Community and Conversation highlight Capitalism and Colonialism in the American West in the newly created American Art installation at the Seattle Art Museum. Theresa Papanikolas, Curator of American Art, and Barbara Brotherton, Curator of Native American Art began to “interrogate and re-contextualize the collection” with the help of 11 community advisors and three artists in the summer of 2021. Certainly, the death of George Floyd, and the protests that followed sparked elite predominantly white institutions across the country to rethink their own unacknowledged racism. Consequently, the American art galleries formerly filled with art by predominantly white artists, have been entirely transformed. Barbara Brotherton, retiring curator of Native American Art declared that the museum is following a “dramatically different approach, bringing the historical American art collection into conversation with Native, Asian American, African American, Latinx, and contemporary art. This new interpretive framework brings forward historically excluded narratives and artistic forms. Instead of seeing these communities as parallel to the so-called mainstream history, the museum now is looking at intersections. “ No longer organized chronologically, “The Stories We Carry,” features five themes: Storied Places, Transnational, Reimagining Regionalism, Ancestors plus Descendants/ Faces of America and Ancestors plus Descendants/Memory Keepers. At the entrance the delightful Wendy Red Star, one of the lead artists, confronts us with a large lightbox: Áakiiwilaxpaake (People of The Earth) . Red Star humorously and seriously speaks of how excluded she felt from the American art galleries by the boring American art genres, portraiture, and landscape. Portraits of 70 native women, youth and even babies stand in front of the Northwest icons Mt Rainier and the Space Needle. Contemporary Native people are front and center in the present and future, rather than their usual position in the past as a prelude to white America. Shaun Peterson (Tulalip/Puyallup, Qwalsius)’s Song for the Moon (2022) presents the Puyallup creation myth in a banner like painting. The label declares: “Native philosophies offer different ways of knowing the land, including the belief that all animate and inanimate beings are alive and indivisible from the land. Nature and its many features are thought to be sacred, not scenic.” Next to it is Sanford Robinson Gifford’s Mount Rainier, Bay of Tacoma – Puget Sound (1875) with tiny figures dwarfed by the landscape and its golden light. These paintings, as the label comments “cast the region’s original communities as characters in the myth of the American wilderness: wild, remote, and poised to be taken over. “ Inye Wokoma excavated works of art buried in storage to curate an entire gallery that “Reimagines Regionalism.” He wrote long interpretations with his insightful interpretations. Leading off is Roger Shimomura 1978, Minidoka Series #2: Exodus , 1978 from his first Minidoka series, in the Ukiyo-e style. Next to him, the mid-century modernists Kenjiro Nomura and Kamekichi Takata are finally given the prominent place they deserve. My favorite juxtaposition in Wokoma’s gallery was the overlap of an elevator door of the Chicago Stock Exchange in front of a painting of Puget Sound by Albert Bierstadt. Apparently, Bierstadt never saw the Puget Sound, the painting is entirely fabricated. Then Wokoma pulls no punches! “The Indigenous figures along the dramatic shoreline seem inconsequential to the grand possibilities of the land: the subtext for this painting commissioned by a wealthy merchant. . . The elevator screen from the Chicago Stock Exchange (ca. 1893-94) by the “father of skyscrapers” Louis Sullivan is an utterly literal symbol of economic expansion, the overwhelming might of colonialism. Now installed so that visitors can move entirely around it and look through it, the screen offers an opportunity to consider what this gateway was leading to—and what it kept out.” In the last gallery “Ancestors + Descendants/Memory-Keepers” includes the only Latinx artists Alfredo Arreguin, acquired only this year, and Cecilia Alvarez, a gift to the museum in 1992 and never before exhibited. The grand finale is the extraordinary basket by Suquamish artist Ed Carriere. He recreates weaving techniques from thousands of years ago by working with archeologists to recover fragments from waterlogged sites. As Brotherton states “Carriere’s precise work challenges notions of artistic hierarchy and provides a nuanced view into the brilliance of transforming humble materials into works of memory and power.” “The Stories We Carry,” entirely rejects traditional myths of the American West such as Manifest Destiny. Instead the stories told here by a diverse cross section of voices, explore questions of conquest and colonialism, as well as exchange and tradition. ~Susan Platt, PhD www.artandpoliticsnow.com

The destruction of the massive cedar tree by the developer at 916 32nd Avenue South took away the huge root system that absorbed part of the large underground aquifer coming down the hillside. City regulations require a re-vegetation plan for mitigation of tree removal. (SMC 25.09.065) An environmental consultant for the project calculated that mitigation would require the planting of 57 trees on the site. The reviewer then notes that “The available space to plant trees at appropriate spacing after development will not support 57 new trees.” The document continues, “The reviewer for this project has accepted 5 trees as an alternative.” This remarkable statement was offered with no justification. Concerned neighbors had tried for weeks to get an explanation from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections agent on the case. Calls and emails were ignored. Eventually, the neighbors reached the agent’s supervisor, who responded promptly, if not satisfactorily. She “explained” that the standards used for determining re-vegetation don’t have to be followed by developers. How the necessity for hillside stabilization will be met, given the presence of the aquifer on this hillside, has not been explained. Perhaps readers will recall the great 1898 landslide on this very hillside that covered 75 acres and washed a sawmill into the lake. (See my Leschi News column of June 2021.) Nevertheless, a building permit was issued on October 14. In the second week of November, digging was done for the house foundation. The lower part of that excavation quickly filled with water, which is no surprise. Neighbors below the site are concerned that the swimming pool they have wanted will encompass their backyard and basement. Meanwhile, the developer was in negotiations for months with the City Attorney’s office regarding the fine of over $90,000 for illegally removing the site’s massive cedar tree. Though it is not clear to outsiders what there was to be negotiated, a settlement was reached, and a reduced fine of $40,000 has been paid. This amounts, of course, to nothing for the developer, which bought the land for a little over $1 million and will sell the two houses it builds for about $7 million. Neighbors had hoped that this crime would get the treatment it needs from Seattle’s newly elected tough-on-crime city attorney. Apparently, this is not the type of crime her office intends to be tough on. If concerned citizens wish for more of an explanation, the person who responded, Christy Carr, is the Environmental Lead–Land Use Division, Policy and Technical Team, in the Department of Construction and Inspections. She can be reached at 206-615-1393 or christy.carr@seattle.gov . Please advise me, c/o this publication, of anything you learn that is of interest. ~Roger Lippman

[Editor’s note: According to Fair Vote Action, “Ranked choice voting (RCV) just had its biggest Election Day ever. RCV Ranked choice voting won in 8 of the 10 places where it was on the ballot, including Seattle] Flying under the radar on Election Day were cities, counties, and one state voting to accept ranked choice voting (RCV). This isn’t the first time there has been a wave of support for RCV. From 1912 and 1930, some forms of RCV were used, but most were repealed by the mid-thirties. There was another burst of support for them in 2009 – 2010, that petered out as well. However, in the last ten years, RCV has emerged again as an alternative to voting candidates into office. For example, in June of 2021, New York City used RCV for the largest election in RCV’s history. This year, 32 cities in seven states used the voting procedure to determine winners. Nationwide, 50 jurisdictions employ some form of ranked choice voting. At the same time, Seattle voters added their city to the list of bigger cities, New York, San Francisco, and Austin, using RCV. The list further expanded on Election Day when eight other cities and counties voted on whether to convert to ranked-choice voting. Based on an April 2022 poll by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation, these measures were expected to pass. It showed that more than 60 percent of Americans favor using RCV for federal elections. On November 8, Seattle voters chose between leaving primary elections as is, or choosing RCV or an alternative “approval voting” system introduced by a citizen initiative. The latter approach allows voters to support as many candidates as they wish, with the person receiving the most votes winning. By a seven to two vote, the city council decided to place both proposals on the ballot. While the approval voting proposal was limited to Seattle, Washington for Equitable Representation, a coalition of organizations is pushing for RCV across the state, including for federal elections. The victory in Seattle could bolster that effort in the state legislature. So how does Ranked Choice Voting work? In Seattle, voters will now rank all the primary candidates on the ballot by preference. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the first preference vote, then the candidate in that race who received the fewest votes is eliminated. Here’s where it becomes a bit challenging to understand. The eliminated candidate’s votes are then distributed to other candidates that the dropped candidate’s voters chose as their second favorite on the ballot. Further candidates will be eliminated with the same procedure followed until a final winner receives a majority of votes. It may also end when a select number of candidates pass a threshold of votes needed to move on to the general election. Critics of RCV say it is confusing and will decrease voter participation. Critics of RCV complain that it is too difficult for voters to understand and that there will be a significant vote drop off in elections. However, exit polls from Common Cause New York and Ranked the Vote NYC showed 3 in 4 voters are eager to use the method in future elections. Alaskans for Better Elections, which advocated for the new election system, commissioned an exit poll in conjunction with their state’s special election for congress. It found that 85 percent of voters found the ranked ballot to be “simple” or “very simple.” And 95 percent said they had received instructions on how to fill out the ballot. RCV trims out candidates with a narrow voter base. Advocates of RCV point out that it forces candidates to win in crowded races by securing the majority of voters. However, in doing so, they must attract voters outside their party’s core voter base. In short, RCV diminishes voter attraction to proposals considered too radical from candidates, whether perceived as from the left or right. Consequently, some of the Democrat and Republican Party leaders have not embraced RCV for fear that some of their candidates will lose elections. Before Maine residents converted to RCV by initiative in 2018 for federal and statewide elections, Republican Governor Paul LePage and some of the state’s senior Democrats fought the initiative. Presumably, he could see RCV giving him a problem since he was elected twice to the governorship without receiving a majority vote. After the initiative passed, the state ¬supreme court struck down the law by issuing an advisory opinion. Six of the seven court’s justices were appointed by the Republican Governor. A second initiative passed again, approving RCV over the politician’s objections, and was implemented. An Alaskan congressional special election held this summer was a headline example of how a dominant party’s candidate could lose due to RCV. Due to two recent changes, Mary Peltola became the first Democrat to be elected to the House of Representatives from that state in 50 years. The party primaries became nonpartisan blanket primaries, and RCV was adopted. Only the top 4 candidates would advance to a general election. In a June primary Democrat Peltola came in fourth behind Republicans former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich. Independent Al Gross came in fourth but withdrew and endorsed “two outstanding Alaska Native women,” Peltola being one of them. With Gross out of the election, just three candidates ran in the August general election. Peltola led with 40 percent of the total after the initial ballot, which was not enough to be declared the winner. Begich was eliminated since he was the lowest-scoring candidate. His second-choice votes mostly went to Palin; however, over 40% of his voters did not choose a second preference. As a result, Palin failed to overcome Peltola’s vote total, and Peltola won the election. The Republican Party leaders protested the result. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas asserted that Palin should have won because “60% of Alaska voters voted for a Republican.” He accused RCV of disenfranchising voters. However, he didn’t acknowledge that the 60% was divided between two Republican candidates. Palin captured only 31% of the votes, while Republican Nick Begich received 28%. Palin lost a substantial amount of Begich’s voters in the next round of counting votes because Begich’s supporters didn’t choose Palin as a second preference. They understood what they were doing. They would not vote to send Palin to congress. Does RCV favor Democrats or Republicans? University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation did show a partisan divide over RCV, with 73 percent of Democrats, 55 percent of independents, and only 49 percent of Republicans in favor of its use. Steven Kull, director of the Program for Public Consultation, said in describing the public’s reception to RCV the more they know about it, the greater “they seem to like it. Resistance is rooted in unfamiliarity. This is particularly shown among Republicans.” The most uncompromising Republican opposition to RCV came from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. When he signed a bill that creates a police force dedicated to pursuing voter fraud and other election crimes, he also banned ranked choice voting for all elections in Florida. However, Republicans do not seem averse to using ranked choice voting. Half of the former Confederate States, and all red states now, use RCV for military and overseas voters. Utah, a red state which hasn’t voted for a Democrat President since 1964, has far more cities using RCV than any other state. Of the only two states that currently use RCV statewide, one is red, Alaska, and the other is blue, Maine. Each state has voted in the last four presidential elections strictly for either Republican or Democrat presidents. Nevertheless, both states adopted RCV through a citizen’s initiative. What can RCV accomplish? Ranked Choice Voting can contribute to greater accountability of politicians to the majority of voters. It can strengthen the voice of independent voters. Although, it doesn’t assure that the majority promotes democratic values. Other conditions contribute more to that end, like fair and comprehensive civic education among our citizens, particularly our youth. RCV can become cumbersome if not executed with the support of state governments. Without that support, gaps between adopting this new approach and laws not meant to facilitate it could confuse the administration. If frustrations result, then opposition to it will follow. Nonpartisan commissions must oversee the administration of RCV elections to avoid future problems in electoral procedures. We witnessed victories of election deniers in 2022 to offices responsible for accurate and reliable vote counts. Unfortunately, this trend demonstrates that all oversight mechanisms can be corrupted by ideologues committed to a cause that discounts the reliability of an election if its results are unacceptable to them. Nevertheless, RCV may be able to filter out enough election deniers to retain an election process overseen by more citizens committed to a democratic process. This accomplishment alone is a critical reason for using RCV. ~ Nick Licata This article has been updated and adapted from “Citizenship Politics,” 11/4/22. It is reprinted with permission from the author. Nick Licata is the author of Becoming A Citizen Activist and Student Power, Democracy and Revolution in the Sixties. He is a former Seattle City Council member and the founding board chair of Local Progress, a national network of over 1,300 progressive municipal officials. You can subscribe to Licata’s newsletter “Citizenship Politics.”

The Giving Garland is geared towards the children, providing families with support during the winter holidays in gift cards and gifts…some items are fun: toys, bikes, art supplies, board games, balls, books and some are basics: clothing, bedding, warm coats or diapers. And every family receives gift cards to easily accessible grocery stores. In 2021 we distributed nearly $13,000 in gift cards for groceries, clothing and specific gifts and approximately 900 gifts! Over the last 12 years, the Giving Garland has supported over 1,800 children and their families during the winter holidays. It is made possible by the Leschi school and neighborhood communities, sponsored by the Leschi PTA. HOW YOU CAN HELP THIS YEAR! Donate Gift Cards for the most frequently requested stores: Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Costco, Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy “Cash” donations for gifts and gift cards to be purchased: Go to the Leschi School website to see WISH LISTS for individual gift items at: Snapdoodletoys.com (a local toy store!) and Amazon.com SCHOOL WEBSITE: https://leschies.seattleschools.org/school_involvement/fundraising/giving_garland For more information, contact Katie Busby (phone: 206.251.3411, email: katiebusby@gmail.com ), Jennifer Marquardt (phone: 206.423.2781, email: jrmarquardt1@gmail.com ) or check the Leschi School website.

The Giving Garland is geared towards the children, providing families with support during the winter holidays in gift cards and gifts…some items are fun: toys, bikes, art supplies, board games, balls, books and some are basics: clothing, bedding, warm coats or diapers. And every family receives gift cards to easily accessible grocery stores. In 2021 we distributed nearly $13,000 in gift cards for groceries, clothing and specific gifts and approximately 900 gifts! Over the last 12 years, the Giving Garland has supported over 1,800 children and their families during the winter holidays. It is made possible by the Leschi school and neighborhood communities, sponsored by the Leschi PTA. HOW YOU CAN HELP THIS YEAR! Donate Gift Cards for the most frequently requested stores: Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Costco, Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy “Cash” donations for gifts and gift cards to be purchased: Go to the Leschi School website to see WISH LISTS for individual gift items at: Snapdoodletoys.com (a local toy store!) and Amazon.com SCHOOL WEBSITE: https://leschies.seattleschools.org/school_involvement/fundraising/giving_garland For more information, contact Katie Busby (phone: 206.251.3411, email: katiebusby@gmail.com ), Jennifer Marquardt (phone: 206.423.2781, email: jrmarquardt1@gmail.com ) or check the Leschi School website.

We all know the shortest day of the year is the winter solstice. The 2022 winter solstice will fall on December 21, and Seattle will only receive only receives 8 hours, 25 minutes, and 25 seconds of daylight during that day. At least there are plenty of holiday lights to keep things bright after the sun goes down. But surprisingly, the winter solstice does not feature the earliest sunset or the latest sunrise of the year. The earliest sunset this year will occur on December 9, when the sun sets at 4:19 pm, while the latest sunrise will occur on January 1 at 7:55 am. Compare these times to a sunrise/sunset split of 7:52 am and 4:22 pm on December 21. Why don’t the latest sunrise and earliest sunset fall on the winter solstice? The answer is because “solar noon,” the time at which the sun is at its highest point in the sky and is perfectly midway between sunrise and sunset, is trending later and later over the month of December. Without getting too technical, solar noon changes throughout the year for two reasons; first, the Earth orbits around the sun in the ellipse, not a perfect circle, and orbits fastest when it is closest to the sun, and second, the Earth is tilted on it’s axis relative to it’s orbital plane, causing the sun to appear higher or lower in the sky based on the season. Both effects combine to create the “equation of time,” which tells us the timing of solar noon throughout the year. So even though the solstice will occur on December 21, we can look forward to our evenings getting a tad lighter after December 9 due to solar noon getting progressively later throughout December. And by next month’s Leschi News issue, both our sunrises and sunsets will be getting earlier and later, respectively, and we’ll slowly–but surely–climb our way out of the depths of winter and into early spring. ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips is a Madrona native and lifelong weather geek who now works at Puget Sound Energy as an energy trader, making sure there is enough energy to keep the lights on! Check out his weather blog at weathertogether.net .

Our November meeting will be held by Zoom. Agenda: 7:00pm: Review our bylaw changes as required by the state for all non-profit organizations. Please feel free to review our updated Constitution and Bylaws. 7:30pm: We will hear from a representative of 1471, Universal Health Care for all Washington. November 2, 2022 at 7pm Pacific Time (US and Canada) Please join us online via Zoom. If you are joining manually: Go to https://zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 818 0574 6576 Passcode: 646979 If you can only join us by phone dial +1 (253) 215 8782 and enter the meeting ID and passcode above at the prompt. Bylaws update: Our thanks to Leschi resident and lawyer Mel Simburg for reviewing the new rules and letting us know that we needed to combine our constitution and bylaws. Most of the changes are updating; a few changes are simplifying. The biggest change is the Restricted Funds section. We recognize that bylaws are not everyone’s favorite topic of the week, but we all realize it is important to have guidelines for an organization and we encourage you to review those changes and be prepared to vote in January on these changes.

The 2022–2023 Winter will be the third consecutive winter with a La Nina in the Tropical Pacific. During a La Nina, the sea-surface-temperatures over the Eastern and Central Tropical Pacific are cooler than usual, and the trade winds are stronger than usual. And although La Nina (and its brother, El Nino) have the strongest and most predictable impacts on the weather of the Tropical Pacific, their impacts can extend into the mid-latitudes as well. Historically, La Ninas have a slight tendency to be cooler and wetter than average in the Pacific Northwest, and the stronger the La Nina, the stronger this tendency is. This is because the stronger than average trade winds in the Tropical Pacific can, in turn, alter the location of the jet stream, causing it to approach the Pacific Northwest from a more northwesterly direction than usual. This pattern is extremely effective for bringing gobs of snow to the Cascades, and many of the Cascades’ snowiest winters and springs have occurred during La Nina years. Paradise Ranger Station set a world record for the most snowfall measured in a winter during the 1971–1972 La Nina year when 1,122 inches fell, but this was broken during the 1998–1999 La Nina winter when Mt. Baker ski resort 150 miles to the north saw an incredible 1,140 inches. However, not every La Nina year is blessed with cool, wet weather and bountiful mountain snowfall. The La Nina winter of 2000–2001 was one of the driest Pacific Northwest winters on record, with much of the Pacific Northwest only receiving half of its typical winter precipitation. Seattle saw its driest combined spring/summer on record during 2021, and summer/autumn 2022 was one of the hottest and driest periods on record for the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle experiencing a record 12 days of 90+ degree temperatures and Portland experiencing a 67-day stretch of dry days. This past “Augtober” had very little precipitation, thick smoke, and extremely warm temperatures through the first 2/3rds of the month, including an incredible 88 degrees on Sunday, October 16, 16 degrees above the previous daily record. At the beginning of the summer, long-term forecasts called for near-average temperatures over due to La Nina conditions, but reality ended up being much different. So what can we expect for the 2021–2022 winter? Being a La Nina winter, the 2021–2022 winter has a slightly greater than average chance of above-average precipitation and near or cooler than average temperatures. Unlike El Ninos, which are notorious for bringing very little snow to the lowlands, La Ninas usually give us a few brushes with lowland snow, so I expect we’ll see lowland snow at some point this winter. The highest confidence feature during La Nina winters is above average snowfall in the Cascades, particularly the northern Cascades, but as the 2000–2001 winter showed, even this isn’t a sure thing. Still, buying a seasons pass looks like a safe bet this year. Our summer was wonderful, but I am ready for the rain to wash away the smoke. Stay warm, dry, and safe this winter. ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips is a Madrona native and lifelong weather geek who now works at Puget Sound Energy as an energy trader, making sure there is enough energy to keep the lights on! Check out his weather blog at weathertogether.net.

Please review the constitution which includes the By-Laws and focus on the changes which are bolded . Discussion at our November meeting. CONSTITUTION + BYLAWS OF THE LESCHI COMMUNITY COUNCIL (EST. 1958) ARTICLE I: (Preamble) The name of this organization shall be The Leschi Community Council. The Council has been and shall continue to be organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and literary purposes. Its goal is to initiate and/or support beneficial public interest projects and programs, to create a neighborhood awareness of community issues so that Leschi residents may make informed and effective decisions in matters concerning them, and to promote and support artistic and cultural activities that are consistent with the Council’s purposes. ARTICLE II: Boundaries The Leschi neighborhood consists of that area of Seattle, Washington bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Way, East Cherry Street, S. Norman Street and Lake Washington. ARTICLE III: Membership Section1. To qualify for membership, a person must live, own property, or conduct business in the Leschi neighborhood. The Council strives to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to participate in the Council free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, political ideology, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical limitation or handicap. Section 2. Voting. Dues paying members 16 years of age or older shall be entitled to one vote. Non-dues paying members may attend meetings and express their views but are not entitled to a vote. ARTICLE IV: Dues, Contributions + Other Revenue Section 1. Dues. Annual dues shall be $25.00 for individuals, $35.00 for families, $15.00 for persons who are low income, and $50.00 for commercial establishments. Section 2. Income Accounting. All dues and other income shall be deposited into an interest-bearing account and shall be withdrawn only upon the issuance of checks signed by the President, Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary. Section 3. Charity. The Council shall be operated as a public charity, not a private foundation, as those terms are used in the Internal Revenue Code and Regulations. All, or at least a substantial part, of its financial support will be eligible for a charitable tax deduction, if the Council satisfies 501©(3) requirements of the Internal Revenue Code . Any revenue generated by the Council shall be for the benefit of the Leschi neighborhood or general community. No part of the Council’s net earnings may inure the benefit of a particular resident, member, officer, or other individual. The Council may pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and make other payments and distributions consistent with the provisions of this Constitution. Section 4. Restricted Funds. The Executive Board may approve establishing the fund with a two-thirds majority. The Leschi Community Council may accept donations for specific community projects. Such projects must have a sponsor committed to facilitate the project activities. Prior to soliciting donations, the sponsor must provide a plan describing in detail how the funds are expected to be used and how the community will be engaged beyond providing funding. The sponsor is encouraged to have community members speak about their planned contributions and involvement at a council meeting. Funds for these projects are considered restricted funds. The sponsor must report on the project’s planned activities and progress at least once a year to the community. The treasurer may disburse these funds for any activities or purchases or to reimburse expenses that can be documented as in service of the project. The fund’s restriction ends with project completion or if no project activity has occurred for 3 years, whichever occurs first. Any expenses paid out of the fund or activities for which the funds’ sponsor can provide a public record are considered project activity. The treasurer must track individual donations and disbursements for the lifetime of the project and until all funds are released. Once restriction ends, any remaining funds should be reassigned to community projects with similar objectives, donated to a local cause with similar objectives or moved to the general fund, in that order. The project sponsor is responsible for ensuring donors understand, before they donate, how their donation will be treated once the project is completed or if the project is abandoned. Article V: Officers – Election and Term of Office Section 1. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of 3 or more members. The President shall appoint 2 or more members by April 15 of even numbered years and the Vice President shall serve as chairperson. The Nominating Committee shall bring a slate of officers to be voted on at the May meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. Section 2. Term of Officers. Officers shall be elected for a term of two years or until their successors are elected by the General Membership at an Annual Meeting . All officers shall take office immediately following their election. Officers shall serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same office unless circumstances preclude this . Section 3. Multiple Service. If a person holds more than one Board position concurrently, that person is entitled to only one vote. Section 4. Vacancies. The Vice President automatically moves up. Other vacancies occurring in the Board of Directors by reason of resignation, death, or disqualification of an elected or appointed member must be filled until the next Election, confirmed by the Board of Directors. Section 5. Removal for Cause. Any elected or appointed Board member may be removed from office for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board at a regular or special Board meeting, or by a two-thirds vote at a General Membership meeting, provided notice of the meeting and proposed removal shall be mailed not later than seven days prior to the meeting date. Two unexcused, consecutive absences of a member from Board meetings shall be deemed a resignation. ARTICLE VI: Officers – Duties Section 1. President. The President shall: preside over all meetings of the Council and of the Executive Board; appoint committee chairpersons, write President’s Message for the Leschi News the months that it is published ; and be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. Section 2. Vice President. The Vice President shall assist the President as needed; perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence; and act as chairperson of the Nominating Committee. Section 3. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall execute and maintain records , collect dues, maintain a list of all paid members, receive funds, pay bills, keep records of all transactions, balance all funds, and prepare monthly financial reports for Council meetings. Treasurer shall prepare a proposed budget for Board annually. The treasurer shall retrieve Council mail from the post office . Sec. 4. Secretary. The Secretary shall prepare meeting agendas, execute and maintain records and minutes of all general and Executive Board meetings and provide a copy to the newsletter editor , provide all officers with copies of relevant documents, maintain copies of all outgoing correspondence, channel correspondence to appropriate persons, maintain lists of meeting attendance and council members, and maintain all records, reports, and documents of the Council. Section 5. Seattle Community Council Federation Representative. The Representative shall attend meetings of the SCCF and report to the Council and Executive Board. Section 6. Elected officials must become dues paying members of the LCC, if they are not so already. ARTICLE VII: Committees Section 1. Committees; Standing Committees The Standing Committees shall be designated each year by the Board at its first meeting after the Annual Meeting. These standing committees include the Communications liaison and the editor of the Leschi Newsletter . Additional Standing Committees. Additional Standing Committees may be designated and dissolved by a majority vote of the Board or by a majority vote at the General membership meeting. Special Committees may be designated by a majority vote of the Board. Section 2. Committee Chairpersons. The President shall appoint committee chairpersons for all committees approved by the Board and/or the General Membership. Section 3. Executive Board. The Executive Board shall be composed of all officers listed in Article V and all committee chairpersons. ARTICLE VIII: Meetings Section 1. Quorum for meetings regular Council meetings other than committee meetings, require a quorum of six (6) persons to conduct business, provided that the information can be disseminated to smaller groups. A quorum for Executive Committee meetings is three (3) persons. Section 2. General Council Meetings. The general council shall meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 7pm, except for the July and August, or whatever dates are published in the June Leschi Newsletter, and as posted on the website and in the kiosk on the eastside of Lakeside Ave. Section 3. Special Meetings. The President may call a special meeting of either the general membership or the executive board with a three-day written notice which states with reasonable specificity the reason for the meeting. A special meeting of the executive board may also be called without written notice with the agreement of two thirds of the board members. Additionally, members-at-large may call a special meeting if requested by five (5) voting members . Section 4. Executive Board Meetings. The Executive Board shall meet on a regular basis. These meetings will take place on the Tuesday following the General Meeting, or the Tuesday the week following the General Meeting, or as posted on the website . Section 5. Voting. All matters shall require a majority vote for approval except those matters requiring the taking of a public position by the Council which were not included on the agenda or in the previous newsletter shall require a 2/3 vote for approval. Section 6. Rules of Order. The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used to conduct meetings except where they may conflict with these bylaws. The President may appoint a parliamentarian as deemed necessary. ARTICLE IX: Permissible Activities As a nonprofit organization formed exclusively for charitable, educational, and literary purposes, the Council may conduct activities consistent with these purposes as they are defined by section 501 c (3) of the Internal Revenue code and implementing regulations. Permissible activities may include but are not limited to: Lessening neighborhood tensions and eliminating prejudice and discrimination by increasing contacts among neighbors, promoting understanding and appreciation of the diverse, unique, and special talents of Leschi residents and groups, and by similar beneficial programs. Establishing or maintaining areas of public use or enjoyment, such as neighborhood parks and green space. Combating community deterioration through involvement in planning and decision-making regarding community development and programs, including physical planning, land use, transportation, public safety, and similar concerns. Conducting literary activities, such as the preparation, and/or distribution of articles, newsletters, and books promoting neighborhood appreciation and pride. The Council or Executive Committee shall supervise, determine the location and set such admission fees for Council sponsored events as it deems appropriate and are consistent with the organization's purposes. Literary materials may be offered for sale to the general public at prices set by the Council or Executive Committee, provided that all revenue raising must comply with articles IV and X. ARTICLE X: Prohibited Activities The Council shall not engage in any activity precluded by its tax-exempt status under 501 3 c of the Internal Revenue Code. No substantial part of its activities shall include attempting influence legislation or attempting to participate or intervene directly or indirectly in any political campaign (including the publishing or distribution of statements), except as permitted by the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, or rulings. Attempting to influence legislation for this purpose, means: Any attempt to influence any legislation through a move to affect the opinions of the general public or any segment thereof; and Any attempt to influence any legislation through communication with any member or employee of a legislative body, or with any government official or employee who may participate in the formulation of the legislation. However, the term “influencing legislation” does not include the following activities. Making available the results of nonpartisan analysis, study or research. Providing technical advice or assistance (where such advise would otherwise constitute the influencing of legislation) to a governmental body, or to a committee or other subdivision thereof, in response to a written request by such body or subdivision. Appearing before or communicating with any legislative body with respect to a possible decision of that body which might affect the existence of the organization, its powers and duties, its tax-exempt status, or the deduction of contributions to the organization. Communicating with a government official or employee, other than: A communication with a member or employee of a legislative body (when such communication would otherwise constitute the influencing of legislation); or A communication with the principal purpose of influencing legislation. Also excluded are communications between an organization and its members with respect to legislation or proposed legislation of direct interest to the organization and such members, unless these communications directly encourage the members to influence legislation or directly encourage the members to influence legislation or directly encourage the members to are nonmembers to influence legislation, as explained earlier. The Council may apply for permission from the Internal Revenue Service for an exemption to allow a substantial part of its activities to consist of attempting to influence legislation. The exemption allows specified amounts of lobbying expenditures. Certain voter education activities conducted in a nonpartisan manner may not constitute prohibited political activity, under various Internal Revenue Service rulings. The Council shall not carry on activities for the benefit of private interests. ARTICLE XI: Dissolution and Distribution of Assets Upon the dissolution of this organization, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all the organizations liabilities, dispose of all the assets of the organization exclusively for its purposes in such manner, or to such organization(s) formed and operated for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary or other specified purposes which shall at the time qualify for tax exemption under section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. In the alternative, some or all of the assets may be distributed to the federal government or to a state or local government for a public purpose. ARTICLE XII: Construction of By-Laws All provisions of the Council’s By-Laws shall be constructed and implemented in a manner consistent with this Constitution. Any provisions of the By-Laws which cannot be so interpreted and applied are hereby null and void. ARTICLE XIII: Amendments Any amendment of this Constitution or of the Council’s By-Laws shall be by two-thirds (2/3) of those members present and eligible to vote at a regular or special meeting, after notice of the proposed amendment and meeting has been posted in the neighborhood at least seven (7) days prior and the notice mailed to all members on the current membership list, at least ten (10) days prior. A copy of the amendment shall be sent to the appropriate District Director of the Internal Revenue Service. Thank you for helping us complete this process for the Washington state records! ~LCC Bylaws Committee

On November 3rd at 7 pm, the Parks and Greenspace Committee of the Leschi Community Council will meet to discuss gunshots and other loud disruptive behavior during late night hours that occurs at the lakeside between Leschi Park and the Bluwater Restaurant, and will also consider a proposal to develop a picnic shelter in honor of the late Steve Shulman in the SE part of Leschi Park (between Lakeside S and the lake.) Police Captain Eric Sano will respond to questions about public safety in the vicinity. The meeting will be held at the Central Area Senior Center, 550 30th Avenue South. Questions? Please call or email John Barber at (206) 954-4458 or barber-osa@comcast.net

A neighborhood meeting is scheduled to consider needs for improvements at Leschi Park. Specifically on the agenda is consideration of honoring the memory of Steve Shulman, former owner of the Leschi Mart and community advocate. The concept is the development of a picnic shelter in the Park near the Lake. The meeting will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, September 15th at the Solarium in the Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Avenue South. All are welcome. Questions may be submitted to our Parks Liasion, John Barber, at barber-osa@comcast.net.

The Leschi Community Council will be holding its annual Candidate Forum on October 5, 2022, at 6:30pm, in person at the Douglass-Truth Branch of the Seattle Public Library at 2300 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122. We have two exciting debates planned for you. The first will be for the State Representative for our own Legislative District 37, Position 2. Kirsten Harris-Talley has decided not to run for re-election to the Washington State House of Representatives, leaving the position wide open. We had a crowded field for the primary, and two democrats came out on top of the pack: Chipalo Street and Emijah Smith. The 37th's Position 2 race is the most exciting race of the season, with two quality candidates competing against each other. We have invited them to the candidate forum to ask questions you care about for the 37th District. In addition to Chipalo Street and Emijah Smith, we have another exciting yet complicated topic of debate for your consideration this November. Initiative 134 is about changing the way we vote in Seattle. Changing how we vote is a complex topic, and there are two camps, making it all the more confusing. First, there is the yes/no vote asking if you want to change how we vote in Seattle; that is Initiative 134. You will also have to choose how we change the way we will vote (regardless if you voted yes or no on Initiative 134). There are two proposals on the ballot: Proposition 1A: Approval Voting and Proposition 1B: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Logan Bowers from Seattle Approves and Kody Zalewski from Fair Vote Washington will give presentations on approval and ranked-choice voting, respectively. Then we will hold a debate between the two sides. We will all leave the night better-informed voters, just in time to cast our votes in November. Agenda 6:30–7pm: Debate between Chipalo Street and Emijah Smith 7–7:15pm: Approval Voting Presentation 7:15–7:30pm: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Presentation 7:30–8pm: Debate between Approval Voting and RCV For more information on Chipalo Street, Emijah Smith, Approval and Ranked-choice Voting, check out the below websites: electchipalo.com electemijah.com seattleapproves.org rcv4seattle.org Please submit questions you want us to ask the candidates and campaigns by sending them to leschinews@comcast.net !