Nickels Newsletter - October 2006

Dear Friends,

It's been a busy couple of months. The onset of autumn means school is back in session and city government is doing its annual budget review. Last month I announced the Seattle Climate Action Plan, which is our effort to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 680,000 tons and meet the 2012 international goals of the Kyoto Protocol -- right here at home.

Climate change is the biggest environmental threat facing our planet. With this plan, we start down a hopeful -- but challenging -- road toward a solution. It details a series of specific steps residents, business and the city will take to reach the Kyoto target of 7 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2012. Most of the effort relies on reducing emissions from motor fuel, natural gas and other sources at home, on the road, at work and in the community. We will monitor our progress and update the plan every two years.

That old cliché, "think globally and act locally," was never truer. With more mayors signing on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement -- as of this writing, 320 mayors, representing more than 51 million Americans -- we can make a difference for the planet. We know we're part of the problem, but we're committed to being part of the solution. Together, we can make Seattle the most climate friendly city in the country. And with hundreds of other U.S. cities striving for the same goal, our collective local efforts will show our national leadership that we can choose a better future for our global community.
Read the news release
Read a summary of the plan

Daylight saving time is coming to an end and the days are getting shorter and cooler. I urge all drivers, parents and children to be watchful and mindful of walking safely, especially around our schools and bus stops. Have a safe autumn and be sure to exercise your right to vote on Nov. 7.

Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Strengthening the South Park community

It was a long time coming, about 100 years, but now the South Park community has a library for everyone- with a third of its collection in Spanish and a staff that speaks Spanish and Vietnamese. And there’s much more happening in this great neighborhood. Because South Park has faced serious challenges in recent years, we held a community summit in 2005 to talk about how the city could help turn things around. As a result, more city resources are going for neighborhood-based programs focused on youth, transportation and the environment in South Park. It’s making a difference. More recently, dedicated community members have completed an action agenda that will do do even more. The next step is for the city and the people of South Park to continue their partnership and complete the work laid out in the action agenda.
Read the news release
Read more about the South Park Library

Park rangers for downtown parks

Our downtown parks -- Freeway, Westlake, City Hall, Occidental Square, Myrtle Edwards, Victor Steinbrueck, South Lake Union, Waterfront -- are treasures for everyone to enjoy, whether you live, work or are just visiting downtown. To help revitalize and enliven these parks I proposed in my budget hiring five new park rangers. They will create a positive presence in the busiest parks and will patrol 16 hours a day in the peak season. But mainly, the park rangers will be friendly faces ready to help park visitors. These parks are worth the investment because they make our downtown a special place.
Read the news release

Crime stats now on award-winning Seattle.gov

Police crime data, sorted by neighborhood, is now available on our Web site at www.seattle.gov/MyNeighborhood You can find stats on vehicle thefts, property crime, residential burglaries, violent crimes, plus an overview of major crimes citywide. This information is mapped on "My Neighborhood" by census tract. Keeping our neighborhoods safe includes providing you with tools to understand how our Police Department responds to crime. More neighborhood-based statistics will be added in the months ahead.

The "My Neighborhood" mapping project received a 2006 Excellence Award and our entire Web site was named the best city Web portal in the country -- for the unprecedented second time in six years. These awards recognize that we are using technology to keep government open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Read more about crime stats
Read more about Best of the Web award

Planting the seeds to restore Seattle’s urban forest

Seattle's tree cover has shrunk from 40 percent of the city's land area in 1972 to just 18 percent today. I want to reverse that slide by planting hundreds of thousands of new trees on private and public land across Seattle. I have set a goal of increasing Seattle's tree coverage by two-thirds over the next 30 years -- or by about 650,000 new trees. We especially need residential property owners to plant and care for new trees, so this month we are giving away 2,000 coupons for free trees to Seattle residents who apply for a "Plant-a-Tree-for-Free" coupon. You have until Oct. 27 to submit your request. Restoring our urban forests is one of the most important environmental contributions we can make for our city and the planet. I encourage every Seattle resident to plant a tree in your yard this fall.
Read the news release
Read the draft Urban Forest Management Plan - Acrobat PDF 855 kb

Presenting 2006 Small Business Award winners

Small businesses have a unique character that makes Seattle a great place to live. Every year we single out local businesses for special recognition. This is the 22nd year of the Mayor's Small Business Awards program. The 2006 winners were selected on the basis of excellence in management, entrepreneurial spirit, customer service, and community involvement. They include a restaurant, a preschool, a business-to-business trade exchange, a second-hand materials company, and more. Previous winners include some who have gone on to experience significant growth: Ezell's Chicken, Uwajimaya, City Peoples Mercantile, and Starbucks. Congratulations to all of the winners.
Read the news release

Housing First for homeless veterans

As part of my proposed budget I included $3 million to create Housing First, a comprehensive housing and services program for homeless veterans. It will build on more than $38 million we committed in 2005 to help end homelessness in Seattle. When many veterans leave the service, they resume their lives, but others return to a different battle -- with drugs, alcohol or mental illness. Sheila Sebron spent eight years in the U.S. Air Force and was medically discharged. She spent 20 years struggling to recover from "line-of-duty" injuries that left her disabled. Her severe disabilities and lack of adequate support left her and her two children homeless. This program will serve vets like Sheila.
Read the news release

City Light at "net zero" for second year

As part of my efforts to make Seattle a leader in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, City Light was the first electric utility in the nation to achieve "net zero" greenhouse-gas emissions and has done it for a second year in a row. This is a great achievement and with nearly 300 cities across the country, we are taking real steps to combat climate disruption. City Light reached this high standard through conservation programs, use of renewable resources wherever possible, and by purchasing offset credits from organizations that reduced their own emissions. We are not just talking the talk, we are walking the walk.
Read the news release