State of the City Address
Mayor Greg Nickels
February 2, 2004

Moving Seattle in the Right Direction

Members of the City Council, honored guests, friends and family, and citizens of Seattle, our mission in this city is clear: To make a difference in people's lives.

Today, I will announce three important initiatives: to grow jobs; create great new neighborhoods close to downtown; and do better for the children of our City.

The history of this City and today's recession teach us that we cannot take success for granted. But we also know this City has rebuilt after a Great Seattle Fire, recovered from the Great Depression and survived great wars. We know that if we act boldly, there is no limit to our future. The only caps are those we place on ourselves.

When I was elected mayor -- eight weeks to the day after September 11, a new direction was needed for Seattle.

WTO and a tragic Mardi Gras had shattered confidence in our City. We saw a need, and we acted. We restored peace on our streets. We sent a clear message -- protection for free speech and intolerance for violence.

The recession had put 100,000 people out of work in Greater Seattle. We saw a need, and we acted. We put a focus on jobs, jobs, and jobs.

The Nisqually earthquake showed that State Route 99 - the Viaduct and Seawall -- posed a threat to public safety and the region's economy. We built a regional coalition to get moving on the Viaduct and Seawall and secured $177 million from the Legislature. We continue to work tirelessly to remove the threat the Viaduct and Seawall pose to our future.

We confronted the threat of the next big earthquake. Today we are on the path to make Seattle the most prepared city in America. We created an Emergency Preparedness Bureau. We conducted the largest preparedness drill in the nation's history. And thanks to the voters, we will replace or remodel 32 City fire stations and upgrade our entire emergency-response network. Protecting us from natural or man-made catastrophes.

Seattle commuters wanted a real alternative to clogged roads. We ended the debate and broke ground on light rail.

The dot-com collapse and September 11 stopped City revenue in its tracks. City government had to change the way it did business. We acted. We unleashed the creativity of the City's workforce and found ways to do more with less. We protected the safety net for the hungry, the poor and the homeless.

Fraud and manipulation in California sent electric rates soaring in 2000-2001. We cut costs, paid down debt, and put Seattle City Light on a path to recovery. And now with next steps outlined by the City Light Advisory Board and with Jorge Carrasco's leadership, we will finish the recovery, establish stability and set the course for City Light's next century of service.

We saw a need, and we acted.

We put a focus on basics, like potholes.

We ended paralysis by process, recognized opportunities and seized them.

Today, I thank the Council for its help in these efforts.

I know it hasn't been easy for any of us. At times, City Hall looked like a Mariners game, with some of us playing the role of Lou Piniella, kicking dirt on the other's shoes. But today we're moving in the right direction. I salute the Council for this hard work. Just as Sweet Lou loves the game, all of you love this great City and each of us want to make it better.

These past two years, we debated the particulars of how to move forward, but in the end, we agreed on the need for a major change in direction. So I thank the Council. And I welcome warmly the newest members, David Della, Jean Godden and Tom Rasmussen. We have serious issues to work through; we have to deal with the budget reality of little or no revenue growth. We must focus together on the basics of police, fire and human needs.

I can't promise you've heard the last of my baseball metaphors, but I can promise that we will together make a difference in people's lives.

Moving in the Right Direction

Thanks to the support of citizens, businesses, non-profit groups and others, we are moving in the right direction for our City.

We moved forward with our most important institution, the University of Washington. When I became mayor, the city had been treating the UW like it was the Soviet Union! We shifted from a 1950s policy of containment to a 21st century policy of engagement. Today, we embrace an institution that creates jobs, ideas and entrepreneurs for the economy of today, and the opportunities of tomorrow.

One goal was to form a partnership to renew the U-District. I'm pleased to announce today that UNICO Properties and the university have agreed on a new mixed-use investment - new office and retail space, plus 32 new units of housing. This is great news for the U-District. It's a direct result of the tough vote the Council took on my proposal to lift the lease lid. We moved in the right direction, and it's working.

At South Lake Union, we are building a center of excellence in life sciences.

The change is dramatic. We see a parade of organizations moving or expanding there. This month -- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will expand to 3,000 researchers and staff in South Lake Union. Next month -- the Seattle Biotechnology Research Institute, Rosetta/Merck and Children's Hospital move in. In June -- Zymogenetics and nearby, at Pier 88, Amgen. In September -- Corixa. In December -- the University of Washington.

Sharpen your scissors - there's lots of ribbon to be cut! It's not a field of dreams. It's happening!

Biomedical research represents an opportunity as significant as the day Bill Boeing decided to build airplanes and Bill Gates decided to write software. Seattle has an opportunity to lead a global industry -- find cures for cancer, malaria, HIV and other diseases that shorten life and bring misery to families worldwide -- and to do great things for our future. Create more than 23,000 new jobs in South Lake Union and 56,000 statewide. Expand our economic base. Build new housing. Build a streetcar to link people to jobs and to a great new park. Fix the Mercer Street mess that has plagued us for decades.

Welcoming and Supporting Blue-collar Jobs

We've made a great start with biotechnology jobs. But let's do more. Let's work to create jobs in all areas that pay living wages.

Starting today, let's set a new direction with our traditional industries.

Seattle's economy began with its seaport and grew with industries that made things, like ships and airplanes. That tradition remains a vital part of our region's economy and family pocketbooks. Taken together, maritime and manufacturing provide work for more than 135,000 men and women in Seattle.

We need to fight for every one of those jobs.

Seattle's last surviving steel mill, Nucor, needed help to thrive in a competitive industry and to save about 300 family-wage jobs. We saw a need, and acted. And I urge the Council to approve my proposal to save those jobs.

Starting today, let's set a goal of helping industry grow and thrive in Seattle. And let's be bold. Let's not just preserve existing jobs but grow new jobs.

Here is a need. Let's act.

Seattle has all the assets for growth in these industries. No other city on the West Coast can match our combination of skilled workers, land, and port and rail facilities. The Port of Seattle has 233 acres of industrial land in the Duwamish and another 91 industrial acres at Terminals 90 and 91in Interbay.

The acreage and opportunity are huge. Let's act. Let's work aggressively with the Manufacturing Industrial Council and the Port to market Seattle as a great place to create jobs. When great homegrown companies like GM Nameplate need space to expand, the port supplies the land and we supply the permits. The issue is not complicated. It just takes commitment and hard work.

We will also work with the Port to enhance our role in the maritime industry. Seattle is home to the North Pacific fleet. Seattle outfits and repairs the trawlers, crabbers, longliners and other boats. Seattle is home to CityIce Cold Storage and Trident Seafoods, the largest seafood company in the nation.

We will grow the maritime industry. We will help Trident stay right here and expand. So start spreading the word.

Seattle is a great place to start and grow a business, whether it's software or steel, blue collar or biotech lab coats.

To help business thrive and create more jobs, we created the Business Advocate to help with problems big and small. Last month, when fire hit Capital Industries, my Business Advocate went to work, helping them rebuild and expand. Let's clear the red tape. We want these jobs.

We will fight for them, as we did for jobs to build the Boeing 7E7, for 4200 jobs to build light rail and to secure Washington Mutual's new headquarters for downtown.

Renewal Across Seattle

We see renewal in every neighborhood of our city.

In the Rainier Valley, we are helping businesses relocate and grow. We will provide economic opportunities, job training, housing and renewal. We will connect Valley residents to jobs in light-rail construction.

On Capitol Hill, we are helping property owners form an improvement district to promote clean and safe streets.

We're investing in neighborhoods and moving forward on neighborhood plans.

This year we will open seven new neighborhood libraries: Rainier Beach, West Seattle, Green Lake, Beacon Hill, High Point, Northeast, and Columbia City; and four new community centers at Magnuson Park, High Point, International District and Yesler; and improvements in 18 neighborhood parks, including Bitter Lake, Gasworks, and Magnuson Parks.

On March 4th the Welch Plaza will open in the Central Area. That's 162 units of new housing at 23rd and Jackson.

The Welch project could not have moved forward without the Multifamily Tax Exemption Program. Authorization for that program has expired, and I ask the Council to renew it. Let's keep using that tool to make sure there's affordable new private-sector housing in the Central District, South Lake Union, Northgate, the University District and other neighborhoods throughout Seattle.

Our commitment to affordable housing is strong and involves the private sector and public dollars. Thanks to the voters, this year we will open 350 new affordable units across the City through our Seattle Housing Levy.

This commitment comes from citizens, the Council and this mayor. We embrace diversity. We welcome people from all walks of life. We won't deny housing to anyone. We will encourage market forces to make housing affordable. We will work with the private sector and non-profit groups to build housing for people with disabilities, the elderly, homeless, and working families with children.

No one left behind. No one left behind.

That's Seattle's commitment, and that should be America's goal as well.

It should be a national priority to shift from managing homelessness to ending it. The federal government can't provide all the answers, but it can provide the resources that local government cannot.

Let me say this to Congress and the President: It's exciting that you again want to explore space. But before we return to the moon or set foot on Mars, let us pledge to put a roof over the head of every man, woman and child in America. That should be a national priority. Only then are we truly worthy to set foot on another world.

We seek an end to homelessness. We can do so much when we set our minds to it. That's the spirit of Seattle. The people of this City see a need, and we act. We expect no less from our nation's leaders.

This Saturday, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Seattle spirit during Neighbor Appreciation Day.

There will be open houses at all the fire stations and pancake breakfasts and celebrations throughout the City.

Neighbor Appreciation Day is a lot of fun. It's one more way we can honor the thousands of people who make this city better - whether it's picking up litter, cleaning graffiti, coaching kids, forming neighborhood-preparedness teams, or pushing for racial and social justice. To the thousands of volunteers who make Seattle better, you make a difference in people's lives. We all thank you.

Progress on our 21st Century Transportation System

Now let's "drive on" to another issue--transportation.

We've done a great job patching our potholes, but many streets and bridges are crumbling. The backlog of projects is growing while funding sources have gone away. This is a problem for all cities in our state. The Council and I agree that we need to work with our delegation in Olympia and close that funding gap. There is a need. Let's act.

The great news in transportation came in November when we finally, finally, finally broke ground on light rail.

We welcome those 4,200 light rail construction jobs - but equally important is the good news for Seattle's frustrated commuters.

I'm not ready to say our long civic nightmare with traffic is over, but relief is in sight.

With light rail under construction, the Monorail in development, and the streetcar making progress, we are laying the foundation for a 21st century transportation network. That system will connect people at three transit hubs at Westlake Center, King Street Station and Colman Dock.

Imagine the benefits.

Imagine how this will change our city for the better. Imagine arriving by streetcar from South Lake Union, by light rail from Sea-Tac, by monorail from Ballard, by commuter rail from Everett, by water taxi from West Seattle or passenger ferry from Bremerton and connecting seamlessly to your destination - no traffic jam to ruin your day. You won't need cash. Your smart card is good for the entire trip.

After decades of talk about growth management, planning and the environmental benefits of locating people close to jobs -- after voters said yes several times to transit funding -- the pieces are coming into place, and we are getting the job done.

Creating Great Neighborhoods in the Center City

But transit is only half of the picture. The other half is locating people within easy access to jobs and transit. We must move aggressively to take advantage of our investment in the transit hubs.

So today, I am proposing a new policy for housing development in Seattle. Let's shift policy from capping residential growth downtown to unleashing it. Let's stimulate residential development not just downtown but also in the "center city" neighborhoods nearby.

Let's set a goal to double the population in the Center City west of Boren Avenue. Within 20 years, let's increase the population from 33,000 people to 66,000 people.

Let's create great places to live in the areas that surround and include the downtown.

Let's make those safe neighborhoods; lively, interesting and pedestrian friendly. Let's promote compelling design, wonderful public spaces, and friendly streets with grocery stores and shops, daycare and great schools.

We've seen success in Bell Town. But we must show results in the International District, where 750 units of housing stand empty, and in Pioneer Square and the stadium area. Growth in Center City benefits all of Seattle. By attracting people into the heart of the City, there's less crime on our streets and less pollution in the air we breathe. With people walking more they're driving less. We direct growth into the Center City and protect the character of our single-family neighborhoods. Vancouver did it. So can we.

I'm ready to take the first steps on this new strategy. I will start with legislation to spur residential growth in the Denny Triangle.

This is the right direction for Seattle. Let's act.

Doing Better for the Children of Seattle

Now let me turn to a fundamental need in our city - doing better for the children of Seattle.

Let me quote one of the great leaders this city has seen.

John Stanford knew about possibilities. He knew the potential in every child. He taught us that one of the worst things we could do was tolerate failure in children.

He said we should shift our thinking from believing that some children would learn to believe that all children could learn.

Let's make that the foundation for everything we do for the children of our City.

Let's make success a goal for all children. We must do better.

Too many children -- come to school unprepared to learn.

Too many children -- lack tutors and mentors in their lives.

Too many children -- turn to drugs and alcohol.

Too many children -- drop out.

Too many children -- have children.

We must do better.

We must close the achievement gap.

We must help all children succeed.

As John Stanford said, our children need us. And that means all of us expecting the best in all our children, and putting in their path the resources, the commitment and the love to lead them to success.

This year, we will take two steps forward for our children.

First, we vote tomorrow on two levies for Seattle Schools. One levy provides about a quarter of the funds used to operate our schools; the other levy will replace leaking roofs, renovate libraries and provide technology and improvements at more than 70 schools in Seattle.

We must do the right thing for the 47,000 children in our public schools. I urge all of the voters in Seattle to go to the polls and make the right decision for children today - the right decision for Seattle's future.

Second, this year the Council and I will work on renewal of the Families and Education Levy. That work will set a new direction in how we serve children. We will invest in programs that show results and truly make a difference in children's lives. We will shift from counting dollars spent to seeing results in the lives of our children. We will ask our voters to step forward this fall.

We must do better for our kids, and we will.

We've come far in two years. Getting Seattle moving. Keeping our Neighborhoods safe. Creating Jobs and Economic opportunity. Building strong families and healthy communities.

We saw needs, and we acted. We set a direction for our City. And we are delivering on the promise.

We can make a difference in people's lives, and we will.

Thank you, and may God bless our home, Seattle.