On the Mayor’s Mind - 3.8.15
Sunday, March 8, 2015
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| Mayor Shari Winstead |
By Mayor Shari Winstead
Public Comment
Over the last six weeks, I have heard and seen more public comment than in the previous 5+ years I have served on the City Council, most around the rezone of the light rail station areas.
I truly appreciate people taking the time to come out and make their comments in public at our weekly meetings. As well, I appreciate the time it takes to sit down and write an e-mail - we receive hundreds, and they are given just as much credence as in-person testimony. The in-person public comment forum can be a bit awkward.
I know that public speaking is uncomfortable for a lot of people, and while it is the public’s opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions with the Council, it’s not a conversation, which can make it unfulfilling to both the speaker and the Council. Many times people will pose a question, but this forum does not give us the opportunity to directly provide a detailed answer.
One good thing about e-mails and letters is that we then have an opportunity to provide a thorough response. Rest assured that if public speaking isn't your thing, you are still being heard by submitting a written comment, as they are always read and considered.
One thing I have observed about myself during public comment. I don't react well when people yell at me, call me names, make allegations, or are degrading and disrespectful.
In fact, it’s hard to actually hear the point someone is trying to make when they are speaking this way. Feeling defensive and shutting down is a natural response to this type of treatment.
It’s no secret to me (or anyone who knows me) that I don't have a good poker face.
Frankly, I'm just not good at hiding my emotions. Some people consider that characteristic a quality. But still, I've been trying for most of my life to suppress the occasional eye roll or heavy sigh, but hey, I’m not perfect, and yep, I am human. In my 51 years I have grown to appreciate my imperfections, and to soften my (very strong) inner critic. I do my best to honor others and treat them respectfully.
The Shoreline City Council is one of the best examples of a collaborative, independent, respectful body of elected officials.
Analyses of the votes on the many amendments offered on the 185th rezone are evidence that there really isn't a faction or group think.
The different backgrounds, perspectives and personalities on the Council are why I am confident that our work fairly represents the citizens of Shoreline – all 53,000+ of them.
A very vocal minority is not necessarily the true representation of the City. And when I disagree with my colleagues on the Council, I still treat them respectfully and thank them for their work at the end of the night.
My love for our community and my desire to see Shoreline become a vibrant, community oriented City with great services and businesses are why I chose to run for City Council in 2009. Those are still my foundational principles and why I continue to do this job.
One last thought about public comment.
I truly appreciate those people who come and share their opinion and feelings about an issue. I strongly encourage folks to do this in a focused, respectful manner, so that we can hear you.
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12 comments:
As one of those that is having my home taken by the city, I only want my elected officials to acknowledge that I am paying the price for north city to be connected to aurora. The disrespectful way you belittle those who testify, shows that you don't understand. At least pretend to sympathize with constituents you harm. I would think in your 51 years of public service that you would have learned some self control.
I think it's very disingenuous to refer to the people speaking against the rezoning plans as a "vocal minority". It's clearly a majority of the people in the affected areas that are against it. I've talked to several neighbors about it over the last 6 months. Most of them had no idea that this was happening. Upon being informed about it were vehemently against it. I believe most of the people who are for it either don't live in the affected areas or stand to make a lot of money from it (real estate agents, developers, etc.)
If people have been disrespectful at city council meetings, it's because they feel hopeless and abandoned by the people they elected. You and the city council are supposed to represent the will of the people who elected them. To my eyes it seems the city council and mayor have already decided this rezone is going to happen and to hell with what the people think. That's not going to sit well come November for a few council members.
Mayor, how would you feel if someone built a 5 story apartment building right next to your single family home? It's a prospect you are forcing upon thousands of Shoreline residents. How would you feel if you then wanted to sell your home, but could not find any buyers due to the large apartment building next door? You'd then have lost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in your home, which most of us see as an investment.
I understand that now comments are being deleted from this blog. I've read them before they were deleted and they contained nothing offensive. This feels like Shoreline Area News is censoring opinions they don't like. I would say that only the comments opposed to the rezone are being deleted, but I haven't seen any comments that are in favor of it. Big surprise there.
Signed comments will be posted - Editor
Way to play the victim Mayor Winstead! People are yelling at you because you are not listening to the majority of Shoreline citizens who do not want these rezones! The only vocal minority is your city council! You are the most disrespectful person I have ever seen hold public office!
-Caitlyn Moore
Thank you so much Tom Wallace for your thoughtful opinion.
When a person serves on the Council, it is incumbent on them to balance the opinions received from the public. But when the overwhelming number of comments, especially from those directly affected are on one side, it is considered wise politically speaking and ethically speaking to weight the comments of the majority a little more. While their are a few folks who think that the Radical Rezones are just fine, either they are expecting to move and get a big payoff, or they are developers.
Everyone else is just trying to save their neighborhoods and quality of life. And it is not unreasonable for residents to want their rights to comment on future projects and appeal one if necessary, because these broad level EIS' will not deal with "site specific" problems which could be very important on particular projects.
It is also ebtirely reasonable for homeowners to feel anxious, when so many were not informed until very recently, and their homes have great meaning and value to these families. Each family has not only invested their money, but their heart and soul into these middle class homes.
The Mayor needs to try her best to put herself in their places, before making a final decision.
Stay home and send an email. These long meetings are preventing me from watching The Bachelor on TV in a timely manner.
I find it very disingenuous for the council to continue to belittle and minimize the folks who are actively participating in the Shoreline government process. Those "vocal minority" ARE Shoreline. The "vocal minority" are the lifers, the ones who have been here for generations, the ones who vote in more money for schools and infrastructure, who make up the neighborhood associations and watches, who organize and volunteer for parades, festivals, and work crews. The vocal minority is NOT the transients (and by that I mean people who will not stay longer than a couple years), the people who are here because it's cheaper than Seattle, the people who have homes as investments (rentals). Of course, those people are not going to be as vocal not because they approve of the changes, but because it doesn't affect them. I think the actual MINORITY in this situation is true Shoreline citizens (you know, the people who make this city what it is) who actually WANT the radical rezoning and have nothing to gain from it (real estate, politicians, etc.). I haven't heard from any of those.
Those of us in the so-called vocal minority don't want to hear from politicians, anyone who doesn't live in Shoreline (Futurewise or the Bicycle Association), or anyone in the real estate business on this topic. We want to hear from people like us, the true Shoreline citizens. We are the ones most affected by the rezone. We are ones who should be making these decisions. It's OUR city now, and will be OUR city when the transients, developers, real estate agents, investment property people leave and the politicians are voted out.
I disagree with the mayor's generalization that the majority of the overwhelming public comment are coming from a vocal minority. I believe it is coming from a vocal majority. There is an easy way to find out. Please put this issue on the ballot so Shoreline's citizens can decide their own fate. I think the council doesn't do this because they know the truth that they are going against what the majority of Shoreline wants. Since most developers and special interest groups (the real vocal minority) wouldn't get to vote since they don't live in Shoreline I am guessing the current rezoning plans would only get 1-5% of the votes. Please prove me wrong though.
- Sarah Jaynes
If there are so many people in favor of this gargantuan rezone, then WHERE ARE THEY???
We constantly hear from city staff, and even a few Council members, that there are all these people who wanted a larger rezone than originally contemplated. Yet they don't show up at Council meetings, they don't write letters, they don't attend meetings — even Merissa Reed noted that the 185th St. SCC wanted a smaller rezone.
I have yet to see or hear the name of even one person in or near the rezone area (outside of a couple of Council members) who supports such a massive remaking of Shoreline. Therefore, I conclude that THEY DON'T EXIST, but are inventions from the creative minds of those who, for reasons unknown (because they have NEVER been explained), want this.
The City Council has a choice. They can a) Choose this gargantuan and indefensible rezone, b) Choose a much small, more rational, reasonable and responsible rezone, with different rules governing mitigations for traffic, water runoff, utility upgrades, etc., or c) Choose the wisest course, which would be to send the entire matter back to the Planning Commission to get all the information needed to do the right thing.
We know what the public wants. The question is whether a majority on the City Council listens to their constituents.
For the mayor to say she received more public comment in the last 6 weeks than the past 5+ years combined and then say this is a 'vocal minority' is another dismissive comment from our city council and a bit of a contradiction. The community might want to consider voting (and running candidates) against the repesentatives who apparently do not act on their constituents' behalf.
May H, Property owner, and resident in Phase 2.
Shari's Pledge to Shoreline Residents/;
As she has proven over these past years as a Shoreline City Council member,
Shari will continue to
- protect our quality of life
- keep our neighborhoods strong and safe
- keep our city financially secure
- make smart decisions about growth
- fight for our fair share of county resources
Sadly, three of these promises are not happening at the moment. You're frustrated at the people who will be ZONED out of their investments.
It's a shame that the zoning won't happen on your street, or next to your home a few blocks away. Perhaps you'd feel differently in what you feel is important to protect. Or if you had to personally write to property owners all 500+ of them and lick the envelopes of the possible phase one zoning changes.
I can promise you, no developer will replant a 70yr Evergreen, Cedar or Pine tree to make it be what Shoreline is, the photos used in the brochure are corner blocks snapshots that will never represent what it will look like. It will be a SEA of cranes, dirt, traffic congestion, no bike lanes, dump trucks running all day, noise, extreme loss of the ecosystem. May God forgive you for the lack of heart and mind you have for people who have worked to improve and maintain the community after the housing bubble collapsed.
Most people don't want to get involved, they'd rather watch a TV program, participate in some activity, view something, go somewhere, live their lives. Whenever something "big" surfaces, however, that's when people flock to the public meetings. That's when it's wise for the politicians to take notice. The last time they didn't in Shoreline, five of them were ousted the next time their name appeared on the ballot.
The mayor threw out the term "group think." For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, it's the kind of peer pressure that presses on us to go along with the first speaker rather than "make waves"; they're typically the most extroverted and forceful of the bunch. Watch any Sound Transit meeting, even many King County meetings, and you'll see it at work. You can almost feel the back slapping as one after another re-states or piles on to what the first speaker said, often without adding anything new other than the honor of us all hearing their voice. It's rare that one hears much disagrement with another speaker. I also see this at play after a staff report. "Group think" doesn't happen, however, when the council chambers are packed, as they are more likely to be in a city such as Shoreline where the meetings are more accessible. Even the restrictive two minute time can't thwart dozens of people from getting their collective message through. In this instance, the tack changes to "each politician for themself," as they attempt to find a place where they won't look bad or, at worst, a neutral place.
The city put out a united, obviously orchestrated effort to get 185th and 145th as the station locations, and neither facts nor lack of planning got in the way. Other locations were universally discounted with similar verbiage, e.g. "having too much traffic" (175th), yet 145th has 33% more, along with less width and incomplete sidewalks. The other, 155th, was collectively (per the script) called "a quiet neighborhood street," yet it's the same cross-section as 185th. A county councilmember asked about the school district, and he was told that negotiations hadn't started. Meanwhile, multiple parties own 145th, a situation that's been known about for 20 years. And, many continue to state that residents of Woodinville will go through miles of traffic to use the 145th station, yet even if they do, despite far better options, the street won't be revamped by the time the station opens, if ever, given the funding challenges that many seem to think are temporary.
In summary, there are a lot of problems to be worked through here, but the public needs to be kept in the loop! A good step might be to list out the challenges ahead and give us a progress report with each issue of the city's newsletter.
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