This November, Seattle voters may be able to change the way City Council members are elected - that is, if a proposed Seattle City Charter amendment to elect five of the nine council members from geographic districts makes it onto the ballot.
The measure, sponsored by the nonpartisan organization Action Seattle, would allow voters to elect five council members from their respective districts and four council members to represent the city at-large.
The measure also would authorize the mayor and the City Council to appoint a five-member commission to draw boundaries for the five districts, each with a roughly equal population.
Volunteers for Action Seattle (www.actionseattle.org), the organization behind the amendment, are now busy collecting the last 9,000 signatures of 29,500 it needs by July 9 to make it to the polls.
WHICH BIG PICTURE?
Pat Murakami, founder and executive director of Action Seattle, said the amendment would make council members more accountable to all parts of the city; allow for more economic, ethnic and racial diversity on the council; and encourage equitable allocation of city resources.
"I think what the council members have missed is focusing on the sidewalk of a neighborhood - this business is closing, this restaurant is empty," Murakami said of the current at-large structure. "I think they're concentrating so much on the big picture that they're missing out on the actual picture: the subtle hints and changes that would let them know that there's a problem in a certain area."
But opponents of the measure, like Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess, think the focus on neighborhoods will make the council less effective.
"I think it would Balkanize the city," Burgess said. "It would pit neighborhood against neighborhood. It would result in council members who are primarily focused on their district, not the city as a whole."
Murakami pointed out that there would still be four council members who would represent the city at-large. The members who are elected by districts, she said, "will still have to be concerned about citywide issues because policy affects every neighborhood. But I think policy will be written in a more thoughtful way, with all parts of the city in mind."
EQUAL, FAIR REPRESENTATION?
The Metropolitan King County Council elects members by district, and King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson thinks the system could work just as well for the Seattle City Council.
"When you look at City Council races, there is a lot of competition, and you have to raise a lot of money to run citywide," said Ferguson, who represents about 200,000 people from North Seattle to Woodinville. "I was outspent 2-1, but because it was a district election, I knocked on the door of every active voter in the district. You can't doorbell the entire city of Seattle or even come close. The reliance is on raising as much money as you can and using mail."
Also, Ferguson said, the district system "forces a representative as an elected official to be in touch with community members and other elected officials every day, all the time. If I'm not doing that well, they can look for a replacement in the ballot box."
Burgess disagreed with the idea that it's easier for challengers to win in district elections.
"There are four City Council seats on the ballot this year, and there are 15 or 16 candidates running for those four seats," he said. "If you look at the King County Council, there are five seats up for election and there are seven candidates total. Four of the five seats are totally unopposed. District elections tend to result in fewer candidates running and entrenched incumbents who hold office almost for life."
One of Action Seattle's main arguments for the amendment is that it will prevent concentrations of council members who live in one area of the city. Five of the nine current City Council members live in the 37th Legislative District, which includes Southeast Seattle and Renton, according to Murakami.
"If this plan were adopted, it's highly likely that representation in the Southeast district of our city will be slashed to one member," Burgess countered. "The argument just doesn't hold up. If anything, the area that needs attention is really saying they just want one representative."
A SOLUTION WITH NO PROBLEM?
The current City Council structure was established in 1910. Since then, Seattle's population has more than doubled and geographic boundaries have expanded, Murakami said, "yet we are being served by the same archaic council structure."
There have been four proposals to change the structure, including a 2003 measure that called for all nine positions to be elected by districts.
"We think the hybrid system is more palatable to voters because they still get to vote for five positions," Murakami said, "and it's easy to transition into without ever leaving a district unrepresented."
Burgess said the amendment is simply a solution looking for a problem. "If they get their signatures, the people will be able to voice their opinion, as they have four times since 1910," he said. "Every time the proposals have been defeated, and I think the main reason is, what's the problem?"
