A group representing both Queen Anne and Magnolia interests at the city level would like to expand.
The group is the Magnolia/Queen Anne District Council, which adds a neighborhood voice to issues as diverse as the Discovery Park Chapel and as divisive as the monorail, according to Vic Barry, current chair of the district council and vice president of the Magnolia Community Club.
Currently there are members from nine community organizations, such as the chambers of commerce, the Queen Anne Community Council, the Magnolia Community Club and the Seattle Marine Business Coalition.
There used to be a member from the 36th District Republicans, but he moved to California, added John Leonard, a district council member representing the Department of Neighborhoods.
"We appreciate the enormous amount of energy and volunteer time they put in," Leonard said of current council members.
But the city would like to see the 13 district councils in Seattle get more than just the usual faces at the table. The idea is to gather opinions that reflect a broader cross section of the city's residents, according to Leonard.
The change is worth the effort, Barry believes. "I think ultimately the benefit is it makes the district council stronger." The more representatives, the more political clout the council will have with the mayor's office and Seattle City Council, he added.
"It's not something everybody out there is interested in," Leonard conceded. For example, the district council often has to get a handle on Environmental Impact Statements, he said. However, the council also has a say in neighborhood planning and matching grants awarded by the city.
Perhaps more importantly, the district council deals with big issues like the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement, and the organization also gets early exposure to issues that are under most people's radar, Barry added.
An example would be a recent proposal to move the Wallingford transfer station to Interbay, he said, describing the prospect as unlikely.
The district council looked at demographic data and debated about which groups to approach, Leonard said of the recruitment effort. "We ultimately decided to cast a wide net to see who responds," he added. There are, however, some basic qualifications (see sidebar).
The net was a letter penned by Barry and sent to more than 70 neighborhood organizations. The groups included - among others - the Heron Habitat Helpers, the Friends of Discovery Park, P-Patch groups, the United Indians of all Tribes Foundation, PTAs, the Queen Anne Merchants Association, Seattle Housing Authority apartment buildings, all of churches in the area and Camp Fire Boys and Girls.
The letter, which was mailed out last week, is only the first step, Barry said. The district council is going to follow up with phone calls, he added.
Adding more members to the council will have a synergistic effect, according to Barry, who said the more ideas and different perspectives involved, the better the solutions will be to neighborhood problems.
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