Articles about: Policy - JC Harris For Des Moines, Washington

Parcel A

Economic Development, Engagement, Marina, Transparency9 Comments

At our November 18, 2021 meeting, we chose a developer to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the City to develop Parcel A of the Marina Floor as described in the RFQ from our 18 November 2021 Meeting. Essentially, it was a job interview. Drama? After the meeting I got some feedback telling me … Continue reading “Parcel A”

Proposed Budget Amendments 2021

Economic Development, TransparencyBetter City Council Meetings, Budget, Finance2 Comments

Submitted to Councilmembers as “information only” November 13, 2021 Fellow Councilmembers, At Thursday’s meeting I will present the following six budget amendment items, most of whichh I have already discussed with Beth Anne and Dan Brewer on November 4. They total $41,204. $5,000 of which is a one-time expense and the remaining $36,204 to be … Continue reading “Proposed Budget Amendments 2021”

Regular Meeting Agenda (Full Packet) 18 Nov 2021

RFQ Parcel A, Martinelli Censure

Reject all three

Engagement, Marina, Transparency1 Comment

The central premise of the Marina Redevelopment (land side) has always been that 223rd Ave should be brought down to the Marina Floor in some way. The current plan is to have a set of windy Steps that switch back and forth in front of the South Shores Condo. OK, that part -could- be great. … Continue reading “Reject all three”

A letter to Selena Taylor

Engagement, Neighborhoods, Public Safety

Selena Taylor is the mother of a young man killed at La Familia Sports Pub on Pacific Highway September 26, 2021. Hi, I am writing you today to (hopefully) respond a bit more clearly to your public comment last night. Just as you and Betty were speaking it dawned on me that this weekend is, … Continue reading “A letter to Selena Taylor”

Councilmember Martinelli arrest

Transparency

Friday October 22nd, I was informed by Chief Of Police Ken Thomas that Councilmember Anthony Martinelli had been arrested and booked into SCORE jail. That night I issued a statement on Councilmember Martinelli’s arrest. I did so to respond to what I felt was a politicised press release by the Mayor. I’m not trying to … Continue reading “Councilmember Martinelli arrest”

Many years ago…

Public Safety, Transparency3 Comments

Many years ago my wife survived an abominable domestic violence. It took her two years to escape that relationship and during the entire time no one suspected. What many people do not understand is that there are many, many reasons why a person can become so completely trapped that they will never reveal their true … Continue reading “Many years ago…”

#327 on the list of things I did not expect to have to deal with

Public Safety, Transparency1 Comment

Hello Des Moines, At 1PM today the City Council received a ‘Significant Incident’ email from Chief Of Police Ken Thomas. These messages are typically two sentences describing an event that may attract public notice. We do not get detail because that is not our role. Today’s message informed us only that Councilmember Martinelli had been … Continue reading “#327 on the list of things I did not expect to have to deal with”

Comments to the Highline School Board in support of Design/Engineering at Pacific Middle School

NeighborhoodsFuture Cities, Pacific Middle School, Sandy Gady1 Comment

This is a lightly edited version of my comments to the School Board on October 6, 2021. At that meeting I urged the School Board to restore the wonderful Design/Engineering program at Pacific Middle School, which had been cut at the last minute. My prepared remarks were about ‘equity’ and ‘the importance of the program … Continue reading “Comments to the Highline School Board in support of Design/Engineering at Pacific Middle School”

Environmental Strategist

Airport, Environment1 Comment

This video is one of a series of public comments I made at City Council Meetings starting in 2017 asking the City to change direction on airport policy. I referr to the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) as ‘4a.’ That’s because it is the fourth major expansion for Sea-Tac Airport since 1961 (there is a … Continue reading “Environmental Strategist”

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.