August 2020

To the editor:

I received my copy of Westside Seattle today, read it and realized that there is not a single article or opinion about the idiotic things the Seattle City Council is doing. The Times is covering that topic well. If you can excoriate Trump (well deserved)  it seems that you can do the same thing to the City Council for many of The same actions. Seattle is losing its democracy to knee jerk decisions, very limited input only from the progressive left and it’s special interest groups. I realize that you put Carmen Best’s speech in but also added several pages of Lisa Herbold glossing over her and the council’s behavior without a counter opinion. She is trying to make herself look better in the midst of a horrible mess that she is partly responsible for.  You know what she promised to the people of West Seattle to get elected and that she is in no way following through with her campaign promises. The council have all turned into

By Jean Godden

Tonight I'm going to lift a glass to the Seattle City Council, a branch of government that I served for 12 fast-paced and sometimes lean years. I toast because I'm wishing the councilmembers well and hope they can do far better in the future than they have done in recent weeks.

Those nine CMs are going to need every well wish that they can glean and we're going to need every bit of states-craft they can muster.

The city of Seattle is in a world of hurt. The city's treasury rests primarily on property taxes and sales and business taxes. We do not have an income tax, although the City Council has passed a payroll tax which may or may not be challenged at some point. In any case, that payroll tax won't be collected until 2022.

By Elizabeth Steen

A little more than 20 years ago, as a 20-year-old, I was hired as a small-town newspaper journalist by virtue of being, according to my boss, “The only one who finished the interview after hearing the salary.” 

Seattle Parks & Recreation is hosting a virtual open house on Wednesday, August 26th from 6:30-7:30pm to gather input about the possibility of a new racket court at Lowman Beach Park . 

As part of the Lowman Beach Seawall Replacement project, the existing court will be removed. 

Learn more about the seawall replacement project and find links to attend the August 26th meeting here.

MEETING LINK: hltps://tinyurl.com/yyo64sf2

Number 1460081942 Password: lowmanbeach

Or Join by phone 1-206-207-1700 Code: 146 008 1942

District 1 Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold shared this update on the funding for the work ahead on the West Seattle High Rise Bridge in a newsletter to constituents.

On Wednesday the City Council’s Transportation & Utilities Committee voted  to approve legislation sponsored by Councilmember Pedersen and myself to authorize an interfund loan of up to $70 million to fund work on the West Seattle Bridge and related projects during 2020 and 2021. A Full Council vote is scheduled for September 8th, the day after Labor Day.

The reuse and recycle in the West Seattle Junction is  coming up on Saturday, September 26th 9 AM to 1 PM. 

by Kari Tupper with SDOT

Several projects are planned for this weekend in South Park and West Seattle that will impact traffic. See below for more information. 

S Cloverdale St will be down to one lane over the weekend

Image by Google Maps