Last week, I was pleased to announce the City has reached a tentative agreement with our Seattle Police Officers Guild. It recognizes the importance of ensuring we have a police accountability system which the public and police officers believe in, will allow the department to retain veteran officers and fully implement my Neighborhood Policing Plan to expand the patrol force by 25 percent. The men and women who serve in our Police Department deserve our highest praise and respect for the work they do every day of the year to keep Seattle safe. This proposed contract recognizes their dedication and service.
For more details, read the news release
Visit the SPD recruitment Web site

Looking back over this past month, April marked the beginning of Mariners baseball and, this year, some would say it marked the end of NBA basketball in our city but we're not giving up. Seattle has been home to the NBA for more than 40 years. I'm committed to seeing the tradition continue and finding a way to ensure KeyArena remains our region's venue for a variety of events – including NBA basketball. We have a court date in June to make sure the Sonics' owners comply with their KeyArena lease through 2010. We will be back in Olympia to hold the legislature to its promise to help us find ways to keep the Sonics here. And we will continue to look at other options available to us. In short, to use an old cliché, "it ain't over until it's over."

The old song says April showers bring May flowers – but I don't think it meant snow showers. It was a unique experience to help kick off one of Seattle's quintessential tributes to spring – the annual Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival on a Friday and wake up Saturday to snow and sleet. To all of you who braved the April snow and sleet to participate in other spring events, such as Earth Day or your children's spring sports events, I wish you a warm May with lots of flowers and I encourage you to get outside and enjoy our beautiful parks.

Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Watch the Press Conference on the Seattle Channel

When it comes to what's best for the environment, the answer to the question, "paper or plastic?" is "neither." Consider this: every piece of plastic ever made is still with us, but the environmental impact of paper bags is actually much worse than plastic. The toxic releases and air pollutants produced during manufacture and delivery of paper bags all contribute to global warming, acid rain, ozone and respiratory problems. If approved by the City Council, beginning Jan. 1, 2009, we will impose a 20-cent fee on all disposable shopping bags at the city's grocery, drug and convenience stores as an incentive for shoppers to use reusable shopping bags. In addition, we propose a ban on foam containers in the food service industry. This proposal is all about forming new habits. Taking a reusable bag to grocery stores and pharmacies is a simple thing that has an enormous impact.
Find out more about BYOB

Watch the Press Conference on the Seattle Channel

Last year we celebrated the centennial of one of Seattle's most beloved and recognizable places – Pike Place Market. But, age has taken its toll on the Market – its wires are frayed, its pipes are crumbling and its heating and cooling systems are wheezing. That's why I'm proposing a six-year, $75 million levy to replace and rehabilitate the market's outdated infrastructure. Seattle voters saved the Market from the wrecking ball back in 1971. I'm hoping this November Seattle voters will save it from the ravages of time so it can be around for another 100 years.
Read the news release

Artist rendering of section of Cheslahud Loop approaching Fremont Bridge from the south Click for larger image

Around Lake Union we currently have a number of trail segments, but not a continuous path. That's going to change. We will soon begin work on developing a 6.2 mile bike and pedestrian pathway around the lake. It will not only connect the Fremont, Wallingford, University District, Eastlake, South Lake Union and Queen Anne neighborhoods to Gasworks and South Lake Union Parks, it will also connect us to the lake's rich Native American history. We needed a name, so we had a naming contest and received more than 500 suggestions. Four of those entries honored Chief Cheslahud, the renowned leader of a Duwamish village near Lake Union in the 1800s. It was my privilege to officially announce the Cheslahud Lake Union Loop in his honor and to honor the legacy of the first stewards of Lake Union.
Read the press release
Find out more about Cheslahud

As you travel around Seattle over the next few months, you will see a lot of busy transportation crews working on hundreds of improvements, all made possible by the voter approved Bridging the Gap levy. We kicked off the season in Ballard and look forward to breaking ground on more than 300 transportation projects -- large and small -- throughout the city. By the time the season is over and the dust has cleared, we will have paved 41 lane miles of road, built new sidewalks, planted trees, and completed pedestrian and bike projects. We continue to make Seattle one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the nation.
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View the 2008 Construction Map

National studies show that youth employment can have a positive effect on high school graduation rates, college enrollment and overall earnings. That's why for the ninth year, we offered our annual Education and Job Fair expressly for youth, ages 16 to 21 years old. Held earlier this month at the Rainier Community Center, more than 300 youth attended and more than 70 vendors, employers, and representatives from many of the state's colleges, trade schools and universities were on hand to provide information and advice to the attendees. Seattle is a great place for dreams to come true and we want to make sure our young people have the tools and opportunities to reach for them.