Written by The Renton Reporter published a great story on Toni Nelson’s years of council service and her involvement in the Renton community. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Toni at the city council dais for almost a decade, as we worked through countless issues. She was a lot of fun, she knew everything going on in our city, she put the community above everything else, and she was great at running meetings. We will miss her. I wish her the very best in her retirement.
My view on private firearms….
I added some personal viewpoint information on my earlier blog about firearms, and the supreme courts decision to take the issue up. While this is not an issue that is before the city, and probably won’t ever be, if the supreme court did change the meaning of the second amendment it could become a city or state issue. I didn’t want to keep you guessing, so I added my opinion into the comment dialogue. Click here to see it Feel free to comment back if you agree or disagree.
A personal injury attorney descibes the significance of “Sudden Medical Emergency” defense
Investigators are still piecing together the events that lead to the death of the jogger on Duvall a week ago. Our police are going to have to put together and document many details. While surfing the web, I found the blog of a personal injury attorney who described the legal issues that can come up if the driver in this Renton case claims a medical condition, including a sneezing or coughing fit. See his blog entry here
Investigators raise questions about solicitors in Renton
King 5 Investigators have raised questions about a group soliciting donations in front of Renton Highlands Big LotsClick Here for the Story
From Marcie Palmer; New Site up with Council Vacancy Information
Councilwoman Marcie Palmer sent me this message to post for you:
Hi Folks-
In great discussion with Randy, & Jay, & Julia, Julia has created a new webpage regarding the Council Opening:
Click Here!
Thanks to the City Information Services people that helped get this up & running in record time (less than 3 hours I think)
Marcie Palmer
Council appointment information will go on city website soon
I spoke with our City’s Chief Administrator and with Council Colleague Marcie Palmer today, to hammer out a formal announcement for the city website regarding the council appointment process. We think we have a pretty good plan, and a website announcement should be available by early next week (I think).
Essentially, it will clarify that council will determine the selection process at the January 7 meeting, and that the public will be able to formally apply for the position the following week. The website will give the details.
Someone wrote to my comment section in response to my last blog on this topic, and suggested this stuff all needs to be on the city website ASAP. I agree, and I thank you for the suggestion/extra push necessary to make sure it happened.
Best Wishes,
Randy
Passenger killed in Renton when SUV hits apartment building on Talbot Hill
Alcohol and speed are to blame in this deadly crash on Talbot Hill.
Photo from KIRO TV…see link below
KIRO TVs website has detailed coverage, with photos. Click Here.
Update on council-member appointment process
Marcie Palmer and I have spoken recently about the council appointment process. (Marcie will be Council President when the council makes this appointment, and I will be President Pro-Tem, so we are coordinating on a preferred approach)
Marcie has informed me that our city attorney has determined that, contrary to his preliminary assessment on the matter, Benson Hill residents WOULD theoretically be eligible for appointment after that are annexed on March 1. The new understanding is that for newly annexed areas the 1-year city residency requirement does not apply (as long as they have lived in the annexed area for the previous year.) However, city policy prescribed timelines would have us fill this position in January, and we are probably going to adhere to those unless there is a groundswell of support to deviate. Several citizens have pointed out that North and South Renton, West Hill, Rolling Hills, and other parts of Renton are currently not home to council members either, so it would not be fair to only consider an applicant from Benson Hill. And holding up appointments to get a Benson Hill applicant into the mix could put the final review process would give us another month or two with a missing council member, which becomes questionable policy-wise. We’ve not made a final decision, but I think we are pushing for a January appointment.
Marcie and I have also spoken about the tentative time-line I published earlier, which was developed by our city attorney and our City’s Chief Administrator. After further review, we think we can shorten the process by a week or two, which would have us choosing an applicant in about mid-January.
Marcie and I want to hold a meeting with our attorney and chief administrator to firmly nail down a schedule, which we can then formally advertise to all interested parties. Meanwhile, many people have already expressed interest, and all of you (that the council knows about) will be notified of the formal application process.
The way things are shaping up, I expect to see somewhere around 8 to 12 strong applicants for this open position….maybe more.
Finally, I want to mention to applicants and potential applicants that Marcie and I felt it would be best if we decline one-on-one invitatations to meet with you at this time. While you are kind to offer to help us get to know you better, and we know your intentions are admirable, it could be perceived as unfair for those unable to get on our calenders. Furthermore, if you met with a majority of us, it might get close to the type of issue that Dan Clawson is alleging (falsely!) in his lawsuit.
If you have questions for me, please feel free to leave them as comments below, and I will try to get back to you quickly. As always, you can also email me and my council colleages at city hall, but going to www.rentonwa.gov.
By guest contributer Rose McMayhem; Another perspective on Christmas
I wasn’t raised in a church, and certainly didn’t lament this decision; friends who had to be picked up early on Sunday after spending the night found no envy from me. My parents- raised in low-intensity Christian households- were lax churchgoers in their younger lives; they were married in a church but had few close ties to it. When the time came to decide whether they’d impose religion upon their offspring, they declined to do so.
I liked the idea of believing in god when I was young, but beyond that didn’t give it much thought. I was more prone to telling wishes to my worry dolls and leaving them under my pillow than turning to prayer. In high school, I realized that the whole concept of religion didn’t make sense to me. By college, I was certain there was no creator.
Some people might think my absence of faith molded me into a heartless heathen; some might even accuse my parents of denying me a relationship with god- neither is true. My life is guided by a set of values that I think anyone would agree are fair and decent: I’m a loving sister, daughter, and girlfriend who values kindness and endeavors to treat others with respect. I’m also certain that regardless of my parents’ decision, by virtue of who I am I would’ve come to the same conclusion about religion, so their actions are without fault.
Whether or not you agree with my standpoint is immaterial. If others choose to believe in a deity, I have no desire to take that away from them. I am not here to debate truth and reality, as there’s no end to that maelstrom; I’m here only to comment on my experience as a nonbeliever during the holiday season and to enlighten anyone who thinks it means nothing to me.
What I have chosen to believe clearly does not exactly jibe with the Reason for the Season. This wasn’t something I ever found particularly hypocritical until my boyfriend, a long-lapsed Catholic, brought it to my attention. When he gave up religion, he gave up everything that went along with it- including Christmas. As a result, he thinks it’s silly for non-religious families to participate in Christmas. This is a sentiment that I understand, but do not entirely agree with- it’s a logical conclusion, but not a necessary one. Having spent each December 25th of my life gathered around a Christmas tree with my immediate family, I’m not inclined to forfeit the tradition, rational though it may be to do so- and the reason is that while Christmas holds absolutely no religious meaning for me personally, I very much enjoy it on a social scale.
Heresy, right? Not quite. Just because I don’t celebrate Jesus’ birthday doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy the holiday and hold it up as a unique occasion to gather with loved ones. It doesn’t mean that the whole extended, secular family doesn’t come over to exchange gifts, have dinner, and enjoy each others’ company, and it certainly doesn’t mean that I’m devoid of morals or have a spiritual hole in my life. This time of year is important and special to us, even if we don’t sing hymns- the scope may be a little bit different, but the main ingredients are still there. It’s the one day a year that nearly everything shuts down and we spend the day lazing about near the fireplace, drinking coffee with Bailey’s and enjoying our new sweaters. And leading up to that day, everyone is so damned nice. People are more prone to get along with each other at this time of year, and how is THAT not worth the celebration?
It’s like Garfield said: “It’s not the giving. It’s not the getting. It’s the loving.” I’m on board with that sentiment 100%, and even without a supreme being to guide my way, there’s plenty of love given and received among my family at Christmas.
By the way, I have no desire to campaign for calling Christmas trees “holiday trees” in an attempt to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy. That’s a load of crap to me, watering down belief systems for public consumption- there are too many different facets of society to be able to please every one of them, so just call the damn thing what it is. Inclusion of everyone doesn’t work on this scale, and to force it just pisses off the people who are having their traditions stepped on.
So I hope that those of you celebrating next week with Jesus’ birthday in mind aren’t bothered that plenty of us have co-opted the holiday with little religious basis, but as far as the spirit of the season goes, we’re right there with you cherishing our family and friends. Have a merry Christmas, whatever you believe in.
Rose McMayhem
New website for the Landing; Latest list of tenants
A new website for the Landing has been unveiled, with all new renderings, lists of businesses, information on hours, etc. Check it out!
Note that the new web address is at The Landing IN Renton
Update on I-405 Repair; right lane open next week, cost is 7 million dollars
Subject: Fwd: I-405 Culvert Repair — status
Mayor and Full Council, for your information
>>> Peter Hahn 12/18/2007 4:56 PM >>>
Transportation Committee:
This is a followup to a conversation Marcie and I had around noon today.
We met with WSDOT today and we have this to report:
There are two parts to the repair: the temporary repair and the permanent one.
The temporary one is intended to handle any more severe rain fall in the next several months. It consists of the installation of 3 – 24 inch pipes to convey water, plus 15 pumps and generators. This work is supposed to be completed before year’s end, or even slighly sooner (no one is eager to work over Christmas).
The permanent replacement of the 48 inch culvert will be designed and awarded before the end of January with completion by end of March.
The estimated cost is $5 million for the permanent, and $2 million + $250,000 in equipment rental for the temporary.
WSDOT does not anticipate a lot of lane closure after this week and very little thereafter.
Peter
Peter Hahn
Deputy Administrator
Planning, Building, Public Works
City of Renton
The US Supreme Court agrees to review punctuation….oh, and gun ownership too
The New York Times ran an interesting opinion piece about the Supreme Court’s agreement to review the Second Amendment for the first time in 70 years. All parties are hanging their arguements on what our founding fathers meant with their punctuation. (I don’t know what the court would do with a typical text message today.)
Obviously, any change in the meaning of this amendment could have far-reaching ripple-down effects in all fifty states and countless cities and counties (depending on what voters wanted.)
Click Here for the story
Santa stopped by Maplewood Golf and Country Club
The large aerospace company I work for hosted a great office party for our organization at Renton’s own Maplewood Golf and Country Club. Here is a nice picture of me and my wife visiting with Santa at the event.
Renton’s downtown is already Benson Hill’s downtown
From Benson Hill resident Kari Kopnick:
It’s been a long week. Somehow, I’m not sure how this happened exactly, but somehow, it’s almost Christmas. Again. And somehow, again, I’m not done with my Christmas shopping. For anyone. Even the dog.
So my dear husband and I decided to take a break from the shopping and budget and deciphering of our sons’ Christmas lists and go out for a quick pint of beer here in our local town. Now, Downtown Renton has a lot of great little spots to grab a quick pint. I love The Whistle Stop and always try to lure anyone who wants to meet for a lunch meeting to come and split sweet potato fries with me there.
The Dog and Pony is great, with a fantastic list of local beers that is always changing. And Giant’s Causeway is a treat, especially if you catch the live music.
But if you’re out looking for a place to grab a quick date on a Sunday night, those aren’t even an option. All closed. It’s quiet on Sunday nights here in our town, the Piazza is all lit up, the transit center looks active. But there aren’t a lot of our eateries and pubs open.
So my husband and I wound up in one of the hang outs in town we like best: La Hacienda. Once last fall we even stopped in to celebrate our friend’s new tattoo from Diamond Lil’s. It was full blast– fun, great service and fantastic food. So we hit La Hacienda at, oh about 8 on Sunday night.
The place was pretty empty, just a few folks hanging out at the bar and a few couples eating and chatting, good music on the jukebox, and a nice waiter. Gustavo took our whining for a dark beer seriously and told us about Negro Modelo, a Mexican beer which turned out to be good—smooth and not too heavy but with a good bite to it. We even split a second one. I think Gustavo was just showing off but he brought us new chilled glasses and I swear to the Christmas elves he split the bottle of beer perfectly between the glasses, must have been down to the drop. He kept us stocked up on the amazing pico de gallo and salsa, and brought our check fast so we could get home and back to stressing out about our how soon Christmas is coming.
Suppose once we get annexed we’ll have nice spots to eat over on Benson Hill? I mean, I love the new Pho World by Fred Meyer, but it’s just not the same as heading to a downtown. Even our little downtown. I love it. Hey, maybe I should head there during the day well, you know, for some Christmas shopping. Maybe someone will even meet me for some of those sweet potato fries when I’m done!
Kari Kopnick
(see Kari’s other entries by clicking the tag below)
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