What’s happening in District Four -- February 2008

Councilmember Phillips Lobbies for Public Campaign Financing

Councilmember Phillips went to the state capitol to testify in support of a bill that would enable local jurisdictions to enact public campaign financing. Phillips said public campaign financing promotes a fair and democratic system for electing candidates.

Read Councilmember Phillips’ letter  (pdf, 58KB) to state committee chair Darlene Fairley.

County Permit Fees Now Easier to Appeal

In the King County Council’s ongoing effort to make King County’s Department of Development and Environmental Services more responsive and committed to customer satisfaction, the council approved changes to the permit fee appeal process. The council’s passage of legislation sponsored by Councilmember Phillips gives property owners more options to fight charges they consider unfair and allows them to take appeals to an impartial third party. Read more.

King County Recognizes J.P. Patches

Councilmember Phillips and the King County Council recognized Northwest icon J.P. Patches for fifty years of wholesome, family-oriented entertainment and community service. Read more.

King County Recognizes New Owners of Seattle Storm

Councilmember Larry Phillips and the King County Council recognized new Seattle Storm owners Force 10 Hoops, LLC, led by Anne Levinson, Ginny Gilder, Dawn Trudeau, and Lisa Brummel, for their contribution to the community by keeping the beloved Storm in King County. Learn more.

Council Names Harborview Building for Norm Maleng

The Metropolitan King County Council approved the decision of Harborview’s Board of Trustees to honor Norm Maleng’s life-long advocacy for Harborview Medical Center’s nationally-recognized Trauma Center by naming the new inpatient building the Norm Maleng Building. Read more.

King County Delays All Mail Voting

King County will delay the transition to all mail voting because new tabulation equipment needed to make the transition was not federally certified in time to allow the county to complete the necessary testing, training, and security review prior to the November 2008 election. Councilmember Phillips believes this is the responsible action to take. Read more. Read Councilmember Phillips’ letter to Executive Sims.

Sound Transit Gets $100 Million Boost for University Link Light Rail

The President included $100 million for University Link light rail in his 2009 budget, moving Sound Transit closer to breaking ground on the project later this year. University Link will connect the University of Washington and Capitol Hill to the light rail system from Downtown to Sea-Tac Airport. It is projected to nearly triple the system's ridership to more than 114,000 a day by 2030. Read more...
Learn more about University Link.