea Nordstrand of History House.

On Friday, October 15, I had the pleasure of distributing two retired surplus vans from the King County Vanpool Program to two non-profit organizations in District 2. The surplus vans will benefit Seattle Youth Garden Works and History House of Greater Seattle.

Seattle Youth Garden Works will use its van to bring homeless youth on educational field trips and to transport the youth and produce they grow to the farmer’s markets. Seattle Youth Garden Works will host their third annual auction on Sunday evening, November 14, at Shoreline Community Center. For more information, please contact (206) 525-1213, ext. 4131 or visit their website.

History House of Greater Seattle will use its van to transport seniors and children to historical exhibits dedicated to Greater Seattle’s neighborhoods at the museum, located at 790 North 34th Street in Fremont, beneath the Aurora Bridge. On Saturday, November 6, History House will host the opening of an exhibit focused on Northeast Seattle neighborhoods. For more information, please visit their website.

District 2 Arts & Heritage Highlight: Jack Straw Productions

Jack Straw Productions is a non-profit audio arts center serving artists and the community. Operated since 1962 in the University District, Jack Straw Productions currently offers educational workshops, on-air radio performances of writing and music on KUOW and KEXP, artists in residence program, music performances and readings, multimedia exhibits and public events.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, November 10, 7:30 p.m. Linda Waterfall will present a free performance of Songs from the Tao Te Ching. Part of the Composer Spotlight series, every second Wednesday, new music is performed and discussed with the composer.

Saturday, November 13, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Young Composers’ Workshop: From Many Influences to One’s Own True Voice. Composer Linda Waterfall will lead this free workshop. This event is sponsored by 4Culture, a quasi independent agency of King County.

Jack Straw Productions is located at 4261 Roosevelt Way Northeast. For more information, please contact jsp@jackstraw.org or (206) 634-0919.

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Phone: (206) 296-1002 | 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