Upthegrove, Orwall to host community meeting on airport noise

Residents of the Highline area are invited to a community meeting regarding airport noise hosted by local legislators, Senator Karen Keiser, and State Representatives Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall, along with Des Moines City Councilwoman Susan White.

Although the state Legislature does not oversee and has no jurisdiction over Sea-Tac Airport flight operations, the district’s elected officials are hosting this discussion to help inform residents of the decision-making process and provide an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns on issues from flight times to eligibility for noise mitigation projects.

Joining the legislators will be the Noise Programs Manager at Sea-Tac Airport on hand to present information and answer questions. The Noise Programs Office works closely with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airlines, and local communities to monitor existing noise programs and develop new ways of reducing airport and aircraft noise.

“As someone born and raised in the Highline area, I’ve experienced airplane noise first-hand,” said State Representative Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines), the meeting’s organizer. “Since operations have begun on the third runway, I have heard from many neighbors and Highline residents with questions and concerns about noise. This meeting will not only be an opportunity to learn more about flight operations and noise mitigation programs, but also get questions answered and share concerns.”

Join Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Dave Upthegrove and Rep. Tina Orwall
Wednesday Evening
August 19, 2009
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Des Moines City Hall Council Chambers
21630 11th Avenue South, Suite B

New legislative office in Queen Anne opens to warm welcome from community

Last Thursday, Rep. Reuven Carlyle and Sen. Jeanne-Kohl Welles hosted an open-house celebration of their new district office at the base of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.

Dozens of constituents, friends and local officials stopped by to check out the new digs, say hello and ask questions. Take a look at some photos from the fun event on the slideshow below.

The district office is located at 3131 Western Avenue, Suite 421, and is open each weekday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

A Welcome Home Message for the 81st

As the 3,200 guard members, including 2,400 from Washington, serving in the 81st Brigade make their way home after finishing a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq, the friends, families, and communities they left behind enthusiastically embrace their veterans and applaud their service to our country.

150 soldiers arrived last week at McChord Air Force Base. The rest of the brigade is expected to return over the next two weeks. They had been in Iraq since last October. Their missions focused on convoy security, force protection, provincial reconstruction and base operations. They logged more than 3 million miles of travel in Iraq, according to the Army.

State Representative Larry Seaquist, a former US Navy warship captain and Pentagon strategist who completed a 32-year Navy career in 1994, took the time to personally welcome home Washington’s guard members of the 81st, issuing the following statement:

“It is my great honor to welcome home the 3,200 soldiers of Washington National Guard’s 81st Brigade.

You are our brothers, our sisters, our mothers and fathers, our husbands and wives who have served our country overseas with courage and grace.

Before you left for Iraq last October, I had the privilege of visiting some of you at the Yakima training facility as you were preparing to deploy. You were leaving jobs as teachers, fire fighters, and sales managers. Some were preparing to leave behind a pregnant wife or newly born child, others an aging parent. Some of you were young men just starting out in life, some had the grey hairs of men and women who have been through the ropes a time or two already.

One moment that stands out vividly for me was when we spoke of what we could do for you back home while you were deployed. The one thing the few troops I spoke with asked for was a flag that had flown over the state capitol. It made me reflect on how much we ask of our country’s finest, and how little they ask of us in return.

It is my hope that over the days, months, and years to come, we can offer up whatever assistance is needed to help in the transition from active duty to normal life back here at home.

We missed you all and welcome you back with pride and gratitude. To each and every one of you, thank you for your sacrifice and your service.

And we will not forget the ultimate sacrifice of Specialist Samuel Stone who gave his life while serving our nation.

Our National Guard and their families can be very proud of their expert contributions to the security of our nation, as well as the citizens of countries all across the globe.”

Rep. Reuven Carlyle is the man about town - especially this upcoming Thursday

Rep. Reuven Carlyle loves talking to people in his district. While residents of the 36th district can frequently find him out and about the area's neighborhoods, Thursday there are two special opportunities to casually meet and chat with the district's newest state rep.

For residents of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Carlyle is hosting the second meeting of his “Coffee with Carlyle” series from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Caffe Fiore (5405 Leary Ave NW).

During the small, informal meeting, constituents can share their thoughts, questions, criticisms and ideas about state and local issues with Carlyle and each other over coffee. The Ballard event is the second coffee chat this summer, following a kickoff in June in Phinney Ridge.

Later that day, constituents are invited to stop by Carlyle's new district office at the base of Queen Anne (3131 Western Ave, Suite 421 in the Northwest Work Lofts). Rep. Reuven Carlyle and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles recently opened the office and are hosting an open house from 5-7 p.m. Whether you have a particular question or concern, or simply want to check out the new digs, all constituents are welcome to stop by.

Can’t make it to the open house? Carlyle and Kohl-Welles encourage constituents to swing by anytime to ask questions or set up an appointment. The office is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Carlyle’s new office can also be reached at (206) 216-3184.

The continuing saga of Washington's aerospace industry

Recent news about Boeing's purchase of a 787 supplier in South Carolina and rumors that the company is considering a second assembly line there for the 787 Dreamliner has sparked worried whispers about the future of the aerospace industry in Washington.
Stop the hand-wringing, say Reps. Jeff Morris and Phyllis Gutierrez in a recent Seattle Times op-ed.
They point out that we've worked hard to make Washington an international hub of the aerospace industry and state leaders are anything but complacent when it comes to ensuring we keep our strong standing.
This year, at the bill signing creating the new Aerospace Council to help bolster our industry, Gov. Gregoire stated:
"Washington is the best place in the world to build airplanes, primarily due to the robust aerospace infrastructure we have in place and our highly skilled, productive work force. Our advantages also include a competitive aerospace tax environment, strong aerospace research and development capacity, and this state's unparalleled quality of life… But in today's challenging times and with our faltering economy, we need to do more to stay ahead. The aerospace council is designed to ensure we are doing all we can in a sustained way to be even more competitive."
Gov. Gregoire also created a subcabinet position in her administration that will help guide us towards a long partnership with our state’s aerospace industry.
On our end at the Legislature, our state has collaborated with aerospace businesses, both big and small, to foster a new generation of highly skilled workers, invest in a state infrastructure that keeps our commerce moving, reduce the tax burden on their products, and streamline the permitting process. House Democrats have pushed for and supported policies that help ensure Washington's aerospace industry remains strong and competitive.

The hard work has paid off. Despite some naysayers and critics, several business publications, academic studies, and public policy organizations have ranked Washington as a one of the best states to open and operate a business for several years now consistently.
Washington state has a proud history of building the world's best airplanes, whether it was the bombers that won World War II, the jetfighters defending America today, or the airplanes moving millions of people from every corner of the planet. Our aerospace workers are the best in the business, without a doubt. But they, and the businesses that depend on these highly skilled workers, rely on our state’s support to remain the best.
And while Boeing is certainly the flagship airplane manufacturer that’s shaped our region, it's not alone. There are myriad other aerospace businesses in Washington that have been attracted to our region, making our state the hub when it comes to parts suppliers, crafts persons, importers, exporters – all of the businesses it takes to keep the industry flying high, as they say.
But anyone in the business will tell you, it’s a tough one. Despite what one might think, studies show that the commercial airline industry is not a big moneymaker. On the contrary, over the history of commercial flight, it’s just barely in the black. That adds a lot of volatility to the market for airplanes, which is a reality our state has had to live with through Boeing’s boom times and busts.
In addition, Boeing and other local manufacturers are facing stiffer competition from foreign manufacturers than ever before, most notably Airbus headquartered in France.
We must remember that fortunes can shift quickly and that sometimes the grass can seem greener elsewhere. That is why we remain steadfastly devoted to ensuring our aerospace industry’s legacy as the world’s best.

(Photo from markjhandel)

Tolling, light rail and the declining gas tax

Today, the Joint Transportation Committee is meeting in Seattle to discuss two reports (one on SR 520 tolling and one on I-90's center lanes designated for light rail), chat about the first week of light rail operations in Seattle, and look ahead to studying alternative road funding models in the wake of declining gas tax revenues.

For a critical and thoughtful look at the I-90 issue, check out what Ben Schiendelman at Seattle Transit Blog has to say.

UPDATE: Transportation Choices Coalition live-blogged the meeting and has a nice recap of the I-90 discussion.

Teenager's death inspired bill to empower victims and their families

Going into effect on Aug. 1, House Bill 1076 will require the Department of Corrections to consider feedback from crime victims when determining work-release placements for offenders. Rep. Christine Rolfes introduced the bill after learning that offenders and victims could end up nearby each other, leading to uncomfortable situations.

Rolfes notes that HB 1076 would not have happened without the passion and involvement of constituent Nora Sizemore, whose teenage son Kyle was killed in an automobile accident in 2005. The offender was eventually offered work release nearby in Sizemore’s community, which resulted in uncomfortable, tense situations for Sizemore and her family.

“For us, having the person who killed our son serving his prison sentence a mile from our home was a nightmare. It was like nobody cared at all about our condition or how we felt as we dealt with our tragedy,” Sizemore said. “With this bill, families will have a good amount of time to prepare and say what they want to say. And in some cases, this could be a matter of being kept safe and protected.”

Under current law, DOC is required only to inform the victim that the work release is happening. Now that feedback must be considered, DOC could change its preliminary decision based on the input.