About

About The Job

My duties include creating legislation and providing oversight of our City government. City Council positions are at large, which means that I represent all of Des Moines. No matter where you live, I’m here to serve you.My job is also to listen to you, the people, businesses and organizations of Des Moines. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions about how we can make Des Moines better place for you, your family, your business or your organization, I urge you to contact me (206) 878-0578.

Some quick notes:

Please Subscribe to my mailing list (at the top of every page) so I can send you my Weekly Updates , which will keep you updated on what I’m doing and important City-related events (including our City Council.)
Check out the Public Service Announcements to find out about all kinds of events.
I also post lots of interesting things and events about Des Moines on my Facebook Page.
Finally, use the Links page, to find important phone numbers and resources (like non-emergency police (206) 878-2121), the Community Services Directory and all sorts of City stuff–government, your taxes and permits.)

About Me

I’ve been a part of the Des Moines Community since the early 90’s, as an active member of my parish, and as an avid sailor and fisher from our fantastic Marina. I have always taken community service seriously. Over the years I’ve been a regular volunteer and organizer at St. Philomena’s and Bloodworks Northwest to name a few. My wife helped start the first area shelter for victims of Domestic Violence.

I actually had a few careers: first as a musician with several Motown groups, on Broadway, on many TV commercials and even the circus! 😀 Somewhere in there I owned a really great small restaurant, of the kind I’d like to see more of here. After that I obtained a Professional Engineering License and started a consulting business. We created one of the first Internet-based management systems still in use today by Fortune 500 companies like Disney, Walmart and AT&T. I’m mostly retired now, but you might still see me once in a while at local festivals such as EarShot Jazz.

In 2016 I helped to found SeatacNoise.Info. We work to provide community relief from the negative impacts of Sea-Tac Airport. We’re your main advocates on noise mitigation from the Port Of Seattle. Working with State and Federal leaders we have already created legislation to help residents and obtain compensation for both health and property damage.

For me, serving on the City Council is a full-time commitment. I ran as an Independent because I believe in a truly non-partisan City Council. I have no political affiliations and I take no money from political organizations or special interests.

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint.

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If your home has Port Package (sound insulation system) that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

You do not have to sign in to attend a meeting!
The sign-in sheet is only for people wishing to make a Public Comment.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.

About The Job

About Me

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