Aug 14 2009
Ballard Volunteer is recognized by the Seattle City Council
The official honoree for this year’s Ninth Annual Ballard High School Golf Classic is Jim Vatn. He was recognized for his ceaseless involvement in the Ballard community, as well as the city of Seattle.
Jim Vatn was this year’s honoree at the Ninth Annual Ballard High School’s Golf Classic. In recognition of his work, I asked the Seattle City Council to sign a proclamation recognizing Jim for his hard work and dedication, perseverance and commitment to build Ballard High School’s sports and music programs into the strong departments they are today, and contributions to Seattle’s diverse cultural population.
It is well known that our city is a world leader in technology and innovation. We have an opportunity to broaden that distinction with our innovative use of solar energy. Currently, City Light has approximately 180 customers who have installed a solar energy-generating infrastructure in their home. These kinds of systems can cost $16,000-$30,000 which is one reason why it is not more widespread. I would like to see wider use of solar energy in our city.
A major shift in how the Council serves and listens to the public.
As you may recall, in August of 2008, I suggested a technology platform for the city that requested the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) to work with other City departments to develop a Public Engagement Portal. The intent of this portal is to engage and listen to our residents more effectively and to optimize two-way communications between policy leaders and residents. The Mayor’s office and my colleagues on the council have been very supportive and have provided valuable feedback and input during this process. I have advanced 10 primary reasons to support a Public Engagement Portal: 
I invited the City’s Office of Cable Communication and Comcast to the Energy and Technology Committee on August 5, 2009 to brief Council on the upcoming digital switch for Comcast expanded basic cable customers. Expanded basic cable customers are defined by a channel lineup of 30-70 in addition to the limited basic channel lineup. Some 50,000 households in Seattle with Comcast expanded basic cable will need to get a digital adapter (DTA). Similar to the federally mandated over-the-air digital television transition back on June 12, 2009, I want to see this switch go as smoothly as possible. 
Tuesday, August 4, 2009, marked the annual Night Out Against Crime in our city. Night Out is a national crime prevention event designed to increase awareness of crime prevention and increase neighborhood support of anti-crime efforts. It attempts to unify communities. The events provide a great opportunity to learn about crime prevention, get to know neighbors, and celebrate community. This year there were at least 51 Night Out events in Seattle. Events were held in parks, parking lots and in the street. The number of events shows the dedication and high level of civic engagement in our city. This is something we should all be proud of! I attended a Night Out event in Genesee Park and my staff members Jennifer Samuels and Michael Jerrett attended events in Uptown, Meadowbrook and Ravenna. To learn more about Night Out please visit the following link: 
