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Sunday, Mar 21, 2010
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Sally Clark sworn in for first full term in City Council |
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| Sally Clark sworn in for first full term in City Council | ||
| by Mike Andrew -
SGN Staff Writer On January 7, Sally Clark was sworn in for her first full four-year term on the Seattle City Council. Clark was originally appointed in 2006 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Jim Compton, and then ran in a special election to fill the unexpired portion of Compton's term. She was elected to a full term last November. Clark will Chair the City's Council's Planning, Land Use, and Neighborhoods Committee, an assignment she finds particularly exciting. "We can feel the impact of land use decisions everywhere we live," she said. "People are delighted at our robust economy, but sometimes they're shocked at what that means for the neighborhoods they live in. It's a two-edged sword." This year the City Council will update the 38 neighborhood plans that guide Seattle's development. Adopted by the City Council in 1999, the neighborhood plans were intended to guide the city's growth in ways that complement Washington State's Growth Management Act. Updating these plans "could open a can of worms," Clark acknowledges. "People are sometimes surprised by development," she says. "What do 400 extra residents in Wallingford, for example, look like on the ground? People see that and they think maybe this isn't the kind of change they meant when the plans were adopted." Clark has made a special effort to be out in the neighborhoods meeting with community groups and listening to their concerns. "You can't do it all from downtown," she says. "People want two things. They want responsiveness - they want to know that police will come when they're called and clean water will come out when they turn on the faucet - and they want to know that the people in City Hall understand their neighborhoods and communities." Acknowledging that affordability is "a big part of the conversation" in neighborhood planning, Clark believes that the shape of Seattle's economic growth creates challenges for city government. "There has been some growth in aerospace, but mainly the growth has come in retail and service sectors where workers are typically lower income. Their wages can't keep pace with increased housing costs." Clark believes Seattle is "not in a position to mandate affordability," but she does see opportunities to affect development of affordable housing "on the margins," by tapping available funding sources. She also cites zoning regulations as a way to offer developers incentives to create additional affordable units. "We can trade relaxed height regulations for more units reserved for low-income residents," she suggests. On public safety issues, Clark has joined with City Council President Nick Licata and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen in asking the City Auditor to review how Seattle deals with bias crimes. "The latest up-tick in violence on Capitol Hill has led some people to think the police were not as helpful as they might have been," Clark said. The City Auditor's report is expected this summer. Clark will also work with Seattle's Sexual Minorities Commission to review how the FBI defines and reports bias crimes. Sally Clark can be contacted at 206-684-8802 or sally.clark@seattle.gov. |
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