On Wednesday (Feb. 17th), King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that he will vow to continue pursuing federal funding for replacement of the county’s South Park Bridge.

Constantine will need to do this because the latest round of federal stimulus money grants does NOT include any for this bridge, which is now scheduled to be closed down at the end of June.

According to Publicola:

“The latest round of TIGER (federal stimulus money) grants … includes $30 million in funding for the $200 million Mercer project … they skipped over a request from King County to replace the deteriorating South Park Bridge, which links South Park and White Center to the Duwamish industrial area and downtown Seattle across the Duwamish River.”

“I am very disappointed for the people of King County that our application for federal stimulus funding to replace the South Park Bridge was not approved,” Constantine said in a statement.

Constantine also added:

“While the bridge competed against a lot of other worthy projects, replacing this key transportation link is imperative to the economic health of affordable, diverse neighborhoods and the hundreds of industrial businesses that depend on direct vehicular access to State Route 99 and Interstate 5. It may not be a glamorous or high-profile project, but it’s one that is vitally important to our economy and our society.”

“I am determined to pursue funding for this project through future TIGER grant cycles, the jobs bill, other federal appropriations, and the state Legislature. I thank Senator Patty Murray and the Washington delegation for their unwavering support of federal funding for this project. It’s my hope that their hard work will keep the South Park Bridge near the top of the list in future funding cycles.”

“I will also keep working with the King County Council to explore funding options that can provide a local match to federal funding opportunities for this and other unfunded projects around the county.”

“Under the Road Services Division budget adopted by the Council last fall, the bridge is scheduled to be closed at the end of June, and eventually removed.”

And not to be out-disappointed, Councilmember Jan Drago released the following statement Wed. afternoon:

“I was disappointed to learn that the South Park Bridge project did not receive any federal stimulus grant money. While I am glad to see that the hard work and coordination at all levels of government did reap some rewards by way of $30 million in federal dollars for the Mercer Street project—a critical regional connection that will bring much needed jobs and economic stimulus to our area—we have scores of other infrastructure projects in King County and throughout the Puget Sound region that lack funding.

“I look forward to working with the King County Executive, my fellow Councilmembers, the city of Seattle and our state and federal leaders on solutions for the South Park Bridge project that will protect the safety of all drivers, and provide freight capacity for the Duwamish area.”

King County Councilmember Drago represents the communities of West Seattle, North Highline, Vashon and Maury islands, Burien, Normandy Park, SoDo, International District/Chinatown, Pioneer Square, West Beacon Hill, and portions of SeaTac, Tukwila and West Hill.

by Ralph Nichols

King County Executive Dow Constantine re-affirmed in a talk in SeaTac on Friday (Jan. 8th) his commitment to creating a new spirit of cooperation with other local governments.

Constantine, who took office in late November, declared, “We are going to improve our relationship … between King County and the 39 cities in King County.”

This new relationship with the cities “will be one of partnership,” he said.

Constantine added that the county also has an opportunity to work with businesses to prepare and “provide leadership for the economic recovery that is to come.”

He spoke at a membership meeting of the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce at the Cedarbrook Lodge.

“This region is the economic engine of the state,” he continued, noting that 30 percent of Washington’s population, 40 percent of its non-farm workforce and 50 percent of its economic activity is in King County.

These are primary reasons why “King County needs to reform the way it works with business … needs to reform the way it works with the cities.”

Reforms need to include county staff doing “the leg work” to find those regulations that affect individual businesses, so owners and managers can focus on running their businesses.

“We need to find ways to incubate new local businesses,” and then work to keep them here “rather than seeing them move elsewhere,” he said.

“Permitting in King County now is daunting,” Constantine said, and the county needs to establish “one-stop shopping” for business licenses and building permits, and to work with the state to simplify business tax codes.

County government also needs to be more efficient, he said.

“I’m very hopeful about our future as a region,” Constantine continued. “It’s clear that the economy in fits and starts is starting to come around. We need to make sure that living wage jobs are available to everyone.”

He added that “visitor taxes,” which helped build Safeco Field, Qwest Field and other public facilities, “need to go to help bring more visitors to King County.”

by Ralph Nichols

Burien City Council members had their first face-to-face discussion with a representative of the King County Executive’s office on the divisive issue of Puget Sound Park at their Dec. 7 meeting – and they didn’t blink.

Following a lengthy – and amicable – exchange of views with new Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett, the council agreed to delay once again setting March 2 as the formal date for annexing the south half of the North Highline unincorporated area.

City lawmakers made it clear to Jarrett that they consider the latest attempt by King County to sell the park – which was in the works before Executive Dow Constantine took office on Nov. 24 – a breach of trust.

And they remained equally adamant that Puget Sound Park, located at 1st Ave. S and SW 126th St. in the unincorporated area, is a county asset that rightfully should be transferred to Burien with annexation.

Jarrett appeared before the Burien council at the request of Constantine, who sent his regrets at not being able to attend the meeting. Prior to his election as county executive last month, Constantine represented Burien, North Highline and West Seattle on the King County Council and served as council chairman this year.

“We’re all in a place that we would really choose not to be,” Jarrett told the Burien council. “Our goal in all this is to be good partners and to reach an accommodation that meets the needs of both” the city and county.

Puget Sound Park is located on the land that once housed Puget Sound Jr. High, near the intersection of 1st Ave South and SW 126th.

Constantine, who in the past has strongly opposed efforts to sell Puget Sound Park, “is constrained by prior action of the [county] council,” he continued.

Before leaving office, former Executive Kurt Triplett included in his 2010 county budget an anticipated $600,000 from a planned sale of the five-acre park to the King County Library System. This one-time revenue is expected to pay for maintenance of county parks in unincorporated areas next year, Jarrett said.

Constantine had nothing to do with putting revenue from the sale of Puget Sound Park into the new budget and, Jarrett noted, “Dow did slow the [sale] process down” by asking Triplett not to act on a letter of intent with the library system.

Triplett complied with that request and, Jarrett said, the time to exercise the letter of intent has now elapsed.

However, Constantine presided over the county council meeting on Nov. 23 – the day before he was sworn in as executive – when it unanimously approved a $5 billion county budget for 2010.

“The Council has crafted a budget that protects public safety [and] keeps parks open in the unincorporated areas,” Constantine said following that vote.

Earlier this year, he wrote then-Executive Ron Sims, strongly objecting to any sale of Puget Sound Park for low-income housing, which was under consideration at that time.

Constantine also told the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council that the property should remain a park and should go to Burien if annexation took place.

King County Library Director Bill Ptacek has expressed interest in the library system acquiring Puget Sound Park and consolidating the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries, which would be closed, in a new facility at that location.

City Councilwoman Rose Clark told Jarrett it is “really reprehensible that at the 11th hour [before annexation] – 11:30 almost – the county says, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to sell the park and use the money for parks in other areas … and not tell you about it until the [county] council has voted” on it.

City Manager Mike Martin says that annexation won’t happen until Burien gets this park as part of the deal.

“To do that is a disservice to the Highline area,” Clark said. She then asked if the only way to keep other county parks open “is to take this park from Burien?”

Jarrett said that since anticipated revenue from selling the park is already in the new county budget, if the park is not sold cuts would have to be made or a source of replacement revenue would have to be found.

Nevertheless, he added, “We want to work with you. We want to be partners. We want to stop unilaterally actions by the county.”

“We would welcome that,” Clark replied.

Later, Jarrett said he and Constantine want to settle the park issue “in a different way. We just want to do this in a way that meets the needs of both sides.”

Clark insisted that as city and county officials discuss this matter, all meetings should be public, involve the city council and not just staff, and be held in Burien, which is a more convenient location than downtown Seattle for local citizens with a direct interest in the park.

Mayor Joan McGilton emphasized the important of parks in bringing the diverse cultures in Burien together. “We have [no parks] on the city’s east side,” she said.

And Councilman Gordon Shaw observed that the pending action by King County “proves the old adage that ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ … the whole thing doesn’t feel right.”

Burien officials learned about Triplett’s attempt to sell Puget Sound Park just days before the city council was scheduled to set March 2 as the formal date for annexing much of the North Highline unincorporated area – and just days before Triplett left office.

The city council then put the setting of an effective date for annexation on hold – and City Manager Mike Martin has declared that annexation won’t happen until Burien gets this park as part of the deal.

During public comment prior to the council’s discussion with Jarrett, Russ Pritchard, representing the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, noted that the council has twice voted unanimously to oppose the sale of Puget Sound Park.

Yet, Prichard said, the county is now attempting to sell the park without first receiving public comment.

Will this be the site for another new library?

Burien resident Ed Dacy said “a park is a jewel, and that “sale of a park, even for a library, should not happen without an extensive public hearing. What else are they [the county] trying to sell in the back room?”

Dacy also said City Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, who also is a member of the King County Library System board of trustees, “must recuse herself” from voting on this park-or-library issue “due to a conflict of interest.”

Krakowiak later said while she wears two hats, she represents the city first and as a library system trustee recuses herself from votes involving Burien.

Rachel Levine, a member of the White Center Library Guild, said the pending sale of Puget Sound Park and possible closure of that library took them by surprise.

White Center was promised a new or expanded library through the library bond issue that was approved in 2004, Levine said. And the library, which “gets lots of use” with many patrons arriving on foot or bicycles, remains essential to the academic success of many Evergreen High School students.

“We can’t let go of the social network of our community,” she added. “We’ve already lost the Evergreen Pool – for the moment.”

Pat Price of Boulevard Park said residents there from students to the elderly “really need their library … we can’t find this acceptable to close two libraries to build one.”

North Highline resident Liz Giba said “to take away libraries from two communities that need them … is an ugly, ugly approach. We need libraries that are accessible … [and] the county told us this park would be saved.

“It’s time for King County, please, to treat us with a little bit of respect. We’ve been working for annexation for a long time. This is the latest step by the county to make it more difficult.”

City council members also agreed to delay adoption at Monday’s meeting of an amended budget for 2010 that would reflect both revenue and expenses associated with annexation. Instead, they will vote on Dec. 14 on a revised budget that does not include annexation unless the park issue is resolved before then.

So…what do YOU think? Please take our Poll, or leave a Comment below…

Late Thursday (Dec. 3rd), the King County Council announced that its Advisory Committee has chosen four finalists seeking to fill the King County Council seat vacated by Dow Constantine upon his election as King County Executive.

Despite the fact that four of the 11 candidates were from the Burien area (Dr. Arun Jhaveri, Lucy Krakowiak; Kathleen Quong-Vermeire, and Shawn McEvoy), and that two members of the selection committee were also local (Joan McGilton and Doug Osterman), the committee recommended these two non-Burienites who intend to run for the seat in the November 2010 general election:

• Rep. Zack Hudgins—State Representative from the 11th District
• Sen. Joe McDermott—State Senator from the 34th District

The committee also recommended two others who intend to serve in a caretaker capacity until the general election in November 2010:

• Jan Drago—A member of the Seattle City Council who is leaving the Council this year
• Rep. Sharon Nelson—State Representative from the 34th District

All four candidates recommended by the Committee will be interviewed on Monday, Dec. 7th at a 9:30am meeting of the Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole in the council chambers of the King County Courthouse.

The advisory committee was chaired by former Seattle Deputy Mayor and Municipal Court Judge Anne Levinson and Mark Okazaki, Executive Director of Neighborhood House, a human service agency with facilities in High Point and Greenbridge. They were joined on the 12-member advisory committee by community leaders and elected officials who live or work in Council District 8:

• Aileen Balahadia, Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association,
• Steve Daschle, Executive Director of Southwest Youth and Family Services,
• Tom Dean, Executive Director of the Vashon/Maury Island Land Trust,
• David Johnson, CEO of NAVOS, a mental health care facility that provides housing,
• Joan McGilton, Mayor of Burien
• Patti Mullen, CEO, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce
• Behnaz Nelson, co-chair of the King County Coalition of Unions
• Kathy Nyland, chair of the Georgetown Merchants Association and chair of the City Neighborhood Association
• Doug Osterman, Normandy Park City Councilmember
• Chris Porter, business owner and a nurse practitioner who is active on park and recreation issues.

Co-Chairs Levinson and Okazaki said the committee represented a diversity of perspectives and experiences and took to heart the charge from the Council to forward a slate of candidates who would best serve the needs of the County and District 8.

“We had a remarkable pool of applicants and appreciated the number of people willing to step forward to serve. The finalists each bring experience and understanding of the complex array of issues facing the County. Each would hit the ground running and be a very effective addition to the Council,” said Levinson and Okazaki.

The committee’s criteria for evaluation of candidates included:

• 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.

The County Council has final authority for making the appointment, and is expected to take action by Monday, Dec. 14th, the last Council meeting of 2009.

by Ralph Nichols

A letter written on April 3 by then-King County Councilman Dow Constantine – this one sent to Ron Sims, who was still county executive at the time – affirms Constantine’s apparent support for preserving Puget Sound Park.

Constantine, now the new King County Executive, informed Sims that he could not “support the Sustainable Communities and Affordable Housing proposal until Puget Sound Park is removed from further consideration” for conversion to housing.

Located at 1st Ave. S and SW 126th St., the park is in the unincorporated area of North Highline that is to be annexed by Burien early next year.

“I was dismayed to see this parcel listed along with several other non-park properties being prepared for conversion to housing use,” Constantine wrote Sims.

“I have previously stated in writing that I would not support any conversion proposal for any portion of this park that did not have the support of both the North Highline community and the city of Burien, which is pursuing the annexation of the surrounding neighborhood.

“As the city of Burien has registered its formal opposition and the community appears adamantly opposed to selling all or part of the park, it should be removed from the proposed ordinance.

“Parks have immense value to their surrounding communities, and replacement of this park property in this immediate neighborhood would be difficult at best,” he continued. “Replacement at a site elsewhere in King County is, of course, wholly inadequate….

“I do not feel that the conversion of public parks to housing sites is appropriate … and, if this legislation is introduced, I will take immediate action to amend it to protect this neighborhood park.”

Before becoming county executive, Constantine represented Burien, North Highline and West Seattle on the county council.

On April 13, Puget Sound Park was removed from consideration as a project site for the Sustainable Communities and Affordable Housing program. 

Noting he was “pleased to learn” of this action, Constantine added, “our public parks – both active and passive – are valuable assets to their surrounding neighborhoods and King County that must be preserved and enhanced whenever possible.”

When the King County Council adopted the Sustainable Communities and Affordable Housing ordinance on Sept. 14, Puget Sound Park was not included as one of the properties for conversion.

Nevertheless, Constantine’s immediate predecessor, former county Executive Kurt Triplett, attempted to negotiate a backroom deal for the sale of Puget Sound Park to the King County Library System (read our previous coverage here).

Burien city officials learned about Triplett’s attempt to sell Puget Sound Park just days before the city council was scheduled to set March 2 as the formal date for annexing much of the North Highline unincorporated area – and just days before Triplett left office.

The city council subsequently put the setting of an effective date for annexation on hold – and city Manager Mike Martin declared in the wake of that revelation that annexation won’t happen until Burien gets this park as part of the deal.

In his monthly report to the King County Library System board of trustees prior to their regular meeting on Nov. 24, library system director Bill Ptacek said, “As reported earlier this year, the County reached out to KCLS with an offer to sell various parks to KCLS so that they could be maintained and kept open.

“One of the parks, Puget Sound Park, is in the area that recently voted to annex to Burien. The Park … would be a good location for a new Library in the area. KCLS has agreed (in principal) to purchase the developable portion of that property. The County still hopes to turn over the Park portion to the City of Burien if and when it completes the annexation process in March 2010.”

One unconfirmed rumor suggests that if the library system took ownership of the park, it might consolidate the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries in a new facility at that location.

Frank Abe, Constantine’s director of communications, told The B-Town Blog earlier this week that before taking office, Constantine asked Triplett not to take action on selling Puget Sound Park.

One of Constantine’s first actions as executive will be to sit down with all parties to discuss the future of the park to “figure out what’s best – especially for the people of Burien,” Abe said.

Here are links to download and read PDFs of Constantine’s letters regarding Puget Sound Park:

• Jan. 28 letter to North Highline Unincorporated Area Council
• April 2 letter to Ron Sims

by Ralph Nichols

King County Executive Dow Constantine, whose first full day on the job was Monday (Nov. 30), reportedly plans to meet with all interested parties before deciding the future of Puget Sound Park.

The King County Library System recently entered into a preliminary agreement with former Executive Kurt Triplett to purchase the park from the county in a deal brokered through county executive’s office.

But Puget Sound Park is located at 1st Ave South and SW 126th Street in the unincorporated area of North Highline that is to be annexed by Burien early next year. And City Manager Mike Martin said last week that annexation won’t happen until Burien gets this park as part of the deal.

Burien and North Highline officials knew nothing about the pending sale of the park to the library system until Nov. 20th (read our previous coverage here).

Frank Abe, Constantine’s director of communications, told The B-Town Blog on Nov. 30 that “one of the executive’s first action items will be to sit down with all the parties involved and to understand their concerns….

“Before taking office, Executive Constantine asked the previous executive (Triplett) not to take action until he could talk to everyone, and no action was taken” on a possible sale of the park, which is now on hold.

Constantine likely will meet with Burien Mayor Joan McGilton and Martin, King County Library System Director Bill Ptacek, and North Highline Unincorporated Area Council President Greg Duff, among others.

Abe said Constantine wants to “figure out what’s best – especially for the people of Burien.” Constantine represented Burien, North Highline and West Seattle on the King County Council until his election as county executive in November.

He added that Deputy County Executive Fred Jarrett has emphasized “we want to be certain the county doesn’t do something that’s arrogant or one-sided” where Burien is concerned.

Click image to download PDF of Dow's letter.

Triplett’s stealth attempt to sell the park – initiated by the county and discussed with library system officials without informing the city or, apparently, library system trustees – prompted Burien council members at their meeting on Nov. 23 to postpone official annexation of North Highline, which tentatively was set for March 2.

Burien officials and North Highline residents hope that Constantine will intervene to block the sale, thus allowing Puget Sound Park to go to the city as part of annexation. And a Jan. 28, 2009, letter from Constantine to the North Highline Council, following a meeting he had with Triplett, may give them reason for optimism (download a PDF of the letter here).

At that time, while Burien lawmakers continued to deliberate the annexation issue, Triplett had identified Puget Sound Park as a county property that might be used for affordable workforce housing.

“Park property is hard to come by and especially dear to any community,” Constantine wrote the North Highline Council. “Any proposal to sell park property must receive the highest level of scrutiny and public discussion….

“Any specific proposal for Puget Sound Park would also need to be similarly presented for community review.

“Given that Puget Sound Park is located in the city of Buren’s Potential Annexation Area, I urged the Executive’s representatives to include Burien officials in any future discussions.”

“We expect to have that park,” Martin said following the Burien council’s postponement of setting a date for formal annexation. “No annexation deal will be done until we get that asset.”

King County Executive Dow Constantine

And McGilton sent a letter to Constantine requesting his “direct intervention in this matter.”

Burien City Councilwoman Rose Clark, in remarks during the Nov. 23 meeting, called Triplett’s “eleventh-hour” attempt to sell Puget Sound Park “reprehensible.”

Councilman Gordon Shaw called the move “very, very bad government…. I’m very disappointed with King County. The (North Highline) residents have said before they don’t want the park sold.

Shaw added that the timing of the revelation of the proposed park sale “gives (the city) a really good opportunity to work with Dow in a new collaboration and to get away from the dictatorial attitude the county has had toward Burien in the past.”

Shortly after the August election, when residents of the southern part of North Highline approved annexation by Burien, Triplett proposed mothballing King County parks to reduce county general fund expenses by $4.6 million.

Constantine quickly responded, opposing Triplett’s plan to cut funding for the parks in unincorporated areas.

“Parks are important to the health and quality of life of everyone in the communities,” and closing them would be “short sighted,” he said.

Burien Mayor Joan McGilton, and Normandy Park Councilmember Doug Osterman were named Monday (Nov. 16th) to a 12-person panel that will recommend candidates to be considered for Dow Constantine’s seat that he’ll vacate when he takes over as King County Executive.

Constantine’s new gig starts next week, and it’s expected that the replacement will be chosen by the Council on Dec. 14th.

“The Council is acting quickly to ensure representation for the nearly 200,000 residents of District 8,” said Council Vice Chair Bob Ferguson, prime sponsor of the ordinance. “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 motion adopted today names a 12-member advisory committee of community leaders and elected officials who live or work in Council District 8, and who represent the geographic, economic, and ethnic diversity of the district.

Under the legislation, applicants for the impending Council vacancy must submit application materials to the Clerk of the Council by 4:00 p.m., November 23, including a resume, a brief written explanation of how they meet the criteria for appointment, and a statement of whether they intend to run for election as the Councilmember for District 8 in November 2010.

Burien Mayor Joan McGilton

The advisory committee will meet no later than December 3 to interview qualified applicants and recommend three to six candidates for consideration by the County Council. The committee’s recommendations will include at least one candidate who intends to run for election as Councilmember in 2010, and one who does not.

The King County Council has final authority for making the appointment, and under the legislation will take action by December 14. The appointee would serve in office until certification of the next general election in November 2010.

“I am pleased with the composition of the advisory board,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett. “I am confident they will forward the County Council a qualified pool of applicants for the next representative of District 8.”

Along with Mayor McGilton and Councilmember Osterman, others named to the advisory committee include:

• Co-Chair Anne Levinson, co-owner of the Seattle Storm, former Seattle Municipal Court Judge, former chair of the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission
• Co-Chair Mark Okazaki, Executive Director of Neighborhood House, a human service agency with facilities in High Point and Greenbridge
• Aileen Balahadia, Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association
• Steve Daschle, Executive Director of Southwest Youth and Family Services (and brother of former Sen. Tom Daschle)
• Tom Dean, Executive Director of the Vashon/Maury Island Land Trust
• David Johnson, CEO of NAVOS, a mental health care facility that provides housing
• Patti Mullen, West Seattle business owner
• Behnaz Nelson, co-chair of the King County Coalition of Unions
• Kathy Nyland, chair of the Georgetown Merchants Association and chair of the City Neighborhood Association
• Chris Porter, business owner and a nurse practitioner who is active on park and recreation issues

Normandy Park Councilmember Doug Osterman

“I have a lot of confidence in this stellar group of citizens, led by co-chairs Anne Levinson and Mark Okazaki who have made so many outstanding contributions to our community,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “They will no doubt conduct a careful vetting process and offer thoughtful recommendations about the next representative for Council District 8.”

“I support the appointment process and its expedited timeline,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “The longer we wait to appoint a replacement, the longer the nearly 200,000 residents in District 8 are without a representative and advocate on the King County Council.”

Under the legislation the advisory committee would 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
• Demonstrated leadership skills

The process is similar to that adopted earlier this year to fill vacancies in the offices of County Executive and County Assessor. Previously, the political party of the Council member vacating the office would submit nominees for an appointed successor, but voters last year amended the King County Charter to make most countywide offices non-partisan, including Council district seats.

King County Executive-elect Dow Constantine

Council District 8 encompasses Burien, Normandy Park, West Seattle, North Highline, Vashon/Maury Islands, SoDo, the International District/Chinatown, Pioneer Square, East Beacon Hill, and portions of the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila.

And yes, YOU too can apply to this position if you qualify – application materials can be sent by mail or electronically.

The mailing address is:

Clerk of the Council
516 Third Avenue, Room W-1039
Seattle, WA, 98104

E-mail applications can be sent to the Clerk at anne.noris@kingcounty.gov. Her phone number is 206-296-0364.

Goodspaceguy, are you reading this?

UPDATE WED. 11/4/ 5pm: The second round of election returns has been released by King County Elections, and with between 28-30% of the votes counted, Dow Constantine still leads with 58%, Jack Block Jr. with 55% and 76% voting NO against Burien’s Transportation Benefit District (sidewalks & bike paths) proposal.

Also, Initiative 1033 is still failing with 67% voting “No,” and R-71 is still passing with 67% “Yes.”

Here are the updated results culled from the King County Elections website as of 4:19pm Wed., 11/4/09:

KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE:

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 308,650 / 1,079,842 • 28.58%

• Susan Hutchison: 125,607 • 42.26%
• Dow Constantine: 171,006 • 57.53%
• Write-in: 621 • 0.21%

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 308,650 / 1079842 • 28.58%

Initiative Measure No. 1033:

• YES: 92,654 • 33.28%
• NO: 185,721 • 66.72%

Referendum Measure No. 71:

• APPROVED: 202,125 • 66.59%
• REJECTED: 101,403 • 33.41%

CITY OF BURIEN:

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 5,006 / 16,617 • 30.13%

Council Position No. 1:

• Sue Blazak: 1,981 • 44.83%
• Jack Block, Jr.: 2,413 • 54.61%
• Write-in: 25 • 0.57%

Council Position No. 3:

• Joan McGilton: 3,214 • 97.01%
• Write-in: 99 • 2.99%

Council Position No. 5:

• Rose Clark: 3,212 • 96.69%
• Write-in: 110 • 3.31%

Council Position No. 7:

• Brian Bennett: 3,363 • 98.22%
• Write-in: 61 • 1.78%

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 5,006 / 16,617 • 30.13%

Transportation Benefit District No. 1 Proposition No. 1:

• YES: 958 • 23.50%
• NO: 3,118 • 76.50%

CITY OF NORMANDY PARK:

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 1,553 / 4,676 • 33.21%

Council Position No. 2:

• Clarke Brant: 1,025 • 97.99%
• Write-in: 21 • 2.01%

Council Position No. 4:

• John L. Rankin: 972 • 96.05%
• Write-in: 40 • 3.95%

Council Position No. 6 short and full term:

• Marion Yoshino: 995 • 98.03%
• Write-in: 20 • 1.97%

Proposition No. 1:

• YES: 680 • 47.16%
• NO: 762 • 52.84%

HIGHLINE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 401:

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 13,664 / 57,961 • 23.57%

Director District No. 2:

• Angelica M. Alvarez: 10,372 • 98.47%
• Write-in: 161 • 1.53%

Director District No. 3:

• Susan Goding: 10319 • 98.53%
• Write-in: 154 • 1.47%

KING COUNTY

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters: 254261 / 1079842 23.55%

Sheriff:

• Sue Rahr: 220,802 • 97.96%
• Write-in: 4,597 • 2.04%

Assessor unexpired 2-year term

• Graham Albertini: 52,192 • 20.91%
• Gene Lux: 12,175 • 4.88%
• Lloyd Hara: 82,864 • 33.20%
• Bob Rosenberger: 72,525 • 29.06%
• Bob Blanchard: 29,041 • 11.63%
• Write-in: 806 • 0.32%

by Mark Neuman

Former KIRO-TV reporter and anchor Susan Hutchison spoke with The B-Town Blog recently. She and County Council Chair Dow Constantine are going head-to-head to become King County’s next Executive.

PRIMARY RESULTS & ELECTION STRATEGY:
As of August 27th, the most recently updated election results show Susan with about 33% of the primary votes. The results also show the four office-holding Democrats in the primary race (including Dow) with a cumulative 62% of the vote.

How will you go about attracting some of that 62% your way? we asked Susan.

“Dow is so partisan. He just sees everything from the filter of his Democratic point of view. (Primary opponents) Fred Jarrett and Ross Hunter represented outsiders, as I did, and they did rather well,” she said.

“Most people looking at the vote results would say that the bulk of the votes went to outsider candidates. I would suggest that in fact the vote was very clearly for an outsider candidate.

“I think the way the voters divided us up was ‘insider versus outsider.’ And the outsiders won big.”

THE BUDGET:
“I think a ‘rainy day fund’ is absolutely prudent government management,” she said.

“In a (private sector) company, what you have is something called a cash reserve, and the finance department or board of directors is always looking at that cash reserve.

“It’s understood that you are going to have good days and bad days. Good years and bad years. You’ve got to have the capability to cover using that cash reserve. That is just a basic principle of good accounting and money management in a company. And that’s why it’s essential in government as well,” Susan said.

“We are in a budget crisis. We can project now that between this year and next we’re going to have a $110 million budget shortfall. We have to go back to first principles. That is ‘what is the county’s job?’ And the county’s job is to provide safety and protection to its people.

“It is really essential that we keep that in mind as we go through this process of trying to figure out how to make ends meet.

“This budget crisis we are now in falls directly at the feet of the county council and its chair, Dow Constantine, because the council carries the power of the purse.

“We cannot trust a politician who helped get us into this mess to get us out of it,” Susan said.

COMMENTS ABOUT BURIEN?
“Oh, absolutely. I was there recently for two (campaign) forums. Burien has that ‘Main Street USA’ feel,” she said. “It’s terrific. Oh, and there’s great access to the airport when you’re in Burien!”

Susan says she supports annexation efforts.

“I just think it’s important that the choice be given to the people. There’ve been some efforts throughout the county to annex without the residents (of the unincorporated area) weighing in on that decision and I think that’s wrong.

“I’m always with the people.”

THE KIRO YEARS:
Susan spent 20 years with the KIRO-TV News department.

“Certainly one my most treasured memories of the job I did there was to write and produce a documentary on Chinese culture and history called ‘Son of Heaven’. I spent a lot of time in China doing the shooting and research. It won several Emmy awards and had a year-long run of attention.”

Susan recounted the course of events that led up to her coming to KIRO:

After attending the University of Florida, she was working in television in Hawaii in the late 1970’s. Lloyd Cooney, who ran KIRO at the time, was visiting Hawaii and happened to see her delivering the news on a local channel. Cooney sent her a letter inviting her to consider working in Seattle.

“It was months before I actually met Lloyd, but I eventually came to work at KIRO. I just loved Lloyd when I met him. He’s an amazing fellow.

“I still have the letter he sent me. It’s very precious.”

NOTES:

• The General Election is November 3, and, like the primary, will be an all mail-in election.
• The B-Town Blog interviewed Dow Constantine the night of the August 18th primary and ran the interview the next day – click here to read it.

by Ralph Nichols

It’s déjà vu all over again. Closed parks and pools, on top of program and job cuts, have been proposed by the King County executive to balance next year’s operating budget. But that was then, when Ron Sims was county executive and the 2003 budget was on the table.

Seven years later, Kurt Triplett, Sims’ former chief of staff, is interim county executive. And the second verse is same as the first. (Actually the third verse when last year’s cuts in the sheriff’s and prosecutor’s offices and the court system are included.)

Triplett recently proposed “mothballing” 39 parks in unincorporated urban areas in King County – more than a third of them in the Highline area. But even if all parks on his hit list were to be closed, which some Highline officials and volunteers consider unlikely, five parks and maybe a sixth would remain open.

Those parks are in the “south” part of the North Highline unincorporated area, which residents there decided on Tuesday will be become part of the city of Burien. That transition is expected to occur early next year.

More than a third of the parks proposed to be "mothballed" by King County are in the Highline area.

North Highline parks that will be annexed by Burien are:

• Arbor Lake Park, So. 124th Street and 4th Ave So.
• Hazel Valley Park, SW 126th Street and 2nd Ave SW
• Hilltop Park, So. 128th Street and 26th Ave So.
  
• Puget Sound Park, 126th Street SW and 1st Ave So.
• Salmon Creek Park, SW 118th Street and 8th Ave SW

Southern Heights Park, So. 120th Street and 14th Avenue So., also in the annexation area, has been leased and maintained by the county but is owned by Water District 20. There is no immediate indication about the district’s plan for this park.

Triplett said mothballing the parks would reduce general fund expenses by $4.6 million. The county faces a $56.4 million shortfall in projected tax revenues and the executive and council are looking for ways to balance the budget to maintain 2009 service levels.

King County Councilman Dow Constantine of West Seattle, whose district includes North Highline and most of Burien, reacted swiftly with a statement opposing Triplett’s plan. Constantine, who finished second in the August 18 primary election contest for county executive – and will face former KIRO-TV anchor Susan Hutchison in November – currently serves as council chairman.

“I am opposed to Executive Triplett’s proposal to cut all funding for King County parks in the urban unincorporated areas,” Constantine said. “Parks are important to the health and quality of life of everyone in the communities in which King County provides basic services – especially to our young people. To eliminate these parks with the stroke of a pen when economic times get tough would be short-sighted.”

He said “all other possible cuts” – including reductions in administrative staff – and “innovative budget solutions” need to be explored “before we consider the elimination of direct services to King County residents. I have laid out a set of ideas to serve as a starting point for substantive discussions by the King County Council to create a balanced 2010 budget without raising taxes or cutting funding for urban unincorporated parks”

Hutchison could not be reached for comment.

Triplett’s proposal addresses only parks with maintenance financed through the general fund. They total approximately 610 acres and have a total assessed value of $57 million. It would not affect King County’s regional parks and trails, which are funded through the County Parks levy.

“Taxpayers have paid for these parks, and I am open to any proposal from the cities or others to transfer ownership for free,” said Triplett. “As part of the effort to encourage annexations, the state has given these cities tax options the county does not have.”

Closed parks would have fences installed around perfectly-good playground equipment.

The 39 targeted parks will remain open for use but will not be maintained. In December, if this plan goes into effect, crews will fence playground equipment, lock and secure restrooms, post signs and lock gates in the closed parks.

Triplett said his priority is to shield public health and criminal justice services as much as possible but that all county departments will see budget cuts in 2010.

The other parks in the general Highline area on Triplett’s mothball list are:

• Duwamish (River) Park – Site 1
• Evergreen Athletic Field (and Evergreen Pool), 606 SW 116 Street
• Hamm Creek Natural Area
• Lakewood Park, 11050 10th Ave SW
• North Shorewood Park, SW 102nd Street and 24th Ave SW
• Sunset Playfield, So. 136th Street and 18th Ave So.
• White Center Heights Park, SW 102nd Street and 7th Ave SW
• White Center Pond Natural Area, SW 102nd Street and 12th Ave SW

So…what do YOU think about the county closing so many parks in our area? Please take our poll, or Comment below…

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