An Open Letter | To Our Next Mayor

Dear Candidates,

Union Bay Watch is a Seattle blog devoted to, "promoting a higher level of harmony between humans and nature". The primary focus is on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city! There were over a hundred and fifty different species of birds seen around Union Bay last year. There were also 7 beavers lodges, 2 eagles nests, a colony of great blue herons, raccoons, coyotes, muskrats, osprey, tundra swans, pileated woodpeckers, barred owls and much, much more.

Union Bay is truly a natural gem, however there are issues. For example the water in the bay is too polluted for salmon to spawn and both creeks, Ravenna and Arboretum, pass through culverts and have seriously reduced water flow which stops salmon from spawning upstream. While Union Bay might someday set the standard for urban humans in harmony with nature there is more to Seattle than Union Bay. Lets dream bigger. Why couldn't Seattle be the first sustainable city of the 21st century?

While our city does need leadership that will help us address nature issues, there are other issues as well. We need to figure out how to:

1. Ensure children in Seattle get a world class education,
2. Ensure children in Seattle are not hungry,
3. Ensure the homeless have places to sleep,
4. Ensure the safety of our citizens,
5. Encourage efficient and sustainable transportation,
6. Promote the growth of new businesses in Seattle.... 

...while also becoming a sustainable city.

If you are elected mayor in what order would you address these issue? It is understood that these are high priority issues. We also know that resources are limited. A critical piece of leadership is understanding the relationships between these issues, knowing which problems are caused by others and of course knowing which issues should be solved first.

Answering this question may seem like a no win situation for a politician. Putting one issue in front of another might pit of one set of voters against another. However providing the guidance needed to make tough decisions is exactly what Seattle needs in a leader. Please show us that you are not just another politician dancing around the hard issues. Show us you are a leader. Please tell us your order of priority in addressing these issues and most importantly, why!

I promise to publish your responses exactly as they are written. 

Thank you for your thoughts.

Larry Hubbell

ldhubbell at comcast dot net