October 2009

Will SeaTac voters choose a different form of government?

Will the Mt. Rainier Pool be saved?

Who will win Burien's "Battle of the Deputy Mayors?"

A lot of big questions will be answered in Highline communities after the votes are counted from the Nov. 3 general election.

The Times/News sent a short questionnaire to candidates in contested council races in the cities of Burien, Des Moines and SeaTac.

The Times/News also asked for statements from proponents and opponents of propositions in Des Moines, Normandy Park and SeaTac.

A front-page article in the Oct. 23 print edition outlined the arguments for and against Burien's Proposition 1, which would add a $25 license tab fee to fund two projects. The article is also online at www.highlinetimes.com.

Questionnaire responses and proposition statements appear below.

All council candidates on the ballot are listed. However, due to space and staff limitations only those with opponents were asked to respond to questions.

* denotes incumbent

Burien City Council

1. What are your qualifications for the office you are seeking and why should the voters select you over your opponent?

The first residential vertical turbine windmill of its kind in the state is being installed in the front yard of 8440 Fauntleroy Way S.W., just north of the ferry. The $30,000 rig will provide 65 to 70 percent of the electrical energy needed for its owner, Linda Braun.

"With regular windmills with horizontal turbines, there is a lot of noise in those blades spinning around and it is not acceptable in a residential area," said Keith Hughes, a longtime West Seattle resident, and company owner. "They also have to be 50 feet above the nearest obstruction. These fins spin vertically like an egg-beater and catch the wind regardless of which direction the wind is coming from.

"This is a family business we've had for about two years," he said. "We install solar panel systems and solar hot water systems. but our dream is windmills."

The 5KW Helix Wind System is out of San Diego. A grid tide system, the electricity goes into a house breaker panel. When the wind blows strong and produces more than the house uses, the meter rolls backwards and the homeowner gets credit from the utility company.

Email "Letters to the Editor" to michaelh@robinsonnews.com.

Put "Letter to the Editor" in the subject field and please include your name and neighborhood.

Letters will be published online the same day they are received and will also be submitted to run in the print edition.

Dear Editor: 



Because marriage is the foundation of our society and the first institution created by God, we, as pastors believe in the need to support the institution of marriage as God created it, the union of one man and one woman. 

As recorded in the Holy Scriptures; “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 NIV. 



We also believe that under marriage, the institution of the family is the next most important institution of our society and one of the main reasons God created marriage.  We believe that children need both a mother and a father and same sex marriage denies them of either one or the other.  



It is important to realize that Ref. 71 is a cloak and dagger attempt to overturn our state’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.  Proponents of Ref. 71 have stated that same sex marriage is their ultimate goal. 

The Southwest Pool is scheduled to reopen on Monday, Nov. 2 after being closed since mid-August for maintenance.

Regular drop-in programs will begin with early morning lap swim at 6 a.m. on Monday. 
 
As a way to welcome patrons back, special discount pricing of $2 (or two-for-one admissions for Quick Card users) will apply to all drop-in programs through Nov. 30. All public swim, lap swim and fitness classes are eligible for this rate. 
 
Swim lessons will resume on a regular schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 4.   All enrolled participants should plan on attending lessons on the assigned day and time.  Credit will be given on accounts for missed classes due to the closure.



The pool was closed in mid-August for regular maintenance and to complete the federally required replacement of pool drains, in accordance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Act. The closure had been planned for three weeks.
 

By Tom McCardle, representing a number of Ballard neighbors, including members of the Calvary Interim Housing Task Force

By now, most neighbors of the vacant Calvary Lutheran building, located at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W., know that a Level III (most likely to re-offend) sex offender stayed at the SHARE shelter located on the property for 24 days before he was discovered by a neighbor checking the King County sex offender registry.

He was convicted of rape of a child in the third degree in 2005 and has been in jail numerous times since then. In fact, the sex offender had been released from jail only three days before he was admitted to the shelter.

He has since been removed. There is currently a temporary ban on admitting new residents to the shelter.

According to SHARE regulations, sex offenders are not allowed in shelters located in residential neighborhoods, and the group believes it is capable of screening out sex offenders through a process that includes no sex offender or ID checks.

First-place Woodinville defeated the Ballard High School volleyball team Oct. 21 but could not defeat its postseason hopes.

Woodinville beat the Beavers 3-1 to remain undefeated in conference matches.

Ballard took the first game of the match 25-23 but lost the following three, including a 25-7 fourth-game blowout.

The loss snapped Ballard's three-match winning streak.

Senior Lisa Day had 19 kills, 10 digs and five aces for the Beavers

Senior Madelyn Voelker finished with seven kills and 10 aces.

Sophomore Monique Marques tallied 24 assists and three aces.

Ballard (4-6 conference, 6-6 overall) can still make the playoffs if it beats Roosevelt in the final match of the season or Inglemoor loses in its final match.

The Beavers are currently hanging on to eighth place in KingCo. The top eight teams go to the playoffs.

Ballard takes on Roosevelt (3-7 conference, 5-8 overall) at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Ballard High School.

As we reported here, West Seattle historian Earl Cruzen was frustrated nobody seemed to be interested about keeping up the landscaping under the "Children Walking on Logs" bronze children sculptures he helped create.

West Seattleites pass his "children" on the right when exiting the West Seattle Bridge. Often they are wearing T-shirts to promote a charity or event.

Cruzen was also instrumental in organizing the 11 murals that decorate various buildings near the Alaska Junction.

Now 89, Cruzen drives his Subaru wagon to the sculpture with his weed wacker tossed in the back. But he is recovering from an artery issue and is not too sure on his feet.

If interested in helping Earl Cruzen, please call him at (206) 932-2345.

The Seattle School Board approved a resolution on Oct. 21 opposing passage of Initiative Measure No. 1033 (I-1033), which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The board opposes I-1033 because they said it would limit the growth of state, county and city revenue to annual inflation and population growth, not including voter-approved revenue increases.

“If passed, this initiative will have a devastating impact on public schools throughout the state, including Seattle Public Schools,” said School Board President Michael DeBell. “By limiting the growth of the Washington state general fund revenues, it effectively limits the funds available to support K-12 education.”

Approximately 42 percent of state general fund revenues currently support K-12 education. The state’s Office of Financial Management estimates that I-1033 will reduce state revenue by approximately $5.9 billion by 2015.

By Anna Markee, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County

The Seattle Housing Levy creates and preserves housing for our most vulnerable neighbors including seniors, people with disabilities, domestic violence victims, veterans and formerly homeless individuals and families.

Seattle voters have supported the Housing Levy since 1981. In today’s tough economic times, it is more important than ever that we renew our commitment to housing people in need. Many people who never thought they would struggle to find a place to live now face homelessness.

Sheila used to work at a steady job and rent a small house where she lived with her son. When she was struck by a debilitating illness, she was unable to work and couldn’t pay her rent. With the help of the housing levy, she now has a safe place to live on Capitol Hill while she undergoes treatment and her son can focus on school.