Most Recent Articles...

The 03/10/22 Marina Enterprise Fund presentation was Great. Too rare. And one POV. That is why we need a Marina Advisory Committee.

Weekly Update: 03/13/2022

Policy, Weekly UpdatesVic PenningtonLeave a comment

Public Service Announcements This Week Monday: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The EPA has unveiled a new series of Community Grants that are available to airport communities. Several local organisations have expressed interest and I’m trying to meet with all of them to make sure we’re not overlapping or working at cross purposes. My goal … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 03/13/2022”

Why things never die in this town

Transparency

At the end of our City Council Meeting last night, we had a 30 minute Executive Session that was extended to 50 minutes. I am not supposed to divulge the contents of that meeting, but click on the above link and Councilmember Achziger has a comment as to why he did not attend. …the Mayor … Continue reading “Why things never die in this town”

Letter to Mayor Matt Mahoney re. Committee assignments

Transparency

On 24 January, 2022 I emailed the Mayor Mahoney with my preferences as Committee assignments. Mayor, For 2022 I would like to make the following committee assignment requests: 1. I would like to be assigned to the Municipal Facilities Committee or the Economic Development Committees. Either is fine. 2. I would like to remain on … Continue reading “Letter to Mayor Matt Mahoney re. Committee assignments”

Weekly Update: 03/06/2022

Policy, Weekly UpdatesVic Pennington2 Comments

Public Service Announcements This Week Monday: Meeting with Beacon Hill Community Council, Maria Batayola Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting (Agenda) Wednesday: Puget Sound Clean Air Agencyo. The EPA has unveiled a new series of Community Grants that are available to airport communities. Several local organisations have expressed interest and I’m trying to meet with … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 03/06/2022”

An Open Letter Re. The 2022 Council Vacancy Vote

Policy, Transparency

Dear Des Moines, I want to congratulate all three applicants for the Council vacancy, especially the winner, Vic Pennington. He was not my choice, but he ran a gauntlet of criticism that most of us would find very tough to take and did so graciously. To him, I promise my full professional cooperation. To those … Continue reading “An Open Letter Re. The 2022 Council Vacancy Vote”

What’s the point of the discussion period?

Transparency1 Comment

This is an article by Ann McFarlane, who runs Jurassic Parliament, a training company used by *The City of Des Moines and most cities in WA. It corrects just one of dozens of misconceptions I hear over and over from both the public, candidates and electeds about how Council Meetings are supposed to work. Time … Continue reading “What’s the point of the discussion period?”

Weekly Update: 02/13/2022

Policy, Weekly UpdatesLeave a comment

Public Service Announcements This Week Sunday: I met with Noemie Maxwell to have a ‘Tree Tour’ of Des Moines. Her immediate efforts involve saving North SeaTac Park from development by the Port of Seattle. But she is working with other activists to come up with ideas to improve tree cover all around the airport. I … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 02/13/2022”

Solution2022!™

Transparency

After the February 2020 appointment process, I received many negative comments. What was so striking to me in reading those comm was the fact that both the process and the person selected came as almost no surprise to anyone. (I myself was told by fairly well-informed people three days after my election exactly how that … Continue reading “Solution2022!™”

Weekly Update: 02/06/2022

Policy, Weekly Updates6 Comments

Public Service Announcements This Week Tuesday: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting. The Commission will be considering its Local and Regional Policy Agenda for the year, which includes sound insulation. I will be testifying in support of the Port funding an Update or ‘second chance’ program, modeled on the Replacement Initiative program that has been working … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 02/06/2022”

Ongoing Stuff

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. And, And, AND, you can also get free rapid tests here and at KCLS Libraries!

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 you have a Port Package 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.

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.

JC Harris For Des Moines, Washington

Most Recent Articles...

03/10/22 Marina Enterprise Presentation – Why we need a Marina Advisory Committee

Weekly Update: 03/13/2022

Why things never die in this town

Letter to Mayor Matt Mahoney re. Committee assignments

Weekly Update: 03/06/2022

An Open Letter Re. The 2022 Council Vacancy Vote

What’s the point of the discussion period?

Weekly Update: 02/13/2022

Solution2022!™

Weekly Update: 02/06/2022