Politics
Will Seattle close the door on open government?
With fewer newspaper watchdogs, the last thing we need is law that limits access to government doings.
Kent Kammerer
Latest work
Politics
A process that needs to progress: decision-making in Seattle
As Seattleites react to the announcement that public officials agree on a bored tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, it's time to assess the process that makes a decision like this one drag on for eight years.
Politics
Too cozy with developers? The problems with Seattle's planning department
With developers paying the bureaucrats to review their plans, we build in incentives to accelerate approvals and keep the projects flowing. Also, Seattle's regulatory agency may have become too big and too unaccountable to protect the public interest.
Culture
Appraising the Deborah Jacobs revolution at Seattle libraries
They are changing fast, turning into neighborhood gathering places. Did we put too much emphasis on our glittering downtown branch, and does it have enough of the comforts of a bookstore?