Sincerely,


GREG NICKELS
Mayor of Seattle

Watch the press conference on the Seattle Channel

Taxis are an important part of our public transportation system but it’s time for them to join the fight against climate change. That’s why we will require all Seattle taxis to meet new fuel efficiency standards which can cut climate pollution by at least 40 percent and save cab drivers money at the pump as well. Most of Seattle’s current fleet of 643 taxis are Ford Crown Victorias which average about 18 miles per gallon (mpg). The new standard will be 30 mpg. Other changes to the taxicab code will aim to make sure cab drivers -- the vast majority of whom are immigrants -- get a fair shake. The taxicab industry offers a foot in the door to the American dream. Our new regulations will ensure drivers are not taken advantage of as they build a better life here.
Read the news release

The landmark King Street Station has seen better days. When it opened in 1906, it was Seattle’s front door, over the years welcoming visitors, immigrants and even presidents. Now, under City ownership, we will undertake a $30.5 million renovation to restore it to its historic grandeur. At the same time we will transform the station into a modern transit hub serving the southern portion of the city, with connections to Amtrak, Sound Transit commuter rail, Amtrak intercity buses, and access to Light Rail and Metro buses. In saving this important part of Seattle’s soul, we are connecting our transportation past with our transportation future.
Read the news release
Go inside King Street Station

It was a great celebration -- the opening of the Northwest African American Museum, the first permanent regional resource of its kind devoted to African American arts, culture and history in the Pacific Northwest. Housed in the old Colman School in the Central Area, the museum highlights the significant contributions of African Americans that for too long have gone untold -- the likes of musicians Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix, playwright August Wilson, artist Jacob Lawrence, and great civic leaders Sam Smith, Norm Rice, Ron Sims, Eric Pettigrew and Larry Gossett. The City of Seattle is proud to be a partner with the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and the countless donors and community members who built this gateway to the region’s rich African American history.

The huge boring machine coming through the east side of Beacon Hill this month marked the completion of mining for the northbound Link Light Rail train tunnel. This is the second tunnel through Beacon Hill. With this milestone, Link Light Rail is about 90 percent complete and is on track to open in 2009.
Watch the video

Some people say government isn’t a business; we don’t have customers. I think the 600,000 people who live here, pay taxes, and contribute to the life of our city would disagree. Each year, we get more than 10 million phone calls and thousands more e-mails, letters and other requests for help. Many are handled well. But too often, the callers are confronted by a bureaucratic and unresponsive system that does not value their time or their intelligence. This is the city that gave the world the Nordstrom standard of innovative customer service. The City of Seattle must move from a culture of “sorry, not my problem,” to one of rolling up our sleeves and fixing the problem. Please take a few minutes and fill out a brief survey to help us create a Customer Bill of Rights for our city. Together, we can bring customer service and public service together again.
Take the survey

In the interest of leading by example, I issued an executive order calling for the end of purchasing bottled water for City buildings and City-sponsored events. With Seattle enjoying some of the world’s best public water coming from the pristine watersheds of the Cascade Mountains, and the tremendous environmental costs of disposable plastic bottles clogging our landfills, the better choice was crystal clear. The order applies only to City departments but is a first step in promoting our great water and trying to get people to consider kicking the bottle habit.
Read the news release
Read the executive order

It was my pleasure to appoint Charlie Cuniff to the post of director of the Seattle Climate Partnership. Charlie formerly served as executive director of the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle. The Partnership is a major program of the Seattle Climate Action Plan, which helps Seattle area employers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Charlie is the right person to take this to the next level.
Read the news release