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the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

Nick Licata and Jay Westbrook

the breakfast table
entries
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from: Jay Westbrook

Doing the Dishes

Posted Thursday, June 7, 2001, at 6:39 PM ET

Hey, Nick:

This is our last Breakfast Table chat. I think that I stuck you with the dishes throughout the week. So, I'll do the dishes today and clean off the table.

Being able to talk with you this week has given me insights into similarities and differences in our communities, our political structures, and our social/economic dynamics. Also, it has caused me to constantly move conceptually from the micro to the macro levels. Today's Cleveland Plain Dealer has a front page photo of steelworkers (including a resident of my ward) pressuring for help from President Bush to protect U.S. steel companies. The stress and worry on the faces of these workers reflects the uncertainty that people have about the impact of the world economy on local communities. In another article a financial analyst states bluntly, "Show me the bottom line--are steel companies making money?" There are three additional jobs at risk for every steel job at risk. (Jobs which depend on the steel industry.) That's 15,000 jobs at high risk.

As we deal with the local tax base, infrastructure, school performance, and stabilizing populations (all the issues that we have discussed), they do not exist in a vacuum. At the same time, we have to work and respond as though our local communities are a world within themselves. Excuses don't count. We are and should be accountable for the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Police-community relations, city services, parks, public art, and quality of housing require attention regardless of what BP, LTV, or Boeing do. One of the grass-roots efforts that we have undertaken to strengthen the local job base is a citywide industrial retention initiative, which includes working with our trade schools to improve training in these areas.

Our community development organizations from across the city are having a special event tonight, which started about 20 minutes ago. So, here I go again.

Dishes done! Let's talk soon.

Jay

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516
from: Jay Westbrook

Doing the Dishes

Posted Thursday, June 7, 2001, at 6:39 PM ET
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Nick Licata is an at-large member of the Seattle City Council. Jay Westbrook represents Ward 18 on the Cleveland City Council.
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