Minutes of the 43rd District Democrats - October 18, 2005 Meeting at University Baptist Church Meeting called to order by Chair Richard Kelley at 7:34 p.m. * M/S/Pass Minutes Approved with correction of Cindi Laws name. FINANCE REPORT - Lynn Chadsey, Treasurer Sample Ballot for Nov. 8 is $5000, was $3,335.46 for Primary. Bank Balance is way below the beginning of this year, so show up at the December Holiday Party and bid things up and renew your membership! Sen. Pat Thibaudeau was recognized. CHAIR'S REPORT - Richard Kelley, Chair General Election campaign - have 35,000 sample ballots, in the primary mailed 12,000 of them. This election was mailed to all non-GOP voters in precincts that are mostly locked (50 of 200 precincts), 33,000 are for people to deliver as PCOs. Apparently, Ron Sims could use our help in getting word out to the voters, so people should make sure they do something. Counties were hit the hardest by the Eyman initiatives but didn't stop responsabilities as to what they have to do, not to mention increased sentences for convicted felons and crimes that involve jail and other costs of criminal justice system which is 3/4 of the county budget this year. The budget pinch isn't helping, and things like critical areas ordinance, watershed preservation, health and human services, and other issues would make David Irons a very different change. Election is three weeks from today and without a huge turnout in the city, David Irons will end up being the County Executive. If you're not a PCO but can help carry literature and sample ballots, contact Derek Stanford or Richard Kelley to do so. Also, PCOs can get walking lists online - contact Richard Kelley for the password for your precinct. EVENTS - Julian Wheeler and Katie Evans 43rd Holiday Party is on Saturday, Dec. 10th, at 7:00 pm at Pioneer Hall in Madison Park. Really need to build up treasury! Need volunteers, especially for the auction, to call and arrange pickups, and also the front table. Will be $20 a person, $50 or $100 for sponsors. Also can use music help as well. PROGRAM - Neal Traven, Program Vice-Chair We haven't endorsed anyone for the office of Mayor of Seattle, so we invited Al Runte and Greg Nickels to attend, but Greg Nickels is meeting his wife at the airport tonight, so Tim Ceis is speaking on his behalf. Greg Nickels (Tim Ceis, Deputy Mayor) - Sharon returning from Baton Rouge from helping with Katrina Recovery work, so Greg is not here. Failure of the Bush administration in their response in that area points out how we in Seattle need to be able to rely on the local government, especially for neighborhood preparedness, especially for the first 72 hours. Working on improving fire response and increasing police officers just recently, after a recession which impacted city services and the budget. Al Runte (in person) - Al's wife Christine was in surgery for last few weeks, but she wanted him to be here. Greg wants people to reelect him, but not to show up, and is more concerned with Paul Allen, not with citizens. Running the city is a business, and the neighborhoods should demand he shows up. Working for a city that serves the neighborhoods and then the downtown, and is not worried about Paul Allen and his interests, worried about streets, parks, schools, and who actually showed up when it counted. Q1. What are your approaches to the monorail, how you would fund it and what you would do with it? A. Al Runte - Voted for the monorail all four times. Mayor never helped with funding, especially since this was mostly a new car tax, and our city and region aren't getting funding from the state. May need a gas tax to build light rail and rail in the city. Want rail, not sure what happens with this project (monorail) in particular. A. Greg (Tim) - Need to vote No on I-912, Mayor ran on the monorail issue four years ago, was a difficult decision to make, asked monorail to propose a shorter plan which is now on the ballot. Mayor will vote No this time. Q2. Speak to us of density. A. Greg (Tim) - Density is not a goal. Density is a tool to manage growth so we can live in a city. Don't want to grow like Detroit and Cleveland. If we are going to accommodate 50,000 people in the next four years, we need more density as a tool in our urban centers, like Northgate and the U Dist. A. Al Runte - Objection is not to density but to the way it's handled - developers get tax breaks and then leave with all the money and the city has to pay for the infrastructure. South Lake Union streetcar service is coming from the city's bus service, not the developers. Density is necessary, but also infrastructure at the same time. Q3. Perspective on Parks, Zoo, Garage, and Carousel in city? A. Greg (Tim) - Parks are a part of the city, have increased parks in city, Cal Anderson Park is the newest. We need more, as we grow and as we densify. The Zoo parking garage is a controversy, part of a long process, began with the prior mayor before, asked the Zoo to look at a less expensive process, has been through hearings and appeals and city council, we need to construct it. A. Al Runte - No parking garage at the Zoo, no parking garage in any parks, no asphalt in parks in the city. If we get something like MOMA, sure, but not a parking garage in a park, maybe in a park and ride. Q4. Disaster Teams are in place in the neighborhoods - has anything really been done? Why aren't neighborhoods allowed to lead on this? A. Greg (Tim) - START teams began in Seattle, to identify disaster captains and had extensive training and took too long to do, will be more like a block watch approach in the new plan. Will train every city employee in disaster approach. Prior program was too complicated and took too long. A. Al Runte - New Orleans taught us we're not prepared - we aren't fixed - look at our streets, sewers, and sidewalks - some of the levies were passed but on other things we haven't done well at all. Not ready for a real disaster if the Seattle Fault goes. Q5. Malfeasance on housing and fire codes. Expensive to get insurance on condos, building manufactured garages which have no strength, but only sprinklers to deal with fire. What would you do? A. Greg (Tim) - Building codes are good in this city. Fire fighters are on the council that approves it. Finish products (like oriented sandwood) used are mostly siding failures or window leaks. New codes, design review, and neighborhood problems. A. Al Runte - Using glue board and skinny houses in small lots even in my neighborhood. City tells us we don't see what we do. Money in the process impacts the development (and greed). Builders trespass on others' property to build on yours and nothing is done. Q6. When will you build transit in Seattle especially with the Viaduct rebuild and the Mayor's tunnel option? A. Greg (Tim) - State is not even paying for Viaduct rebuild, we're talking about building a new freeway in front of the city of Seattle - options are to either rebuild it or to bury it. Choices - rest of transportation cities in city - light rail has to make it to Northgate, voters have to decide if we build a monorail. A. Al Runte - Whatever a politician says it will cost, double it. Viaduct money is not there. Every US citizen owes $145,000 for national debt today. We don't have to make the Viaduct ugly - we can find a good design from another city, but don't need to build a tunnel over an earthquake fault. Mayor doesn't get it. Q7. Would either of you be willing to put the tunnel up to a vote of the people? A. Greg (Tim) - You will get a chance to vote on this when it comes up for a vote later in the process. Viaduct is a big decision for the people. Mayor has an obligation to lead and present a vision to the people. A. Al Runte - Taxes all come out of our pocket - let's not dig a tunnel and then figure out how to pay for it - if the fault goes it will be at least 7.5 on the Richter Scale. Q8. There is a beautiful tunnel in Aculpulco which became a memorial park when it collapsed in an earthquake - what name will you give the park? A. [neither answered] Q9. [Sen. Thibaudeau] Voted for the last transportation package - if I-912 passes, the state legislature won't be helping at all. Will the mayor try to get legislative funding for the monorail? A. Greg (Tim) - Thanks for the transportation package [applause]. Answer is No - legislature did it's job, city has to decide on Nov. 8th. So we won't ask. A. Al Runte - Against I-912 - we need the gas tax to fix the infrastructure - Europe pays $6 or $7 a gallon and gets a real transportation package. Would work with legislature to get a gas tax. Came from a farming background and will convince people in Eastern Washington to finance it. Q10. [Sen Thibaudeau] Broadway is looking pretty dismal, big vacant grocery stores in the city, but what will happen in Capitol Hill on Broadway? A. Greg (Tim) - U Dist is looking better and needs more attention - needs more residential development inside the business area so it is occupied 24/7. On Capitol Hill we raised height limits to 65 feet from 40 feet as property owners asked. Should have redevelopment soon - key is to get reinvestment to get vitality back. And public safety. A. Al Runte - What is a city that works? One that works with 5-6 story buildings is San Francisco. Bottom floors are restaurants - that kind of densification. High rises that empty at night are the problem. If built right, with low income housing, theaters, and parks - that works. Q11. What are the three top priorities and specific actions you would take [specifics]? A. Al Runte - First - fix infrastructure - developers should pay taxes, not fees - neighborhoods need incentives, not developers). Second - Parks. Third - Listen to the neighborhoods and see what they say. Downtown will develop and take care of itself. Time for neighborhoods to be heard. Love schools - will make sure kids are part of city hall and the input process. A. Greg (Tim) - First - Jobs - need to create economic opportunity as we rebound from the recession. Two - transportation - need a No on 912 and will take next steps and will present a vote on transit. Third - education - need a great public school system in Seattle, Mayor needs to advocate reform in school district and disproportionate achievement for children of color. Otherwise we have a group of kids that won't be able to pass the WASL. MEMBERS' COMMENTS & OBSERVATIONS ON THE ELECTION - Neal Traven 1. No on 912 campaign - we can win. Campaign HQ at 4th and Blanchard, Kristie England is campaign head. 2. Transit - would like to invite Cleve Stockmeyer to speak on the monorail. If voted down we still have to pay the tax. Cleve - 36th and 34th District Democrats endorsed the Monorail. Real numbers - finances were revenue shortfall of 30 percent. Reduced the scope of the project by 23 percent. Project price is within $1.7 billion price we voted on, over 32 to 38 years, depending on how fast the car tab tax grows, if 6 percent growth estimated, is $4 billion (got rid of $7 billion cost in interest), if it is 4 percent it would be $6 billion (still less). Mayor's economists made an error in population growth - so our numbers are using correct population growth numbers from Mayor, which were admitted to afterwards by the city. This is the last chance in a generation to get an integrated transit project in Seattle, since that forms the X formation. We need parity between monorail and light rail. Light rail costs $1.5 billion to add two more stations - $750 million per station, tunnel used by the light rail has a risk cost. Monorail is 12 stations for $1.7 billion. We need both so we in the city can get around all of the city. If light rail had a $1 billion cost in 1989 - it would be $2.6 billion in 2005 dollars. Monorail had a revenue shortfall, but still $1 billion in 2030, much less than light rail tunnel. All of them cost a lot of money. Mayor says he draws the line at 30 years. Light rail will be issued bonds over many years - South Lake Union streetcar and Sonics Key Arena are priorities of the Mayor - if Mayor helped get a state sales tax and city tax exemption and similar mitigation to light rail or the streetcar we would be ready to go inside of revenue. If I-912 passes, we have nothing. 3. Yes on 901 - Smoking Ban - need to pass - need volunter help and phone banks (Mon-Thurs and election day). 4. No on 330 - Tort Reform - code for money for insurers and drug companies and blame the victim. Dislike I-336 (opposing bill) - should be legislated not 5. Initiative to overturn the four foot lapdance rule. 6. Dwight Pelz, city council position 8 - will stand up to Mayor. 7. PI endorsements in Port races some members are objecting to - e.g. Rich Berkowitz as Port is working for a Port contractor and would still do that - Lloyd Hara has financial experience. RESOLUTIONS - none GOOD OF THE ORDER 1. Rebecca Sayre, Heart of America Northwest - hearing at UW in Grand Ballroom on Nov. 2nd from 7-9 pm (activist pre-meeting at 6 pm). Representative from US Dept. of Energy will be present. In College Room at University Tower, next to here. 2. Have campaign lit for Al Runte here. 3. GOP talking about conservation on floor of House now. They are now saying what President Carter said back then. MEETING ADJOURNED