Seattle City Council to reflect, discuss goals

They've been called dull, irrelevant and the Seattle Silly Council.

And some of the criticism may be understandable, given the council's long debates on the finer points of land use, its forays into foreign policy, or its tendency toward self-congratulation, which last week included the commissioning of a poem that read, in part, "Each member, eyes forward, strokes to heal the vices while meetings ripple like drops across the waters."

But council President Nick Licata says the lawmakers of the state's largest city are misunderstood.

"The public doesn't have a good sense of what the council's about," Licata said.

To correct some of the image problem, at today's meeting Licata plans to kick off what he hopes will become a tradition — an annual report to citizens, similar to the mayor's "state of the city" speech.

Council members will get three minutes each to talk about their top two accomplishments last year and a primary goal for each in 2007 that relates to the committees they lead.

The council will also introduce a unified goal for the year: a new pedestrian-safety campaign.

While some may view today's event as an attempt to one-up Mayor Greg Nickels, Licata says it is simply a moment for the council to "stand up and say we make the laws."

Of the council's pedestrian-safety goal, Licata noted that on average, one pedestrian is injured by a car every day in Seattle, and about 10 are killed each year.

The issue is particularly close to council members after Councilman David Della's chief aide, Tatsuo Nakata, died after being hit by a car Nov. 14 while trying to cross a West Seattle street.

Licata also has a personal connection to the issue. His stepson suffered a traumatic brain injury three years ago when he was hit crossing a Greenwood street.

The council will form a special committee on pedestrian safety, Licata said, and focus on three main areas: engineering, education and enforcement.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com.