Just a quick post to remind everyone our subscriber drive expires at the end of the month — which is quickly approaching.

Subscribe to Central District News Today — $5/$10/$20 per month to support CD community news

We’re so close to reaching our goal of 100 subscribers by September 30, and we hope we can count on your support.

Your contribution will allow us to dedicate more time to the site, providing more thorough coverage of neighborhood happenings. Though we won’t restrict access to the site, the added income will help us grow. Our goal is to gather 100 subscribers (at levels of $5, $10, or $20 each month) by the end of September. We’ll keep CDN going even if we don’t make the goal — but our plans to continue the coverage you’ve come to depend on and grow it will have to be adjusted.
(Any information we collect when you subscribe will be kept confidential and used only to contact subscribers to thank them and keep them aware of any news related to the subscriber program.)

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If you value this coverage and want to support the continued independence of Central District News, please subscribe today for as little as $5/month — DRIVE ENDS SEPTEMBER 30.

The Landmarks Preservation Board is considering a landmark nomination for the Judge Ronald House, at 421 30^th Ave S. (30th and Jackson). The board will hold a meeting to discuss the nomination on Wednesday, October 16 at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5^th Avenue, 40th Floor in Room 4060.

Judge Ronald House, courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Board.

The Leschi home once belonged to James T. Ronald, a former Seattle mayor and King County Superior Court judge who retired from the bench in 1949. The home is already registered as a national historic landmark; placing it on the city’s list of landmark designations would protect it by city ordinance. The home was built in the 1880s in Neoclassical Revival style.

The application has more information on the home:

Judge J.T. Ronald purchased the house on Rainier Street, now called 30th Avenue South, in 1889 and then renovated and expanded it into the unique Neoclassical mansion that you see there today. Renovations were completed by 1904, in time for his daughter, Eva’s wedding in June of 1905. According to Ronald’s granddaughter (Eva Benson’s daughter), Betty Runstad,(1913 – 2008), this mansion was the hub of cultural and political events in Seattle’s early history, as the site of concerts, lectures and meetings.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the current owner has undertaken efforts to restore the house and a City of Seattle Landmark Designation would make it possible to further these efforts and better protect the house from future deterioration and historically detrimental alterations.

For more information on the home’s history and architecture, check out the full nomination application.

The nomination meeting is open to the public. Or, you can submit written comments to  the Landmarks Preservation Board by 5:00 p.m. on October 15 at the following address: Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, P.O. Box 94649, Seattle WA, 98124-4649.

If you value this coverage and want to support the continued independence of Central District News, please subscribe today for as little as $5/month — DRIVE ENDS SEPTEMBER 30.

Want to know what our local candidates think about human services and social justice issues?

Join us TONIGHT for a face-to-face opportunity with Seattle and King County candidates!

Seattle Human Services Coalition’s
2013 Candidates Forum

September 17^th
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Garfield Community Center
2323 East Cherry Street
Seattle, WA 98122
Metro Transit Routes 3, 4, 48, 84

Invitees include candidates for:
Seattle City Mayor, Seattle City Council, Seattle City Attorney,
King County Council Position 1 and King County Sheriff

Moderated by Professor David Domke from the University of Washington

Free and open to the public!
Voter registration on site
Light refreshments will be served
Sign language and language interpretation and
child care services available upon request.

For more information, visit:
http://shscoalition.org/2013electmenu.php

 DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 5^TH!
A Special Thanks to our Forum Sponsors:
Alliance of People with disAbilities
Child Care Resources
One America
YWCA Seattle| King | Snohomish

 Church Council of Greater Seattle, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Lighthouse for the Blind, Non-Profit Anti-Racist Coalition, Real Change, Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, Senior Services, SOAR/Youth Development Network, Tenant’s Union of Washington State, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance

If you value this coverage and want to support the continued independence of Central District News, please subscribe today for as little as $5/month — DRIVE ENDS SEPTEMBER 30.

Mayor Mike McGinn and Seattle City Council recently announced six recipients of $465,000 in awards from the Neighborhood Matching Fund’s Large Projects Fund for community-initiated projects. Two are in the Central District.

The Central Area Urban Gardeners were awarded $67,330 from the fund with a community match of $71,138. The funding will go towards “equipment purchase and installation to support a new agricultural demonstration project designed to grow healthy, safe, affordable, organic vegetables indoors. It will involve year-round training and education in food production for youth in the community.”

Historic Seattle for the Get Lifted received $100,000 and a community match of $504,900 for “outreach, fund raising, and construction of an elevator and tower for this historic landmark to make Washington Hall accessible to the community.”

And in Madison Valley, the Madison Valley Community Council was awarded $41,250 and a community match of $100,000 for “construction of a neighborhood landmark sign located at East Madison St and 28th Ave East, the heart of the district. Plans include landscaping, a means to advertise seasonal events, and possible redesign of the intersection crosswalks.”

“The Neighborhood Matching Fund reflects the city’s commitment to providing concrete ways to help community members make Seattle a better place to live,” Mayor Mike McGinn said in a press release. “The fund serves as a resource and catalyst for community members to turn their creative ideas and energy into reality.”

Here’s more on the inner workings of the Neighborhood Matching Fund:

Recipients of the Neighborhood Matching Fund match their awards through a combination of cash, donated materials and expertise, and volunteer labor. This round of Large Projects Fund projects is matching the city’s $465,000 contribution with resources valued at $936,000.

The Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Projects Fund applications are reviewed by the Citywide Review Team (CRT) which recommends the projects to the Mayor and City Council. Made up of volunteers from each of the 13 neighborhood districts, plus four at-large community members, the CRT reviews applications, interviews applicants, and makes funding recommendations. The applications are also reviewed by members from District Councils.

Created to promote and support community-based, self-help projects, the Neighborhood Matching Fund is managed by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary, the Fund has awarded approximately $50 million with a community match of more than $71 million. The next opportunity to apply to the Neighborhood Matching Fund is through its Small and Simple Projects Fund. The deadline for applications is October 7. To learn more, visitwww.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/.

If you value this coverage and want to support the continued independence of Central District News, please subscribe today for as little as $5/month — DRIVE ENDS SEPTEMBER 30.

Sawant speaking at a fast food workers rally at Pillars Park in August (Image: CHS)

With 50 days left in the Seattle City Council race, 15-year incumbent Richard Conlin and Socialist Alternative candidate Kshama Sawant are going head-to-head in a candidates forum Tuesday at 5:30 PM in the Garfield Community Center, 2323 E. Cherry St.

Seattle Human Services Coalition’s 2013 Candidates Forum

September 17^th
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Garfield Community Center
2323 East Cherry Street
Seattle, WA 98122
Metro Transit Routes 3, 4, 48, 84

Invitees include candidates for:
King County Council Position 1, King County Executive, King County Sheriff
Seattle City Attorney, Seattle City Council and Seattle City Mayor

Moderated by Professor David Domke from the University of Washington

Free and open to the public!
Voter registration on site
Light refreshments will be served
Sign language and language interpretation and
child care services available upon request with RSVP.

For more information, visit:
http://shscoalition.org/2013electmenu.php

Three other incumbents also face challengers heading into November. Council members Mike O’Brien, Sally Bagshaw, and Nick Licata will be making their case for reelection in the coming weeks. O’Brien and Conlin both came out ahead in the August primary and face the stiffest competition heading into the general election. Bagshaw and Licata only faced one opponent each going into August, thus bypassing the primary.

Position 2 – Conlin v. Sawant

Conlin appearing at a 2012 community meeting to discuss development around the Capitol Hill Station (Image: CHS)

Conlin is a 16-year incumbent who was behind the city’s plastic bag ban and one of only two elected officials to cast an opposition vote to a new SODO arena. Challenging Conlin is Socialist Alternative candidate Kshama Sawant, who’s running a campaign with strong ties to the Occupy movement. She advanced to the general election after coming in second in the August primary with 35% of the vote. Conlin took home 48%.

Sawant, who has has picked up endorsements from The Stranger and a handful of unions, has made supporting the $15 minimum wage the cornerstone of her campaign.

According to numbers from the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, Sawant has raised $36,982 for her campaign, while Conlin has raised $177,732. Sawant is the first socialist candidate for city council to advance to a general in 25 years. The Seattle Times reported that in 1991, Yolanda Alaniz, a Freedom Socialist Party member, lost to incumbent Sue Donaldson.

Position 8  – O’Brien v. Shen
Albert Shen also poses a threat to unseat an incumbent this season. Shen picked up 34% of the vote in the August primary to O’Brien’s 59%. Shen is also currently the only incumbent to out-fundraise an incumbent. So far he’s amassed $149,498 to O’Brien’s $113,123.

Shen is a Capitol Hill resident and engineering consultant who calls himself a “back-to-basics progressive.” He served on President Obama’s National Finance Committee and on the Seattle Community College Board.

O’Brien is running his first reelection campaign since being elected to council in 2009. The former attorney and Sierra Club leader was the only council member to join mayor Mike McGinn in opposing the Alaskan Way deep-bore tunnel.

Positions 4 and 6
Bagshaw and Licata each face challenges from local rabble-rousers that pose less of a threat than challengers in the Conlin and O’Brien races. Sam Bellomio is challenging Bagshaw at Position 4. Bellomio is a local political activist described as a loud and combative presence at city and county public meetings. He is also vice president of StandUp-America. In the Position 6 race, Socialist Workers Party candidate Edwin Fruit is challenging Licata. Fruit is married to fellow socialist candidate for mayor, Mary Martin.

Bellomio and Furit have not reported any funds raised for their campaign, according to PDC numbers. Bagshaw has raised $99,726 and Licata has raised $88,844.

Central District nonprofit Clean Greens Farm & Market will receive a donated solar power system if 60 homes or businesses in central Seattle choose to install solar systems in the coming months. Nonprofit Bike Works, based in South Seattle, is also participating.

Cheryl Peterson (board member) and Lottie Cross (director) of Clean Greens Farm & Market (photo courtesy of Solarize Seattle).

The donation is a project of Solarize Seattle, part of Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (Northwest SEED) and Seattle City Light. It aims to increase solar energy installations through a group purchase, which will bring down the price for each home. To participate in the project, you must attend a free public workshop to learn more about solar energy and to receive a free site assessment for your home or business.

If the targets are reached, the solar systems for the nonprofits will be donated by Puget Sound Solar and Artisan Electric.

The Solarize Seattle website has more info:

“We’re confident we can hit both of these benchmarks in Central/Southeast, given that our previous campaign in Northwest Seattle succeeded beyond all expectations,” said Mia Devine, project manager at Northwest SEED who is managing the Solarize Seattle: Central/Southeast campaign.

Bike Works and Clean Greens Farm & Market were selected by the Solarize Seattle: Central/Southeast Community Coalition, a volunteer group of individuals and non-profits such as Sustainable Seattle, who led the award selection process.  The competitive application process took into account the suitability of each organization to generate solar electricity on site and to serve as a public educational tool.

“This project would be highly valuable to our organization,” says Bike Works Executive Director Deb Salls, “because it would reduce our direct energy costs, leaving more resources to invest in our youth and adult education programs.  It would also be a point of pride for us and interest in the community.”

The donated solar electric system will be rated at 3 kilowatts (kW) and will include all equipment and labor required for a rooftop installation, in addition to 10 years of maintenance service (the system itself has a life expectancy of at least 25 years).  The award is approximately a $15,000 value and will provide the host organizations with an additional value of up to $750 per year in electricity savings and Washington State production incentive payments.

You can track the progress towards the installation awards on the Solarize Seattle website.