Meeting our South Lake Union Neighbors

Earlier this month Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw attended a meeting of the South Lake Union Community Council, a very well organized and committed group of people who work and live in the rapidly growing South Lake Union community.

Learn more about what Councilmember Bagshaw learned from neighbors during her visit to South Lake Union and the neighborhood’s efforts with traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, economic vitality during construction, and affordable housing in a growing city. Read the full story in Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw's Blog.

Seattle Police Chief O'Toole to Speak at Jan. 6 SLU Community Council Meeting

SOUTH LAKE UNION – The South Lake Union community will welcome Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole for a neighborhood conversation at the South Lake Union Community Council's Tuesday, Jan. 6 meeting beginning at 4 p.m. at the Museum of History and Industry. A one-time Boston police commissioner and former inspector general for Ireland's national police force, Chief O'Toole will share her vision for public safety in the City of Seattle and the importance of community policing in Seattle neighborhoods as a part of the meeting hosted jointly by the South Lake Union Community Council and Chamber of Commerce.

"The South Lake Union community is especially honored to welcome Chief O'Toole to our neighborhood," said South Lake Union Community Council president Mike McQuaid.

Chief O'Toole was appointed in May 2014 by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and confirmed in late June by the Seattle City Council.

She has already set ambitious markers for herself and the some 1,300 SPD officers including a pledge to craft a policing plan "for every neighborhood in the city" within 30 to 60 days of her confirmation.

Speaking at a South End community forum this spring, Chief O'Toole shared her vision and expectations for working together with neighborhoods throughout the City.

"I intend to spend a lot of time in the neighborhoods," she said in a June 23 SeattlePI.com story. "I will expect my commanders to do the same."

Since her confirmation, McQuaid, along with other South Lake Union neighborhood leaders have responded enthusiastically to the Seattle Police Department's outreach.

Together with West Precinct community police team's Sgt. Paul Gracy and Officer Sam Cook, neighborhood leaders have already been working to strengthen the flourishing neighborhood's bonds with community police team officers.

Activities have included hosted public safety meetings in South Lake Union and nearby Cascade along with the inclusion of a regular public safety discussion topic at community council meetings.

"Chief O'Toole is a genuine, neighborhood-minded leader who understands our communities from the bottom up," McQuaid said. "Her vision for community engagement and trust building is exciting for not just South Lake Union but the entire City of Seattle.

Chief O'Toole is a career police officer and lawyer who has earned an international reputation for her principled leadership and reform strategies.

In 2012, she completed a six-year term as Chief Inspector of the Gardia Síochána Inspectorate, an oversight body responsible for bringing reform, best practice and accountability to the 17,000-member Irish national police service.

Prior to serving in Ireland, Chief O'Toole rose through the ranks of local and state policing in the United States. During her police career, she was assigned to numerous patrol, investigative, undercover, supervisory and management positions.

She served as Superintendent (Chief) of the Metropolitan District Commission Police and Lieutenant Colonel overseeing Special Operations in the Massachusetts State Police. She was later appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety (1994) and Boston Police Commissioner (2004).

Chief O'Toole is among a number of City of Seattle officials to join the South Lake Union Community Council for community discussions this year. Among them are Seattle City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen, Washington State Representatives Brady Walkinshaw (D-43rd) and Gael Tarleton (D-36th) while King County Councilmember Larry Phillips recently participated in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhood walking tour.

To learn more about the Seattle Police Department and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, please visit the Seattle Police Department website.

WHAT:       South Lake Union Community Council (January Meeting) WHEN:      Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 – 4 p.m. WHERE:    Museum of History and Indudstry (860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 at Lake Union Park) HOSTS:      SLU Community Counciland SLU Chamber of Commerce

About The South Lake Union Community Council

The recognized South Lake Union neighborhood leadership organization by the City of Seattle, the South Lake Union Community Council is the steward of the SLU neighborhood plan and collaboratively with community stakeholders authored theSLU Urban Design Framework and the SLU / Uptown Mobility Plan. The South Lake Union Community Council meets monthly (4 – 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month) at the Museum of History and Industry in South Lake Union. To learn more visit SLUCommunityCouncil.org.

SLU Community Council to Host Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Tues., Dec. 2 at MOHAI

SOUTH LAKE UNION -- Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw will join the South Lake Union Community Council for a neighborhood conversation during its regular monthly meeting, 4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 2 at the Museum of History and Industry in Lake Union Park. “The South Lake Union community is honored to have Councilmember Bagshaw join us for a conversation about issues that are important to our neighborhood and to learn more about her work with the City Council,” said Mike McQuaid, president of the South Lake Union Community Council.

A resident of downtown Seattle, who along with her husband Brad, raised their children in Lake Forest Park, Councilmember Bagshaw serves in a variety of leadership roles with the Seattle City Council.

Councilmember Bagshaw chairs the Seattle Public Utilities Neighborhoods Committee, Select Committee on Parks Funding and Select Committee on Utility Strategic Planning and is Vice-Chair of the Education and Governance Committee.

She also serves on the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee, Budget – Select Committee, and the Central Waterfront, Seawall, and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program – Select Committee while serving as an alternate on the city’s Finance and Culture Committee.

Councilmember Bagshaw is among a number of elected officials to join the South Lake Union Community Council for community discussions this year.  Among them are Washington State Representatives Brady Walkinshaw (D-43rd) and Gael Tarleton (D-36th) while King County Councilmember Larry Phillips recently participated in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhood walking tour.

To learn more about issues and vision for the South Lake Union neighborhood, please visit the South Lake Union Community Council website.

To learn more about Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, please visit her website at Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw.

Denny Substation Project Design Open House--November 20, 2014

Mark your calendars to attend a design open house concerning the Denny Substation Project. Learn about the latest project updates. Here's a great opportunity to ask questions, share your views, and connect with project planners and staff. When: Thursday, November 20,  5 - 7 P.M.

Where: Cascade People's Center, 309 Pontius Ave North, Seattle, WA 98109

For more information on the Denny Substation Project, visit the project website:

September 19 Outdoor Movie in Cascade Park Presents "Frozen"

State Rep. Gael Tarleton To Speak At SLU Community Council Meeting

Be sure to join the South Lake Union Community Council for its September 2 meeting with Washington State Representative Gael Tarleton (D-36th).  The regular monthly community meeting gets underway at 4 p.m at the Museum of History and Industry at Lake Union Park.  South Lake Union includes both the 36th Legislative District along with the 43rd Legislative District represented by Brady Walkinshaw (D-43rd).  Walkinshaw spoke to a joint meeting of the South Lake Union Community Council and South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce in May.   Rep. Tarleton is a member of the Transportation, Technology and Economic Development, Rules and Hire Education Committees.  Click here to view the meeting agenda.

What:  South Lake Union Community Council September Meeting When: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014 (4 – 6 p.m.) Where:  http://www.mohai.org at Lake Union Park Who:  State Rep. Gael Tarleton (D-36th)

Kids and Color Abound at South Lake Union's Art Walk

With playful sidewalk chalk in hand, kids from the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods kicked off the second of three neighborhood art walks, August 1, with color and style taking turns decorating Republican Street as their contribution to this community event.

The inspiration of South Lake Union Community Council board member and longtime patron of the Seattle arts community, Dena Lee, along with co-chair Andrea Florissi and nine other organizing committee members, the South Lake Union Art Walk brought some 30 artists to venues across the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods.

With several hundred residents, visitors and the after-work crowd meandering through the neighborhood taking in exhibits from woven geometrical landscapes adorning fencing surrounding a vacant lot under the direction of local artist Carolina Wallin to PEMCO's eight-foot sculptured grizzly bear by roadside chainsaw woodcarver George Kenny, the community led event brought South Lake Union neighbors and visitors together on one of the warmest evenings of the summer.

"I loved sharing and collaborating on the show with the other organizations there," Art Walk volunteer Katy Sutta of Mary's Place said.  "It was fantastic to be able to tell visitors about all we do separately and then how we all fit together to serve the community."

Other installations included a multimedia exhibit of Lake Union Sailboats by 48 Degrees North Photographer Jan Anderson at Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub on Thomas Street, interactive block prints featuring artist Theresa Ninenas at The Y at Cascade People's Center, art work by the children of the Minor Avenue Children's House and Mirabella's NW artists' collection from The Junior League of Seattle.

To learn more about the South Lake Union Art Walk or to get involved in the December Art Walk, visit and LIKE the South Lake Union Art Walk Facebook Page.