Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels
2003 Budget Address
September 29, 2003

Members of the City Council, honored guests, especially the delegation from our sister city of Perugia, friends, family and citizens of Seattle, my paramount goal as Mayor is to make a difference in people's lives.

I've set four priorities for our City:

• Get Seattle moving;
• Keep our neighborhoods safe;
• Create jobs and opportunity for all;
• Build strong families & healthy communities.

This year, we've made progress on each priority, but every step brings a reminder that the strength of our City and its government hinges on an improved economy. And that means jobs.

These are tough times. We face the worst recession in a generation. Nearly 100,000 people in Greater Seattle are out of work. We know that joblessness can breed despair, kill hope, and undermine community.

As we have throughout our history, we will rise to this challenge. This is a city where people create opportunity. This is a city of dreamers, from Bill Boeing to Bill Gates. This is where the Jet Age began; where DOS was born; where a lowly cup of Joe was transformed into a product sold worldwide -- and where today, in our corner of America, a new generation of explorers charts the human genome - truly going where no one has gone before. We must nurture those entrepreneurs, celebrate the power of their creativity, and keep the dream, the opportunity and hope alive for all.

We are making progress in creating jobs and opportunity. Seattle is the envy of the nation for investments we're seeing in South Lake Union.

Our economic strategy is working, so let's keep going.

The budget I propose today is balanced. It closes a $24 million gap for 2004 and preserves necessary services, but the real story is not in numbers, but in the people we serve, those who count on us for basic services. We are protecting those services, but the fundamental answer to our budget problem and to people in need is jobs.

My proposal faces up to hard facts about our economy, reduces expenses, but maintains the values that all of us share. It continues progress on priorities we've set for the city, especially the goal of creating new jobs.

To keep our neighborhoods safe, we held the line - no layoffs to police officers or fire fighters. We absorbed some adjustments, but we did not reduce our commitment to public safety or to our goal of making Seattle the most prepared city in America.

This year, Seattle hosted the largest preparedness exercise in the history of the nation and dealt with a simulated terrorist attack. We launched the Business Emergency Network and we expanded the Seattle Disaster Aid and Response Team. These efforts are making us a national leader in this effort, but there's more to do.

In November, voters will have a chance to upgrade our entire fire and emergency response network. It's a big decision, and nobody likes taxes, but it's the right investment in keeping our city safe.

Chief Gary Morris is here to remind us of what we must do. Put a new fireboat on Elliott Bay. Build a training facility for our fire fighters. Rebuild neighborhood fire stations. To do a dangerous job, fire fighters need modern equipment and facilities -- and with the voters help we're going to give it to them.

To get Seattle moving, we will start design of the Viaduct replacement. We will make improvements in the Northgate Area, and we will continue work to fix the Mercer Corridor.

We will fill even more potholes. Just call 684-ROAD. We'll drill 'em and fill 'em within 48 hours. I guarantee it.

We're making parking easier by installing new pay stations that accept debit or credit cards. It's a convenience the public will love. No more bags of change. No more fumbling around for sticky quarters left under the car seat.

If you're parking in Seattle, don't leave home without one.

We're making our streets safe for pedestrians.

We will install more beacons that flash a slow down message at crosswalks near schools. This year we placed beacons at 14 schools. Next year, we will do 14 more.

And we're going to build sidewalks. Let me introduce a fan of sidewalks, Harold Murphy.

Harold manages the Lilac Lodge Apartments in Columbia City, where new sidewalks have transformed his neighborhood. Children, seniors and others feel safer. People with walkers or wheelchairs have an easier time getting in and out of his building. The community looks better and feels more complete.

We need to bring that safety and renewal to other neighborhoods in the city. We need to build sidewalks. More than half of our neighborhood plans ask for them. People in neighborhoods know sidewalks are good for safety, good for health, and good for the environment.

But let's face it; the City in the past has done a terrible job responding to this need. The public is right to be skeptical that this will change.

We got it right this time, so give us a chance to prove it. The program is ready to go. It's five easy steps.

Just call 684-WALK, and we'll pave the way.

This year, we've made progress on two important new projects. With help from the Marvelous Murrays - U.S. Senator Patty Murray and State Rep. Ed Murray -- we've secured significant funding for the streetcar in South Lake Union and our top priority, the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

And while we're at it, let's talk about regional transportation. Let's talk about light rail.

At long last we are ready to break ground! Bids are in and millions below budget, approvals are in place, and we're ready to keep a promise made to voters in 1996 on a project that is critical to our 21st Century transportation network. But a single member of Congress, Republican Representative Ernest Istook - encouraged by Representative Jennifer Dunn, is holding up approval of the federal partnership with Sound Transit.

I've asked Representative Dunn to break the logjam and let us create jobs. If we break ground tomorrow, within 24 months, we'd have created 4,200 new jobs building our system.

Representative Dunn - It's time to stop playing politics. Let's create jobs and get Greater Seattle moving.

In tough times, building strong families and healthy communities is more important than ever. In our city alone, more than 56,000 people have no health insurance. So to protect that crucial service in the safety net, we added back $400,000 for community health clinics. We can't do it all - but we will do our part and more.

We set aside $450,000 to create an interim hygiene center for homeless men and to expand services for homeless women. This fills a temporary gap caused by earthquake repairs to the Compass Center.

We also solve a public health problem at the most popular park in the state of Washington - Green Lake.

Gail Barker knows Green Lake. She lives a half block from the lake and liked to swim there with her son, Conor.

But in recent years, warm weather has caused an algae bloom that made the water foul, smelly and unsafe. Gail asked for our help. She organized a petition drive and got 1,500 people to join her in asking us to clean the lake. She even gave me a bottle of Green Lake water. Here it is.

Would you swim in this water? Gail's right. That's why I've budgeted $ 1.5 million to fix this problem. Green Lake will be safe for children and adults when the weather turns warm, thanks to this investment.

There's good news for our newest waterfront park - South Lake Union. This budget sets aside $600,000 to help complete the new wharf at the park. Creating that park has been a goal of this city, and for that neighborhood, for 100 years. We're getting it done, despite the recession.

Our commitment to neighborhoods remains strong. We invest $ 51 million in neighborhood plans, using General Fund and voter-approved dollars. But as we wrote this budget, we talked about ways we could do more for our neighborhoods.

We came up with three strategies:

• Preserve the traditional Neighborhood Matching Program at its 2003 level
• Create a $ 900,000 fund for neighborhoods that are accepting growth beyond expected levels. Those neighborhoods are Miller-Madison, Pike-Pine, Greenwood and 12th Avenue.
• Each department director with a role in plans will report to me on progress on implementation of plans.

To create jobs and opportunity for all, the members of the council did the right thing in the University District and we're doing the right thing in South Lake Union. We are seeing the effect. Over the next few months, we will announce new housing that is a direct result of removing the university lease lid.

Now it's time to remove another obstacle to jobs.

Members of the council, you have legislation before you that needs action now.

You must act to clear a roadblock to investment in Northgate.

Nothing happens at Northgate until you approve the plan we sent down last spring.

Nothing happens for Thornton Creek. No matter what approach you favor, there is no improvement to water quality at the creek until those three acres get into public ownership.

Later this week, I am announcing a major new project for Northgate -- but it can't go forward until you act.

Kurt Schauermann asks: How long must Northgate wait?

Kurt? Kurt's family has owned the Orange Julius-Dairy Queen at Northgate since 1977.

Alana Fornoni asks: Why is Northgate held back, while other malls can flourish?

Alana? For 10 years she has operated Alana's Antique and Estate Jewelry at Northgate.

There is nothing to stop the Council from acting in October - not December, not November. October.

Unlock Northgate. Unlock the possibilities. Unlock opportunity. When jobs are at stake, our duty is clear. No new jobs are created until you act.

This is how we grow our way out of the recession. This is how we solve our budget problem. Show the public that this council is serious about jobs. Show the public that this council is serious about growing revenue for the city. Unlock Northgate. Let's do it.

We are growing jobs in every neighborhood. Neighborhoods are the jewels of the city and we are making them better, stronger, more vibrant. We are extending our economic strategy to the Central Area, Pioneer Square, Broadway and the Rainier Valley. We are making opportunity available in all our great neighborhoods.

You can see exciting projects throughout the city: the ID Village Square II in the International District; Welch Plaza in the Central Area; Rainier Court in the Rainier Valley; the new Costco on Aurora; and the Home Depot in Delridge. You can see progress in ten new businesses on the Ave and restored buildings in Pioneer Square and the International District.

The strategy is working. Let's keep moving on finding work for the people of this great city. Let's give them jobs, jobs, jobs.

We are making a difference in people's lives. Just ask Jun and Susan Despi, who are here with us today.

The Despis truly represent the American Dream. They came here from the Philippines via California 15 years ago and started the Delite Bakery, which today employs seven family members. Their Beacon Hill bakery has become so successful, their business needs to expand. But plans went awry when property they had bought for expansion turned out to be contaminated with toxic, dry-cleaning chemicals.

It looked like their new bakery would never get built until a team of people decided to help. The City's new Business Advocate went to work with others from the city and from the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle. They formed a team, obtained some cash from insurance, and hired a contractor to clean up the property. Now it looks like the Despis' new bakery, twice the size of the old one, will open this spring.

The future for them looks as sweet as their famous Ubi cake. And I just happen to have some here.

Let's congratulate the Despis. They represent the entrepreneurial spirit that makes this city great.

The Despis are here to tell you that jobs do matter, to them, their family, and their community. That this City did right when it helped a family business. Thank you for approving the Business Advocate in this year's budget. The Despi's are proof that together; we can make a difference in people's lives.

Members of the council, please pass this budget. Let's make progress on priorities for this city. Our economic strategy is working. Let's keep at it. The answer to our budget problem is jobs.

We know the challenges facing our city. We know it won't be easy, but our duty is clear. I ask you to help me get Seattle moving again, to keep our streets safe, to build strong families and healthy communities, and most of all to create jobs and opportunity for all.

Thank you and may God bless our home, Seattle.

Return to Mayor Nickel's Budget Page