Nickels Newsletter - November 2005

Dear Friends,

As we look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday this year, I'm struck by how much we have to be thankful for in this part of the world. We have witnessed such heartbreaking devastation at the hands of nature from Asia to our own backyard in the Gulf Coast. I am grateful for the overwhelming compassion Seattleites have shown in reaching out to our fellow human beings under these extraordinary circumstances. I'm so proud of the City employees who donated vacation pay, volunteered to be deployed to the Gulf Coast to help with relief efforts, and who contributed in other ways.

I'm grateful for the upturn in our local economy, allowing me for the first time since I took office, to prepare a budget that increases investment in roads, public safety, parks, human services, and community development.

I'm grateful to the voters in Seattle for exercising their right to vote. Now that they have spoken, we will roll up our sleeves and tackle some big challenges -- transportation, housing and improving the quality of our children's education.

I'm grateful that we have not been hit by any major disaster, but it truly is just a matter of when, not if, it happens. I may sound like a broken record, but each time another hurricane or earthquake strikes another part of the world, it strengthens my resolve to make Seattle the most prepared city in America. In the coming year, all City employees will receive training in personal emergency preparedness and we will continue to shore up our infrastructure to keep us safe.

More than ever I believe in the future of Seattle. Together we can make it a better place for everyone who calls it home. I wish you all a happy and safe holiday.

Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

More help for Katrina and Rita victims

The winds may have died down and the flood waters receded, but the effects of Katrina and Rita continue for the people displaced by the devastation. We have many evacuees in Seattle who may be physically comfortable living in some of our local hotels, but they have lost everything, even the cost of a phone call. I’m thankful to the Urban League for agreeing to partner with the City to provide a toll-free 800 number to connect evacuees with housing and other essential services in the Seattle area. The City will fund the number and the Urban League will staff it and provide valuable assistance.
Read the news release

Making Seattle’s nightlife safer

In the wake of several high-profile incidents which raised concern about public safety in and around some of our popular nightspots, I rolled out a three-pronged approach to ensure we maintain a healthy and safe nightlife throughout Seattle. We have a growing number of clubs and bars in Seattle and they are part of what makes downtown and other neighborhoods exciting and vibrant. But we have to insist that they are safe places for both customers and the surrounding neighborhoods. A vibrant nightlife shouldn’t mean a violent nightlife.
For details, read the news release

Preparing for emergencies - an ongoing effort

We are making progress toward my goal of making Seattle the most prepared city in America. Last month I announced three new programs aimed at making sure we will have plenty of water for firefighting and household use in the event of a disaster. This month I had the privilege of demonstrating one of six emergency generators we are purchasing for the six community centers throughout the city that could serve as emergency shelters following a major disaster. I also announced the first in a series of community workshops to give people across the city the tools they need to prepare themselves for dealing with disasters. Our Emergency Management director is hosting hour-long courses to teach Seattle residents how to be personally prepared to take care of themselves following a major disaster. The next workshop is on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Rainier Beach High School.
Read the news release

Trimming City Light rates

Halloween was a good news day for City Light customers -- we announced the utility will trim rates for homes and businesses, thanks to a drop in wholesale power costs. The 2 percent decrease is relatively small, but every bit counts with the soaring cost of other fuels. City Light is back on solid financial ground and now the ratepayers can reap the benefits of all of the hard work it took to get there. A City Light residential customer now pays an average of about $50 per month for electricity. The 2 percent decrease means a drop of about $1 in the average monthly cost of electrical service.
Read the news release

Commemorating Seattle’s jazz roots

It was an honor to unveil a permanent plaque at the intersection of 12th and Jackson recognizing it as the hub of Seattle’s jazz scene from the 1920s to the 1960s. Some of the nation’s best-known musicians got their start here in Seattle: Ray Charles, Ernestine Anderson and Seattle’s own Quincy Jones. Today we have a thriving music scene with talented performers, music venues, record labels and festivals -- all contributing to our community and enriching our quality of life. The music industry supports nearly 8,700 jobs in Seattle and contributes $650 million directly to our local economy.
Read the news release

Free preschool program launched for low-income families

Education is important to Seattle and last year Seattle voters overwhelmingly passed the Families and Education Levy. Now we’re putting it to work for low- income families in southeast and southwest Seattle. We officially launched this first levy-funded preschool program at Tiny Tots’ Step Ahead Preschool at Wing Luke Elementary School on Beacon Hill. This is the first major new program in the Early Learning Network, the City’s comprehensive approach to helping children get ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. We must make sure all Seattle preschool children enter kindergarten ready to learn. Seattle Step Ahead preschools will make a difference in the lives of hundreds of families and help us close the achievement gap in our schools.
Read the news release

101 ways to keep Seattle green

Here in Seattle, we are always looking for ways to protect the environment. I recently launched a Web-based guide offering 101 actions you can take to help protect the air, climate, land, water, wildlife and natural habitat. The "Green Seattle Guide" can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/environment/. It’s a one-stop shop for environmental information and programs. The actions are ranked and organized by everyday activities in your yard, when you shop, on the move and in your community. And it includes a tool to assess the relative impact of your actions.
Read the news release