November 2005

Once again the Seattle mayor's budget for the new fiscal year fails to properly reflect Seattle City Library needs.

Specifically the library needs funding to restore library hours and collection budget cuts made in previous years. Currently only a few branches are open Sundays and those that are open are limited to four hours.

Most branches close by 6 p.m. on workdays for half the days they are open. At least two days a week the libraries do not open until 1 p.m. No branch is open after 8 p.m. any day.

Seattle library users are avid readers.

As one of millions of citizens of the United States, I believe what the Constitution says. We are the electorate. It is not just the elected officials, the president and his cabinet, the corporations, labor, the wealthy or "powerful." It is all of us.

I want to be informed before I vote, and then take action to contact my elected officials.

I would like to respond to Michael Taylor-Judd's letter concerning my opinion piece (Oct. 19) on the monorail.

From Morgan Junction to First and Union on the 54 (non-express) bus, it takes about 23 minutes in the afternoon, and only about 18 minutes in the evening. If Taylor-Judd ever rode this bus, he would know that.

I am wondering is the Lazy Gardener, Stephen Lamphear, no longer writing his gardening column for the Herald?

I miss reading his common sense gardening information. Gardening is an important activity in our West Seattle/White Center area and gardeners of all ages are interested in getting new ideas and ways of making gardening easier and fun.

I hope Stephen Lamphear will be appearing in the Herald again soon. Thanks.

Guyneitha Clausen

Fauntleroy

The election is less than (a week) away. This election will not be remembered for the candidates, but for the initiatives voters will approve or disapprove. There is I-330 and I-336, medical malpractice lawsuit awards limits; I-900, performance audits,; I-901, smoking ban in "public" places and I-912, no new gas tax, among others.

I-912 is the initiative I am going to address. There is a lot of debate, sometimes very spirited, on this initiative.

Thanks to Rebekah Schilperoort and the West Seattle Herald for covering news about Lafarge Cement and the "South End Odor" ('Mystery Odor' not health hazard, just a nuisance (Oct.

In a visit this week to one of the several doctors I visit, I saw the (paper) lying there on a table. I opened it up and I saw your photo and the article about spilled cereal.

I do the same thing when I drop something on the floor!

Seeing your name immediately brought back memories of the days back at Bud & Oren's Ranch Market and the weekly ads we ran in the White Center News. Glad to read that you still have some humor.

My wife Mary died in 1989 just a month before I retired from Boeing after almost 35 years there.

I am no Greg Nichols fan but I have to give credit to the mayor for being reasonable.

He was a strong monorail supporter for years. He believed the Seattle Monorail Project board phony information for a long time.

When it was announced that the project "had no clothes," even Nickels had to agree it was time to oppose it.

For Stockmeyer and Laws to blame Horn and Weeks for the current situation is a bit disingenuous. They were on the board. A board is supposed to provide oversight and guidance.

Don't know if you're 20 or 50 or 80, but loved your article.

When I grew up, there was almost no swearing in the house, if my dad said d*ammit, my mom would have him put a quarter in the "cuss" jar.

John Haley has a been a leader for several major transportation agencies around the nation, but he says this is the first place he's been where people talk a good fight for transit, but refuse to do anything to support it and then "cherrypick" data and blow little points out of proportion.

"I never saw a place with more people in love with transit, in theory," said Haley, who took over as executive director of the Seattle Monorail Project in August. He was interviewed by the West Seattle Herald last week.

"I'm a transit guy," said Haley in his Boston accent.