Dr. Arun Jhaveri is the first Mayor of Burien. He is a physicist and mechanical engineer, recently co-authoring the book “Carbon Reduction: Policies, Strategies and Technologies.”

He stayed in touch, through email and telephone, with several colleagues who attended the recently completed United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

We asked Dr. Jhaveri to provide his thoughts on the conference.

He kindly obliged with this synopsis:

One must consider the following three separate yet inter-connected three-pronged/triad elements, that holistically encompass Global Climate Change:

1. Inter-relationship among Energy, Environment, and Economy (the three E’s)
2. Three groups of critical participant nations – Developed/Industrialized, Developing/Emerging, and Less Developed/Poor/Most Vulnerable
3. Time-line of Global Climate Change history – Past, Present, and Future

Based on my knowledge and understanding of what happened these past two weeks in Copenhagen, it is absolutely clear that thousands of delegates representing the United Nations’ 193 members, appear to be vocal, determined, outspoken, scared, excited, frustrated, optimistic, enthusiastic, and hopeful that somehow or some way, a consensus would result from their extremely hard work through forceful negotiations, which could become a meaningful roadmap/action plan to significantly reduce the current greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, impacting billions of our earth/planet inhabitant’s future survival and associated quality of life – a truly tall order for this extremely complex, science-dependent, universal phenomenon.

As it turned out, the legally non-binding Final Agreement/Understanding among the major political leaders, fell far short of the desired high expectations. However, based on the past 17 years of very impressive history of the United Nations’ journey from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, to 1997 Kyoto Climate Change Protocol in Japan, to 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, to 2009 Copenhagen, Denmark’s Post-Kyoto Global Climate Change Treaty Negotiations, it is absolutely remarkable that notwithstanding the unprecedented multicultural diversity, socio-economic variations, degrees of growth & development, differences in science-based vulnerabilities, and unified desire to urgently work towards realistic & quantifiable assessment, mitigation, and adaptation re global climate change, the Copenhagen Declaration has succeeded in marshaling the absolutely critical political, financial, technical, educational, and social framework to move forward, based on mutual trust, respect, communication, coordination, as well as cooperation.

The long and difficult path ahead will surely require hundreds of thousands of decision makers, scientists, community activists, academicians, and business/industry leaders to work together to make sure that the global temperature rise does NOT exceed 2 degrees Centigrade or 3.5 degree Fahrenheit atmospheric temperature from the emitting greenhouse gases and/or the equivalent carbon quantity remains less than 350 parts per million, both in the near future through 2020 as well as long term by 2050, when the world’s population is expected to increase from some 6.5 billion now to nearly10 billion.

This extremely optimistic goal or tall order can be accomplished via very promising Energy Efficiency Technologies, Renewable Energy Sources, Life cycle cost-Effective Financing Mechanisms, Creative & Innovative Clean/Green Business Practices, On-going Awareness, Education & Training, and Periodic Exchanges of Ideas, Expertise, and Verifiable Information.

As an Eternal Optimist with many years of practical experience in Energy, Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change, Economics, Governance, and Leadership, I am more than convinced that the world as a whole would rise to take on the Copenhagen Challenge for not only the survival of the current generation but also to leave a beneficial legacy for future generations to come.

Therefore, we all must begin now, since it takes a Village.

- Dr. Arun Jhaveri

For our previous coverage of Dr. Jhaveri, click here.

Four Burien-area politicians have thrown their hats into the ring to replace King County Councilmember Dow Constantine’s vacant seat, including: Burien’s first Mayor Arun Jhaveri; current City Councilmember Lucy Krakowiak; Kathleen Quong-Vermeire, Commissioner, Highline Water District and former Mayor of Normandy Park, and Shawn McEvoy, current Mayor of Normandy Park.

Constantine was sworn in as King County Executive on Tuesday, Nov. 24th, which means there is now a vacancy in Council District 8. The King County Council received a total of 11 applications from individuals who are seeking to replace his vacant seat on the County Council.

The replacement appointee will serve in office until certification of the next general election in Nov. 2010.

Of the four local candidates, two (Jhaveri and Quong-Vermeire) have stated that they would not seek re-election, while the remaining two (Krakowiak and McEvoy) have stated that they would.

The finalists will be determined by a 12-person panel that includes Burien Mayor Joan McGilton and Normandy Park Councilmember Doug Osterman, who were appointed on Nov. 16th.

So with any luck and perhaps a touch of local favoritism, we just might see one of our neighbors on the King County Council, at least for about a year.

The selection process for making the appointment will begin Monday, Dec. 3rd, when the 12-member advisory committee created by the Council will conduct interviews with the 11 who submitted their applications by the Nov. 23rd deadline, listed below in alphabetical order:

• Jan Drago—A member of the Seattle City Council who is leaving the Council this year
• Helen Howell—Former Director of the state Department of Financial Institutions, served as Deputy Chief of Staff under Governor Locke
• Zack Hudgins—State Representative from the 11th District and Tukwila resident
• Jake Jacobovitch—Engineer in the Road Services Division of the King County Department of Transportation
• Arun Jhaveri—Former Regional Technology Manager with the Federal Energy Management Program and former Mayor of Burien
• Lucy Krakowiak—Burien City Council Member and a member of the King County Library Board of Trustees
• Joe McDermott—State Senator from the 34th District
• Shawn McEvoy—Mayor of Normandy Park
• Sharon Nelson—State Representative from the 34th District,
• Vlad Oustimovitch—A partner at VoKa Incorporated, and a former Development Program Manager for the Seattle Housing Authority
• Kathleen Quong-Vermeire–Commissioner, Highline Water District, former Mayor of Normandy Park

The advisory committee will interview all of the applicants and send to the County Council for its consideration three to six candidates who meet the qualifications.

The committee will then use the following criteria to evaluate candidates, including:

• Knowledge of the functions of King County government;
• Knowledge of the issues and challenges facing King County government;
• Knowledge of the issues affecting the constituents of Council District 8;
• A demonstrated ability to develop a responsible budget;
• A demonstrated ability to respond to public concerns; and
• Demonstrated leadership skills.

Council Chair Bob Ferguson and Councilmember Reagan Dunn, chair of the Committee of the Whole, said the Council is ready to act quickly on filling the vacancy

“The Council is acting quickly to ensure representation for the nearly 200,000 residents of District 8,” said Ferguson. “Timely appointment will also allow the new councilmember to transition into the position, hire staff and hit the ground running in the new year.

“The process is in place to quickly review the applications we’ve received,” said Dunn. “With input from the advisory committee, I expect the Council to make the appointment before the end of the year.”

The panel’s recommendations will include at least one candidate who intends to run for election as Councilmember in 2010, and one who does not. Drago, Howell, Jhaveri, Nelson and Quong-Vermeire have stated they will not run for election. Jacobovitch, Krakowiak, McDermott, McEvoy and Oustimovitch said they would run for the position. Hudgins has not made a final decision.

The King County Council has final authority for making the appointment. The interview of the finalists will be done in the Council’s Committee of the Whole. Dunn said the Committee will interview the finalists on Monday, Dec. 7th.

The Council is expected to take action by Monday, Dec. 14th, the last Council meeting of 2009.

by Mark Neuman

Picture a small boy in India, in the early 1940’s, his family’s home being personally visited by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru themselves.

Imagine that same boy, just a few years later, on August 15, 1947, being held lovingly by his family atop the hood of a car as they and millions of others celebrate India’s independence from British rule.

Visualize a young graduate student in Amherst, Massachusetts, being utterly moved by the words and visions of a young U.S. President, “full of energy, strong in his views and personality,” delivering a 1962 commencement speech, a mere fifteen rows away.

See a trim and vibrant gentleman recently sipping decaffeinated coffee in Olde Burien, who keeps in shape by swimming several laps every day, and tending to his garden at the same house he and his wife have lived in for almost forty years.

Conjure all of that, and you will see Dr. Arun Jhaveri, the first mayor of Burien.

“Our whole family crammed into our little car, including all the kids,” he said with a smile during an interview last week with the B-Town Blog, referring to that August 1947, day. “They put me on top because I was the youngest and I remember going around the city the whole evening, fireworks going. People were just jubilant.”

When asked if politics was part of his upbringing, Dr. Jhaveri’s answer is more than a mere Yes.

“My uncle was a very active member of the Congress Party, before the independence, against the British Crown,” Dr. Jhaveri said. The Congress Party was the political party of Mahatma Gandhi and future Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

“My uncle looked very much like Nehru in his personality. He wore the white cap and the long white coat and everything. My grandfather, my father and my uncle had just gone to a political rally in Bombay. And after the rally   they were coming back in a horse-drawn carriage. A fanatic saw my uncle and mistook him for Nehru. The fanatic came from behind and killed my uncle with a dagger.”

The Jhaveri family was soon visited by Gandhi and Nehru, who came to express their condolences.

Young Jhaveri eventually moved to the U.S., earning his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Washington, before moving on to earn his Masters in Physics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

On that “beautiful day” forty-six years ago “President Kennedy was such a charismatic leader, the way he spoke to the students. I was extremely inspired,” Dr. Jhaveri recalled. “It was an excellent opportunity for me to see a real president just a few feet from me speak about educational and political issues.”

Dr. Jhaveri, a physicist and mechanical engineer, earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University, and, early on, worked for Boeing on the development of the 727, 737 and 747 aircrafts prior to their FAA certification.

Dr. Jhaveri worked in 1992 to help earn Burien a little independence of its own, so to speak. The voters said Yes that year to Burien becoming a city in its own right, and the new City Council elected him Mayor. He served from 1992 to 1998.

In 1997, Dr. Jhaveri was one of eleven mayors from the United States to participate in the Global Climate Conference in Kyoto, Japan.

Jhaveri is co-authoring a book, titled “Carbon Reduction – Policies, Strategies and Technologies.” It is scheduled for release later this year.

He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Argosy University, teaching two Doctoral courses, one on Educational Leadership and the other on Program Evaluation.

“I am an eternal optimist,” Dr. Jhaveri says. “The key is to educate the young people of today” about the care of the world’s environment.

“The earth’s future is truly in their hands.”

Mark Neuman is a Writer as well as Marketing Dude for The B-Town (Burien) Blog.

He has interviewed two US Presidents, cops, cooks and cartoonists, authors and artists, senators, scholars and senior citizens, and the B-Town Blog is proud to have him on our team.

Mark can be reached at mark@b-townblog.com.