Seattle mayor wants White Center to vote on annexation this November
Got first word in a comment on an earlier story – then got a copy of the letter the commenter mentioned, and we have just spoken with the adviser to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn whose name is on the letter: Seattle wants White Center to vote on annexation this November. The process will start with senior adviser Kenny Pittman briefing the Seattle City Council next Monday. We’d heard from one councilmember, Jean Godden, just last week regarding the annexation issue. Pittman says of course other hearings and discussions will be involved – public meetings, the Boundary Review Board, etc. – but ideally, annexation of everything between the current Seattle city limits and the soon-to-be northernmost Burien border will be involved. Here’s the letter:
We have a message out to Burien City Manager Mike Martin for comment and will be contacting Seattle Council President Richard Conlin. While Burien, King County and former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels had agreed last year to a “memorandum of understanding” giving Seattle what amounted to first right of refusal on this area, the Seattle Council (with only Godden dissenting) had declined to approve it. ADDED 3:30 PM: Speaking for Seattle Council President Conlin, Rob Gala says, “(He) is ready to put this before the council – we’ll start talking about it right away. He’s been an advocate of annexation for a while, and we’re ready to put it before the people for a vote.”
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January 28th, 2010 at 11:37 am
This statement is not true,”Mayor Greg Nickels had agreed last year to a “memorandum of understanding”
Seattle refused to sign it, then shut every one off of conversations regarding annexation.
That is exactly why nonthing has been mentioned by Seattle in the last 4 years about annexation!
January 28th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
I find it interesting that McGinn wants to push for annexation after he just made the statement on the Seattle Channel on City Inside and Out with CR Douglas that Seattle will have a 46 million dollar deficit in 2011. I wonder how many Seattle residents know that. I would be very upset if I lived in Seattle facing that kind of deficit and then have them take on North Highline. I thought McGinn was smarter than that.
There is a citizens meeting the Sunday 12-5 at the Seattle Center where the public can be heard.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I belieive it is time for us to vote on joining the
City of Seattle.
What does our new King County (8th district) representative
think of White Center joining Seattle? She MUST have some
“ties” with the Seattle City Council.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
wow, the comments on the seattle times site in response the article are pretty harsh about us!!
(but i still want to join seattle anyway…)
January 28th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Yes, the Seattle mayor *did* agree to the MOU. Then the council refused to approve it.
http://whitecenternow.com/2009/02/09/seattle-city-council-members-vote-no-on-annexation-process-agreement/
Also, will the person who keeps trying to comment under the name of a local organization please e-mail that comment to whitecenternow@gmail.com and we will be happy to post it in a separate story, or let us know where to reach you? The e-mail address name and the purported name on the statement do not match up and so I am leery of letting that comment go through.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Seattle can’t even support its existing citizens. The schools are a shambles and services are a mess. I think West Seattle should vote on leaving Seattle!
January 29th, 2010 at 11:00 am
I heard the story Tracy, but at various community meetings it was said that mayor nickels had issues with the mou and is was not signed. Do you have a copy of the MOU and is his signature on it? It would be cool to know.
January 29th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
It doesn’t matter whether the Seattle City Council and
the previous Mayor signed the MOU, or not; the fact
that all other parties signed that MOU makes the clause that the City of Seattle has until Jan. 1, 2012, for
first, and exclusive rights to, attempting to annexing the North (remaining) portions of North Highline, in effect.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:01 am
HoBo You need to read what you just wrote. You said that it does not matter that the Seattle City Council and the mayor did not sign the MOU, it still was signed by ALL parties. WRONG The Seattle City Council and the Mayor DID NOT sign the MOU so it WAS NOT signed by all parties and thus was NEVER IN FORCE. There is currently no MOU in effect and actually the Seattle City Council has not even addressed the issue under McGinn. He released this statement before he even ran it past his own council. This is now the second time in his first month that he has done this. Earlier this month the Seattle City Council took him to task about wanting to rebuild the seawall along the viaduct without asking the council’s permission. McGinn needs to learn to shut up before he talks to his council or Seattle is going to be even a bigger laughing stock to the rest of the nation then we already are.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
I suspect much of the recent annexation activity regarding the remaining NH area, stems from a letter sent to the seattle executive from the City of Burien. In it, the letter essentially inquires whether or not Seattle is interested in pursuing an annexation of the remaining area (aka the “north” North Highline unincorporated section).
Suprisingly, the City of Burien had a renewed interest in moving forward with annexation of the rest of the area. Not exactly sure why, but perhaps they thought Seattle was completely out of the game, given that the Seattle City council never signed the MOU.
A point of clarification regarding the MOU between Burien, Seattle, King County and the affected fire districts, is that EVERYONE signed it–except the Seattle City Council. The Seattle mayors officials DID sign the MOU. I have the document, and it IS signed by Kenny Pittman, Senior Policy Advisor for then Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Kenny Pittman (come to find out) has been retained to serve in Mayor McGinn’s administration, and will continue to work in the Office of Policy and Management as a senior advisor.
So, we’ll see where this all goes. I’m curious what preliminary polling would show, in terms of preference of the remaining citizens. Seattle or Burien?