Tim Burgess' City View

Tough Budget Decisions: Let's Not Overlook Young Girls Coerced into Prostitution

Seattle and King County governments face bleak budget forecasts that will force some very tough budget decisions.  Very good programs that serve people throughout our region face cutbacks in their government funding.  My colleagues and I on the City Council will begin making these touch choices this week; our colleagues on the King County Council face similar decisions.  In many ways, there are no winners and we will agonize over our votes.

But there is a group of young people we should not overlook: children and young women forced into prostitution through coercion, intimidation, and overt violence.  A special report commissioned by the City of Seattle in 2008 documented up to 500 juveniles (children 17 years of age and under) involved in street and Internet prostitution, some of it orchestrated by gangs and other organized criminal groups. 

Sunday's Seattle Times cast this crisis correctly and urged funding for a unique safe house option for prostituted children.  Read the editorial here.  Here's an earlier story documenting this issue. 

Help the Officer!

I thought I made it through the weekend fairly well, until I read this post at Seattlecrime.com.  The post includes a transcript of a portion of the radio communications between Officer Britt Sweeney and the police dispatcher last Saturday night.  As I read the transcript tears welled into my eyes.  I felt like I was living through the incident, like I was present as it unfolded. 

Read it and you will capture a glimpse of what our officers experienced over the weekend.  Here's the link in full:  http://www.seattlecrime.com/2009/11/02/the-call.

Officers Killed While Serving in Seattle

Last Thursday afternoon, a few dozen police officers and citizens gathered in the lobby of police headquarters to honor the sacrifice made 62 years earlier that same day when Officer William T. Rumble was killed while patrolling in downtown Seattle.  Officer Rumble's three adult children were there as Interim Police Chief John Diaz presented them with the department's Medal of Honor. 

It was a privilege to stand in the audience and reflect on what policing was like following World War II in Seattle, and then to speak briefly with the officer's children who grew up without their dad. 

Two days later on Halloween night I would be summoned to Harborview following the death of another Seattle officer. Another life lost to senseless urban violence, this time in a hail of gunfire at pointblank range. 

Seattle Officer Slain

A Seattle police officer was shot and killed while sitting in his parked patrol car on 29th Avenue just north of East Yesler Way late Saturday night.  The officer's partner escaped serious injury.  The officers were not on a specific assignment at the time of the shooting.  The slain officer was a Field Training Officer.

I learned of the incident by phone while attending a Halloween Party on Queen Anne Hill.  I immediately went to Harborview Hospital, then to the scene of the incident.  Mayor Nickels was also at Harborview.  This is the type of event I've dreaded, but knew was possible.  I'm sure we'll learn more in the coming days. 

Just Friday evening, Joleen and I attended the annual banquet of the Seattle Police Foundation, an event that honors employees of the police department for their service.  How tragic that 24 hours later our city would be mourning the senseless murder of one of our officers. Click here to review the list of line of duty deaths involving Seattle police officers. 

My prayers are with the officer's family and friends and all of our police officers who serve us with distinction and grace. 

2010 Budget: Round One

The Council this morning started its formal process of adopting a City budget for 2010.  The Mayor has proposed a general fund budget of $905 million.  Today's day-long Council session includes budget review of five City departments:

• Office of Economic Development
• Seattle Public Utilities
• Office of Sustainability and Environment
• the Human Services Department
• Police Department

There are 31 budget issues/questions related to these five department. 

Round One sessions are designed to identify questions and gain insight into how council members view these issues.  Round Two follows in two weeks and that's where we will vote on dozens of individual additions or cuts to the Mayor's proposed budget. 

Public Safety Risk

Budget cutbacks at the state level will create some serious challenges on the sidewalks of our cities, including here in Seattle.  This article posted today at SeattlePI.com frames the issue well.  Back in August, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and I organized regional leaders to speak with a unified voice to urge restoration of the Neighborhood Corrections Initiative officer cutbacks.  Read a copy of our letter to the Governor and Secretary Vail at the Department of Corrections:  Download Gregoire-Vail_2009-08-24.

Budget Hearing Starts

Advocates for various interests--parks, libraries, housing, human services--are making their case to the Council tonight.

Barcelona Lessons

Neal Peirce has an interesting piece on city planning well worth reading.  Check it out here.  Could Seattle pull off what Barcelona has done?  Yes, if we really want to. 

I can think of several areas of Seattle that could use some Barcelona-type innovation:

• the Aurora Avenue North corridor
• Interbay
• Georgetown
• the Rainier Avenue South corridor

and perhaps other areas, too.  What I like most about what Peirce writes about is how Barcelona has apparently integrated development with historic preservation, protection of homes for current residents, affordable housing incentives, and shared costs for infrastructure improvements. 

Closely related to urban development is the need for strong public school education.  David Brooks continues the discussion about education reform in this piece.  Brooks gives kudos to President Obama's insistence on education reform. (Read my post about education reform and transformation I witnessed during a recent visit to Mercer Middle School in Seattle.) 

Video Budget Clips

OK, this is a bit self-serving, I guess, but here are some video clips about our city budget that are running on the Seattle Channel.  Click on the link and they will run.  Be the first on your block to watch all seven clips.  (Clips featuring Councilmembers Conlin and Licata will run after the November 3rd election.)

Tunnel, Fire Station, Museum

Three important votes at City Council this afternoon. All votes were 9-0.

1. Council voted (yet again) that city policy supports the State's decision to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep-bore tunnel under downtown.
2. We voted to support relocation of the Museum of History and Industry to Lake Union Park.
3. We ended a four-year ordeal and voted to site Fire Station 20 at 15th Ave and West Armour St.