Articles by Dick Falkenbury

Small Ideas for Seattle
The Trouble with Schell's Tree

Mayor Schell spent $35,000 in public money on a tree for the new City Hall campus without due process--Falkenbury asks why he's now looking to children to pay for it.

Small Ideas for Seattle
Parks are not Building Lots

Look at the big picture and preserve open space for the future.

Small Ideas for Seattle
"Big Picture" Approach Means Better Solutions

Let's look at the larger context when solving problems; band-aids don't work forever.

Small Ideas for Seattle
Falkenbury's Fixes

Dick merges Metro and King County, solves the Aquarium expansion debate and plants trees at Magnuson Park.

How To Survive An Earthquake

It's bad enough that the local media immediately went into warp-speed hyperbolic overdrive after the earthquake, but to have everyone go along for the ride is slightly embarrassing. Here are some real

Small Ideas for Seattle
Seattle, Kafka Style

In the early 20th century, Franz Kafka wrote novels of irrational people, set against a nightmarish background where everything was dark and confusing. Almost a century later, Franz Kafka seems to be running things in Seattle.

It Takes a Village to Synchronize a Traffic Light

Three years later, Mayor Schell makes good on a campaign promise--but why is the price tag so high?

Small Ideas for Seattle
What If Government Worked Smarter, Not Harder?

Can local government emulate high-tech companies and reward employees for getting things done fast instead of slow?

Small Ideas for Seattle
Let It Snow!

Snow in Seattle? If it happens, let's be ready to have fun instead of cursing the city's plan for handling the weather.

Small Ideas for Seattle
City Hall Planners Need to Follow the Three Rs

The City of Seattle officially asks all of us to reduce, recycle and reuse. City Council should reduce the size of the new City Hall project, recycle Key Tower which we already have and reuse the old City Hall site as a meeting hall.

Small Ideas for Seattle
City Hall Planners Need to Follow the Three Rs

The City of Seattle officially asks all of us to reduce, recycle and reuse. Too bad they can't take their own advice. City Council should reduce the size of the new City Hall project, recycle the 57-story Key Tower we already have and reuse the old City H

Small Ideas for Seattle
Sound Transit's Unsound Business Practices

Sound Transit had told the voters that the tunnel would cost $500 million. Modern Construction won the bidding contest, but their bid was too high. For submitting a bid, Modern Construction got $900,000. After they won, they were given another $1.8 millio

Small Ideas for Seattle
"Not Bush" for President (and Re-Elect the Monorail)

Falkenbury's election picks.

Small Ideas for Seattle
Little Fixes Make the Bigger Difference

Improvements to the Montlake Bridge would make a major difference in the number of headaches for drivers.

Small Ideas for Seattle

A series of short snippets of advice from our resident know-it-all.