| “It’s
a beautiful thing when someone changes his mind,”
said the Church Council of Greater Seattle’s Sandy
Brown at a July 24 press conference. “Bob Edwards
has changed his mind.” Up to now, the Port Authority’s
response to calls to save 162 units of affordable family
housing could be summed up in one or two words. Those
would be “No” or “Hell, no” depending
upon your interpretation. Today, that response became
much more ambiguous.
While this is good news, we are still some distance from
declaring victory. On July 24, Port Commissioner Bob Edwards
will introduce a resolution to his four fellow counterparts
that opens the possibility for compromise. Should a majority
agree, a proposal will be drafted for broader approval
that “directs staff to explore compromise.”
This is not exactly the win we need, but it’s a
great start.
Edwards has shown admirable moral courage in taking this
first step. The Port Authority has “come into the
family,” as King County Executive Ron Sims so graciously
put it, due to immense pressure from the County and the
broader community.
This has included an occupation of the property by the
brave members of SHARE/WHEEL, and a recent “Lamentation
Service” at the site that stacks the moral authority
of the faith community against the narrow economic interest
of the Port Authority and the City of Burien.
Like all development that happens at the expense of the
poor and powerless, this is about money, opportunity,
and power. We need to keep our guard up and the pressure
on. |
