"I think we're getting railroaded," said a man whose name I'll keep under wraps. His voice was weary and he shook his head in knowing dismay.
The reaction came at the end of last week's meeting to go over ideas for an East Precinct safety project. Last Thursday's affair came exactly one week after a similar meeting, wherein the public safety issues within the East Precinct were laid out and the terms of the project's potential funding presented.
It goes something like this. Last fall, the Seattle City Council earmarked $430,000 to go towards a public safety project within the East Precinct. (Of that total, $30,000 was specified to fund Randy Nelson's position as a case manager for homeless youth.) It was a one-time pot of gold - any project funded through this money would require a new funding source for 2005 and beyond.
The Seattle Neighborhood Group and the city's Office of Policy and Management (OPM) was to work with the East Precinct's constituent neighborhoods to come up with a suitable safety project. Also specified was to find additional ways to fund the project beyond 2004. The last two meetings were part of this process.
However, owing to a state Supreme Court decision regarding the way the city pays for street lights, the city finds itself roughly $6 million in the whole for this year's budget. As a result, there is a freeze on new projects, including the $430,000.
What brought the safety issue to light were the efforts last summer by a group of Cal Anderson Park neighbors. They went to great lengths to document safety problems in the park and to bring those problems to the attention of our elected officials. Their request, stated repeatedly and to great effect during a lengthy City Council budget hearing last fall: A fully funded, dedicated bicycle patrol for the East Precinct.
"Everyone appreciates how the East Precinct responds to emergencies," said Randy Wiger at the meeting. "The only things that get attention are the major problems. But the medium problems are why we are here. These are the ones that affect our quality of life."
Bring on the red dots
After a list of roughly 30 projects was drawn up, people were given three red stickers and asked to place them on the projects they favored. The end result was to serve as a guide for those who would be presenting the potential project to the City Council. A week ago that date was to be Feb. 17. Now it's slated for Feb. 26, and it is certainly possible that it will be postponed again.
OPM's Bob Scales said he is proceeding under the assumption that there will be funding for a safety project of some kind. He broke down the projects into three groups: Police projects, Community Building projects and Human Services projects. He added that the council would likely be most responsive to a project or projects that fit all three categories.
As part of his guide, beyond the fairly clear and constant request for a bike squad, are the projects that garnered the most red dots. Leading the way, with 15 dots, was funding for a grant writer, whose task it would be to work to secure more and more permanent funding. The bike patrol received 11 dots, funding to revitalize the block watch program got seven. Getting nine votes: using the money for a community picnic. (And while all the funding does not have to go to a single project, it is true that $430,000 would secure a very well paid grant writer or one hell of a neighborhood picnic.)
Two weeks ago there was a sense of positive energy and even optimism as projects were discussed. I'm not sure that was the case last week, in fact, I'm sure it was not. It might have just been meeting fatigue. While people remained civil, many were shaking their heads by the end of the night. One man asked me if I knew why we were bothering. Another person told me it was somewhat ironic that efforts to obtain a bike squad, which directly led to the potential $430,000, could be used in another capacity. Another was dismayed that the council will make this choice, not the neighborhood.
Council's choice
Of course, the City Council may well choose to fund nothing at all. Their hands very well may be tied by the vicissitudes of a budget shortfall during a budget crisis, or they could possibly use the budget situation as cover. Three new members on the City Council means three people who didn't sit in on last year's budget meetings. It means three members who may be fairly unaware of the East Precinct's safety issues and its safety project or may have little specific interest in it. We shall see.
But it will be more than just a shame if nothing comes from all this effort. Goodwill and faith will have been lost. And Capitol Hill activists tend to have very good memories.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhillimes.com or 461-1308.
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