Charlie Chong's ironic imprint on the city of Seattle will continue to benefit residents for years to come.

His famous distrust of government ran from healthy skepticism to angry derision. He was ever suspicious of government programs and fought tirelessly to make sure average people - not just the well-connected business owner, influential attorney or corporate manager - were not only consulted about local government policies, but given power to decide much of the final outcome.

One of Chong's foes was the 1994 Seattle Comprehensive Plan, in which city government decided to encourage new development be focused around Seattle's established neighborhood business districts. Chong led a West Seattle-based organization called Neighborhood Rights that opposed the city's "urban village" development plan at every turn.

Ultimately the city prevailed and neighborhood plans were written to guide future development in the Alaska Junction, Westwood Village, Admiral District, Delridge and Morgan Junction.

Chong and Neighborhood Rights were unable to derail the Comprehensive Plan. However, when it came time to decide the specifics of each of those plans, most of the ideas and work was done by the people who had a stake in those neighborhoods. It was residents, property owners, merchants and employees living and working in each of those neighborhoods who decided what kind of commercial district they wanted in the future.

Public participation in the neighborhood planning effort was strengthened by Charlie Chong's legacy, and West Seattle is better for it.