A Yes vote for Proposition 1 will give the Tukwila Pool Metropolitan Park District the additional attention it not only deserves but quite frankly needs.
Our city needs someone who has proved business savvy to work with small business owners and attract new commerce to Tukwila. We need someone who knows how to make the tough decisions that will bring change as well as foster productivity.
The issues matter. Voting records, experience, and local advocacy matter. Campaign finances should not be a deciding factor in Tukwila.
But something I saw yesterday made me a little confused. I saw that his opponent had similar stickers on his signs. Driving by, I pulled over my car to get a closer look.
The time is now to allow citizens who have volunteered many hours of their time to sustaining the Tukwila Pool, marketing the Tukwila Pool, volunteering at monthly Tukwila Pool events and to help put Tukwila on the map in a good light by getting involved.
I would like to start a community conversation regarding electing our Tukwila Pool Metropolitan Park District commissioners. Because the MPD is its own separate taxing district, I believe Tukwila residents should be given the opportunity to elect their board of commissioners. That is not the case currently with the City Council acting in ex-offico capacity as the MPD board.
The City of Tukwila crossed over a line it should not have when it converted a program for a group that was renting the pool, excluding men due to a combination of cultural and religious restrictions, from a private program to a public one.
People of all ages gathered Thursday, July 4, at Fort Dent for Tukwila’s annual Independence Day fireworks show. Our family arrived at 8 p.m. and found the park filled with families having a wonderful time.
Joe Duffie has been a fixture in our community for a long time and he is someone who should be a model for all citizens in our community.
As president of Tukwila Firefighters IAFF Local 2088, I write on behalf of your local firefighters to endorse and support 11th District candidate Steve Bergquist.
Mandates on garbage collection? Are you serious? (Chuck Parrish, March Tukwila Reporter, “Mandatory garbage collection is best for all.”) The cost of garbage collection will certainly go up when Tukwila citizens have no choice and require every resident to pay for a service whether they use it or not.
Soon you will receive your ballot for the Feb. 14 special election.
Can Money Buy Elections?
Tukwila will find out as it votes on Advisory Measure No. 1 asking residents if they support casinos in Tukwila.
Just before we left on vacation, I read Jenny McCoy’s letter about the casino jobs in the online version of the Tukwila Reporter. She dismissed the jobs as low paying and sometimes just part time.
Why do we need to get the state out of the liquor business? Why does Costco need to get into the business (other than profit)?
The casino supporters allege that if social card rooms are banned, 450 family wage jobs will be lost. According to the city of Tukwila Finance Department, the actual number of full time jobs for the three casinos still operating in Tukwila is 316, with an additional 98 which are part-time.
Last night, Oct. 13, at the candidate forum, much attention was given to the idea that public safety should not be compromised as we look at additional budget cuts. This is what one expects to hear. Much attention was given to the increase in crime on Tukwila International Boulevard after the Neighborhood Resource Center was shutdown.
Where will the money come from?
That’s the two million dollar question Tukwila voters are asking as they decide whether casinos should stay or go. While the loss of almost $2 million annually is nothing to sneeze at, it is actually a very manageable problem with acceptable solutions.
We believe in fiscal responsibility. We believe the city should not cut a revenue stream without a plan to replace that revenue or a plan to cut spending.
Do endorsements of candidates for office in Tukwila really mean anything? Answer: Very little. Public officials often engage in mutual “back scratching.” You support me in my campaign and I will support you in yours. Or, we go way back and I have to support that person.
In a free society citizens are allowed to make their own decisions. Nobody wants a “Nanny State” regulating behavior. Americans from libertarians to progressives agree on this.
Last February the Tukwila City Council passed Ordinance 2323, establishing Jan. 1, 2016 as the sunset date for casinos in Tukwila. Subsequent pressure from the pro-casino lobby caused some council members to vacillate on that decision. In August, public testimony by citizens prevented the council from rescinding 2323. The compromise, Advisory Measure No. 1, brings this issue to the voters in November, asking if they want to allow casinos in the city or to ban them.
Today’s conventional wisdom touts consensus as the ideal for a Congress or legislators to seek. However, conventional wisdom isn’t always right or wise, nor is consensus necessarily a noble goal. Consider this – consensus means average. Do you want our ambitions to be just average? In addition, the authors of our Constitution constructed federal law as a system of checks and balances on government — not as a consensus-building document. Our founder’s design for legislating dictated that concepts are to be brought before the separate chambers of Congress where discussion about elements described in bills occurs.
At the election in August, we are being asked to vote the authority for Tukwila to create a new tax stream, collected every year, on our homes, not to exceed 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Our pool has been a valued asset to our community for the past 38 years. Besides recreational swimming there are programs for beginners learning to swim and for seniors maintaining their quality of life.
This past Feb. 22, the City Council of Tukwila banned gambling. As I understand the basis of the majority opinion, the undergirding rationale concerned the parallel principles of values and community, and ensuring decisions for the latter match the former.
The state is facing a $5 billion dollar plus shortage in the budget. There are many reasons why we have gotten to this place but sadly here we are and now we have to scramble to fix it.
On Feb. 22nd, in a thankfully rare regrettable decision, the Tukwila City Council voted to end gaming in Tukwila in five years. It was a 4-3 vote with council members Duffie, Hernandez, Robertson and Hougardy voting in the majority.
Where I am from
I am from Muqdisho, a city that kisses the ocean, where there is war every day.
I am from the words trust and love, from my father Ali and my mom Fadumo.
I am from the moon and the stars, from Qur’an, Ramadan and Eid, from sambusa and anjeira.
Where I am from, the war goes on.
The peace is gone.
The green grass I remember is now covered by blood and bones.
The gun sounds cry out in my old home and destroy my people and country.
I am Somali.
I hope for peace.
I remember my grandmother who lived far away from us. When I was 4 years old I used to visit her. She was an interesting person, a farmer who had a big garden of her own.
She used to plant trees on her farm, she had a beautiful house with shade from her trees.
I remember there were many different kinds of birds as green as the ground, their colors were as different as the world turns. There were blue shadows in many places and when the people looked at these places of beauty they saw beyond the sea.
Although there have been great improvements to product safety, an alarming number of children are the victims of toy-related injuries in the U.S. each year. As the holiday shopping season nears, toy safety needs to be considered as adults head out to buy gifts for small children.
Socialism has failed. The bipartisan White House National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform titles their report "The Moment of Truth." Frankly I am glad but their "moment of truth" is four years overdue.
The Automotive Oil Change Association (AOCA) strongly supports the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act (S 3181/HR 2057) and urges Congress to pass the pro-consumer, pro-small business legislation.
Why is it that Washington State still has so many flaws in the voter-registration rolls? Why have elected Democrats opposed Republican attempts to clean it up?
In today's reality, many are looking for a hero. Someone who will lift us out of our misery, take away the sting of today's headlines and get them through tomorrow; an individual with courage, willing to do the right thing, while so many others just talk.
Recently I noted a letter to the editor that exhibited a very negative attitude about our elected officials. I attend most Tukwila City Council meetings, many of the committee meetings and serve in a volunteer capacity. I know all of these people. I am proud to have them represent me and my fellow Tukwila residents.
I am writing to encourage voters to vote for David Tracy for King County District Court S.E., No. 6. I have known David for nearly 20 years. I met him when he was a single parent raising his nephew and niece and my own children were in school with them. David was very involved with the school district for a long time. When I served as a director on the Kent School Board I could count on David for committee help and unbiased input.