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Nickels Newsletter - October
2007
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Dear Friends,
In just a couple of weeks, under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, we will host an historic climate protection summit here in Seattle. With former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg providing "star power," this two-day event will be the largest-ever meeting of American mayors devoted solely to climate protection. More than 100 mayors from around the nation will attend.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore are international leaders in the fight against global warming. President Clinton's Climate Initiative promotes climate pollution-reducing initiatives in 40 of the world's largest cities. Vice President Gore has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their efforts to build and spread the knowledge about manmade climate change. Already recognized as one of the leading voices on climate disruption, Gore was also a 2006 Academy Award winner for his documentary film on global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth." Mayor Bloomberg continues to be a national leader in the fight against global warming and he has set a bold agenda for the city of New York.
With the summit's theme of accelerating local leadership, my colleagues and I will share real-world solutions and learn from each other what has worked in our respective communities and where we can go from here.
 I just returned from a visit to our Irish sister city of Galway and led a delegation of U.S. mayors on a visit to the London area to see some truly inspiring projects that will have a real impact on climate protection. One of the highlights was a visit to Southampton, known as one of the "greenest" cities in the United Kingdom. Southampton has an aggressive climate protection policy and a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by 2010.
And it's always great when we have the opportunity to spread the word about climate change. In London I was interviewed on the BBC TV show, "HARDtalk." As we know in Seattle, the fight to protect the climate knows no borders and much of the solution lies in the hands of local governments and the people we represent (see following article). I continue to hope our elected officials in the other Washington will see the light and provide meaningful national leadership on solving this global problem. In the meantime, more than 600 U.S. mayors have already set the pace.
Sincerely,
GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle
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Seattle Climate Action Now
Seattle has a long tradition of public activism, especially when it comes to environmental issues. That's why it's only natural that we are at the forefront in the fight to protect the climate. Last month, I joined with Seattle community and business leaders to launch Seattle Climate Action Now a grassroots campaign that will give all Seattleites a chance to "walk the talk" in the fight to protect the climate. From West Seattle, to Columbia City, to Phinney Ridge to Chinatown/International District, everyone can get involved in saving the city and the world from the threat of global warming. The Climate Action Now Web site makes it easy with simple steps people can take to cut carbon emissions that cause global warming. The site's calendar and homepage will be a clearinghouse for information about climate-related events and activities across the city. And this is not just a one-shot campaign – we are in it for the long haul. With Seattle Climate Action Now we want to inspire people to take action while building a community committed to leaving our city and our world a better place for our children and their children. Seattle can do it.
Read the news release
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Historic budget invests in neighborhoods and new initiatives
Given our strong economy, as I prepared my 2008 proposed budget, my overriding aim was to shape Seattle for the next 100 years. My proposed budget invests more than $30 million in Seattle's neighborhoods -- the biggest investment in neighborhoods in Seattle's history. And we continue to support high-priority programs and take on new initiatives. During the next month, the City Council will review my proposed budget and adopt a balanced budget in November. Here are some of the key initiatives:
• Climate Protection
 The City is committed to meeting or beating the Kyoto Protocol target by reducing Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels. I have added resources in the City's budget to help mobilize Seattle's residents and businesses to join in reducing Seattle's emissions.
Read more about climate protection
• Green Building Fund
 The City of Seattle has approximately 11 million square feet of building space and spends approximately $11 million on energy costs annually (assuming $1 per square foot). Just a 10 percent savings in consumption could reduce the City's annual energy costs by approximately $1 million. Energy savings, coupled with reduced carbon dioxide emissions, are the primary benefits of a new $5 million Green Building Fund I have proposed.
Read more about the Green Building Fund
• 311 System
During last winter's windstorm, I stood before the media and read a list of eight different telephone numbers for the public to call for non-emergency services. On their own, callers to the City must choose from more than 1,000 published phone numbers and countless e-mail addresses and Web forms. With $9 million in my 2008 proposed budget, I'm recommending the creation of a new system called "311," a one-stop shop for all the services City government provides.
Read more about 311
• Center City Parks
 I believe that if people feel safe in our Center City parks and are offered interesting and fun activities, they'll be more inclined to use them. I have proposed $850,000 to revitalize and significantly enhance public safety in Seattle's downtown parks through my "Center City Parks Initiative." Center City parks are: Cal Anderson Park, City Hall Park, Freeway Park, Hing Hay Park, Lake Union Park, Occidental Square, Pier-62-63 Park, Victor Steinbrueck Park, Waterfront Park, and Westlake Park.
Read more about Center City parks
• Orphaned Parks Wish Fund
I added approximately $7 million to the Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund for park development. Called the "Orphaned Parks Wish Fund," this one-time fund source will be offered to neighborhood groups to apply for funds to improve their neighborhood parks.
Read more about Orphaned Parks Wish Fund
• Lake Union Trail
 I propose spending $1 million to help develop a roughly 7-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail around Lake Union. By joining existing trail segments into one seamless lakefront trail, the project will link the Fremont, Wallingford, University District, Eastlake, South Lake Union, and Queen Anne neighborhoods to Gasworks and South Lake Union parks.
Read more about Lake Union Trail
• Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Celebration
 In 1909, Seattle opened its doors to the world with the first Alaska-Yukon-Pacific-Expedition (AYPE), a seminal event in the young city's history, bringing Seattle worldwide recognition as an ambitious port city and commercial center of the Pacific coast. The 1909 AYPE was the first event to feature the Pacific Northwest on the scale of a World's Fair and attracted 3.7 million visitors to what has since become the University of Washington campus. I have included $200,000 to begin preparations for the 2009 centennial celebration.
Read more about AYPE Celebration
• Updating Neighborhood Plans
Completed in the late 1990s, Seattle's neighborhood plans were created by neighborhoods to identify land use and development changes for their neighborhoods. In response, we invested in neighborhood enhancements, including new or remodeled community centers, libraries and parks throughout Seattle. But, because of Seattle's recent growth, the plans are outdated and it's time to revisit them. I proposed approximately $1.5 million and 10 staff to begin updating neighborhood plans.
Read more about updating neighborhood plans
• Surplus Schools
In June 2007, the Seattle School Board declared five of its properties surplus to District needs: Allen, Crown Hill, Fauntleroy, University Heights Schools, and the park adjacent to Webster School. I have added $5 million to my 2008 budget to be used as challenge grants to help community organizations purchase the surplus school sites from the Seattle School District. My proposal also includes $150,000 to continue to support community organizations in developing plans for some of the schools.
Read more about surplus schools
• Tax Relief to Small Businesses
 Once again I am proposing legislation with the budget that will raise the business and occupations tax exemption threshold from $50,000 to $80,000. This means small businesses with revenues below $80,000 will not be required to pay a business and occupation tax. This change has the potential to save business owners grossing between $50,000 and $79,999 between $107 and $332 per year, depending on the nature of their business. Approximately 3,500 businesses fall within this tax range and would benefit from the tax relief.
Read more about tax relief for small businesses
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Upcoming Events:
- Rainier Vista Groundbreaking -- Northeast corner of South Alaskan Way and MLK, Jr. South -- Monday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m.
- 2007 Mayor's End Hunger Awards -- The Palace Kitchen, Fifth Avenue and Lenora Street -- Monday, Oct. 29, 11:30 a.m.
- Second Annual Green Seattle Day -- Interlaken Park, 19th Avenue East and East Galer Street -- Saturday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.
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