September 2006

The City of Burien plans to let the people who are residents of the area proposed for annexation (North Highline) vote on the annexation.

However, the people of Burien are not allowed a vote even though the annexation will result in a significant increase in their property taxes (and probably other taxes, too).

On July 5, I sent a letter to Burien's City Council telling them that the people of Burien are entitled to vote on the tax increase, and the vote should occur before the annexation vote.

After all, if the people of Burien vote against the tax increase, t

After years of being bullied by the Port, you would think that the Burien City Council would learn to show more respect for neighborhoods. Instead, Burien is making annexation decisions much the same way the Port makes decisions.

There's been a lot of debate about the costs versus the benefits of the potential Burien annexation of North Highline.

Proponents claim Burien will see a windfall of funds to help augment city services, while opponents claim the absorption of demographically poorer areas will damage the city financially.

Frankly, I have no idea who's right about the financial impact of an annexation, and I don't really care.

What I do know and care about is that when I hear opponents of annexation make their case I almost invariably get a queasy feeling in my gut.

I have grave concerns about the City of Burien choosing the preferred potential annexation area.

My understanding is that once a preferred PAA is laid out, we cannot expand the boundaries.

I have been a resident of Burien since 1992, and have four points to make regarding the annexation of North Highline.

First, in the largest annexation scenario the City of Burien would increase in population by 100 percent. In the smallest scenario it would increase in population by 33 percent. In either case, our identity and sense of community is diluted.

Second, what is our motivation? I perceive it to be simply an effort to contain our public safety costs.

It's a two-sided coin.

Some immigrants bring wonderful things to America; others bring disrespect, bad habits and crime.

And that challenges the very essence of what America is about-freedom.

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are debating how to fairly deal with the booming population from illegal border crossing, and we hope their decision is wise.

Meanwhile, the average Joe and Josephine's everyday life is affected and local officials are challenged to weave new resident needs and culture into community living.

What a magnificent country Am

In the newspaper business, negative attention is better than no attention at all.

So I was not upset to hear that a Burien resident had publicly scolded me at last Monday's city council meeting for a story and headline about affordable housing in Highline.

He was worried that the "ominous" headline, "Highline is haven for housing," would bring hordes of cheap housing seekers flooding into his community.

I am not making this stuff up.

The Seattle Times, which has the staff and resources to carefully research these things, reported that nearly half of

This is the longest hot summer I can remember and I had the worst harvest in my annual vegetable garden.

I feel like such a failure.

The three 18-inch high organic tomato plants I bought at the West Seattle Farmer's Market have been mostly a bunch of little yellow blossoms.

I did have had one tomato about the size of a tennis ball. It was a crimson beauty that I decided to pick it and show Elsbeth that I had not lost my touch.

Alas, the whole side of it I could not see had been devoured by some invader.

This school year West Seattle is home to five high schools, including South Lake High School, which will occupy the old E. C.

The recent inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct revealed no new damage to the two columns that were inspected or to the rebar within the columns.

The Washington State Department of Transportation inspected these columns because they had existing cracks on the exterior that increased the potential for additional unseen damage beneath the concrete.

Work was conducted between Seneca and Spring streets and between Yesler Way and Columbia Street.