Published Tuesday, March 26,2002 in Seattle Times

By Greg Nickels

Our great city has a litter problem.

Seattle was once known as one of America's cleanest cities, but in recent years we as a community haven't kept up with the trash found on our streets, in our parks and greenbelts, and in our public places.

That's why, as part of my 100-day Action Agenda, I've launched the Clean Seattle Initiative, an effort to do more to fight litter and beautify our community.

On March 6, I joined dozens of citizens, city employees, civic and community leaders and school children to clean the Othello Playground and surrounding community in southeast Seattle.

We had a great time. We planted flowers, picked up trash, replaced street lights, painted out graffiti, improved the playground, filled nearby potholes and swept streets.

At the end of the day, we had removed more than three thousand pounds of litter and debris.

And that was just the beginning.

Each month, the city will Clean Sweep Days in areas suggested by the public. I encourage all citizens to get involved. Please volunteer for a Clean Sweep Day or call on us to help you adopt a street or park, or organize a graffiti paint-out -- We provide the paint!

Then next Clean Sweep is Wednesday, March 27, at 9:30 a.m. at the Lake City Community Center, 12521 28th Avenue Northeast. We'll form a "human broom chain" to sweep streets and pick up litter.

Another way to get involved is to sign up for the City's annual Spring Clean campaign. Every year, community, school and business volunteers organize cleanup and beautification projects in their neighborhoods. Last year, volunteers donated more than 10,000 hours of their time to beautify the city.

This year, from April 6 through May 18, we'll pick up litter in parks and open spaces, put plants in traffic circles, paint out graffiti, clear storm drains and plant flowers. The city supports these neighborhood efforts with trash bags, free disposal, certificates of appreciation, and help with project design, publicity, and recruitment.

To organize a cleanup in your neighborhood, please visit my web site at www.cityofseattle.net/mayor, or call 206-684-8811.

The partnerships we create in communities, and the links we forge between city departments and with you, will help us take better care of our city, and we'll get to know each other in the bargain.

Clean Seattle represents one of my goals as mayor - improve basic services. I've spent the first 100 days of my administration making sure potholes are filled quickly; police and firefighters get better training; and people and freight move more quickly through our streets. I want to strengthen that serve the public and that help improve our local economy. I have large goals, but I also know that small things like litter removal can make a big difference.

I'm working hard to renew confidence in city government, to refresh our spirit, and to be responsive to you. City employees, a talented and creative group of people, have stepped up to every challenge I've issued, and have shown that if we work together, we can do just about anything.

The results I've seen in this short time prove that if we rely on each other and work as a team, we can accomplish wonders.

So grab a broom, and let's Clean Seattle!