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Letters to the Editor
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To the Editor:
Just a note of thanks for a couple of articles in your January 24, 2001 issue. The "Homeless in Seattle" article helps the non-homeless of us get a better perspective on problems faced by folks who lose their homes. The piece on light rail, "54 Deaths on LA Light Rail Tracks in 10 Years," is one of the most concise summaries I have seen on the reasons why light rail should not be built. Good job! In addition to the points raised, I seem to remember hearing from someone at Metro that the rails in our current bus tunnel, which were originally laid for light rail, would not be usable in the new light rail proposal. ($$$ down the drain.)
Anyway, thanks a heap--a very useful issue.
Maria Abdin
Seattle Press Columnists Draw High Praise
To the Editor:
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Sandy Bradley's contribution to the January 24 issue, titled "I Demand Higher Oil Prices," and we are in total agreement with her idea.
Please, let her know that she has followers since there was no address to write to her directly.
In the same issue, we also agree with Dick Falkenbury ["Small Ideas for Seattle"] and his ideas of having government work smarter, not harder.
Thank you for featuring these two stimulating contributors to The Seattle Press.
Walter and Christa Barke
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To the Editor:
The Seattle School District (SSD) deliberately withheld and deferred normal maintenance and repair so that school buildings would continue to deteriorate. This was allowed in order to convince reluctant Seattle taxpayers to vote for an endless series of more school excess levies. SSD continues trying to propagandize and coerce Seattle voters to believe that many school buildings are in such deplorable condition that they must be torn down, replaced, completely restored or rebuilt "regardless of the cost."
If what SSD says is true, then they are guilty of misfeasance and nonfeasance for knowingly and willfully failing their sworn duty to comply with state laws. RCW 28.A.010 mandates that the school board of directors shall: "Cause all school buildings to be properly heated, lighted, ventilated and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition."
Having little to show after squandering billions of taxpayers' money, SSD has the audacity to demand two more excess levies to be voted on February 5, 2001. SSD demands a new 3-year, $338 million "operations" excess levy and a new 6-year, $398 million capital building excess levy for a total of $736 million dollars. The two current existing $608 excess levies will be completely paid for this year, 2001, and will automatically expire and drop off to zero dollars. Overtaxed Seattle voters must vote no February 6, 2001 on both Propositions 1 and 2 to defeat this new, exorbitantly expensive $736 million dollar property tax boondoggle.
Fred Bucke
Poor Business Practices?
To the Editor:
We've been banned from renting videos at our neighborhood video store (The Video Revue, in Wedgwood) due to a disagreement over a two-day late fee for a video we rented last month.
Perhaps there is no formal recourse for us in this situation, except for a letter to the editor. We wonder whether other readers have had this experience with a video store. We also want to express our opinion. It is one thing to disagree with a customer (a business owner has every right to do that). It is quite another thing to punish the customer who voices disagreement. It is unfortunate that a neighborhood business would follow such poor business practices and alienate customers in this manner.
Stewart De La Hunt
Connie La Chasse
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To the Editor:
After my 1999 campaign for Seattle City Council, I was asked, "What was the highlight?" And my answer was the diversity of issues and communities and residents of our wonderful city.
Seattle's great diversity was also the most difficult aspect of wanting to represent the people on the City Council. With 500,000 people living in very diverse areas of the city, the urban problems that require city council attention, leadership and understanding are monumental. The thought that a city councilmember can be familiar with the needs in the Lincoln Park area of West Seattle, Lake City, Rainier Beach and Crown Hill all at the same time is asking too much. So all areas fail to get the local attention which they deserve.
We tend to have a city council that spends the majority of their working hours in downtown and their own home community. Time and energy limitations prevent a true connection with all of our city's residents.
If we want to regain a government whose officials are in touch with their constituents, district elections will take us in a positive direction.
We can further simplify the system by using "instant runoff" voting in the November general election. This would eliminate the primary election and save the city $500,000--savings that could reduce property taxes and/or utility bills.
Now is a great time to bring our representative government closer to the people and streamline our election process in order to save money.
Curt Firestone
No on Proposition 1--Preserve Historic Schools
To the Editor:
The fire that destroyed Coe Elementary on January 21 represents a tragic loss of an historic Seattle school building, making the remaining historic school buildings that much more valuable. The Seattle School District, however, proposes demolition of several 1920s-era historic school buildings--at the Roosevelt and Garfield high school campuses, as well as the demolition of all of Brighton Elementary--in its February 6 Capital Levy, Proposition #1.
One particular loss at Coe was a beautiful main staircase. This staircase once had a similar "twin" at Stevens Elementary. However, the District deliberately demolished the main staircase at Stevens; the Stevens example of this exceptionally distinctive architectural feature would otherwise still have been remaining.
The School Board needs to change its policies to make preserving our historic schools the expected policy. The Board should require very compelling reasons to even consider another, non-preserving course of action. Immediately, the Board should reverse course at Madrona and Greenwood, where District plans call for demolishing historic schools within the year.
In addition to the demolition of historic school buildings, the District has demolished buildings at Coe that were constructed in the 1970s--which were designed to last 60 years. Demolishing buildings only 30 years old essentially doubles the cost of school facilities. The destruction of buildings from the 1970s recently occurred at Concord Elementary. Proposition #1 proposes similar demolition at Madison Middle School.
For more information, please contact the Committee to Maintain, Not Demolish, Seattle Schools at 521-7940, PO Box 84063, Seattle, WA 98124.
Chris Jackins
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