Copy of letter e-mailed to Mayor Nickels:

Mayor Nickels:

I am a resident of the Alki beach community and am writing to ask you to enlighten me as to what, exactly, I am getting in exchange for my hefty property taxes?

Case in point:

Police regularly fail to respond to 911 calls with the excuse that they are short staffed and busy elsewhere. As a result I often incur risk to my personal safety by confronting unruly revelers drinking/drugging 'til the wee hours of the morning in the park adjacent to my home. Last night I watched as a group of intoxicated youth got on top of their moving vehicle and proceeded to weave down a residential street.

The roadway outside my home is so rutted as to necessitate my using concrete left over from a home improvement project in an attempt to fill a gaping four-inch wide crack that has been present since I moved to the neighborhood over three years ago. Because this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the condition of Alki's streets it is apparent that my tax dollars are not being allocated for road maintenance.

While the Parks Department can be credited for doing an adequate job maintaining Alki beach and playfield, it is myself and other residents of Alki who are stuck with the lion's share of garbage collection, graffiti removal and property repair expenses after a sunny day brings hordes of disrespectful visitors into our community. I have yet to see a city employee pick up one fast food container discarded in the parking strip bordering my property or a single street sweeper clearing away the glass from a beer bottle shattered near my driveway.

Mayor Nickels, I'm all for doing my part, but I am fed up with paying for services I don't receive. I feel ripped off and wiped out. After all, I already have a day job. Must I also assume responsibility for law enforcement, road repair, and trash collection?

Craig Stull

Alki