Archives West Finding Aid

Materials in the Economic Development subseries mainly cover the downtown business district and the Central Area. Issues relating to the building of the convention center are discussed, including funding, housing mitigation, and Freeway Park. Several files relate to the city's intervention in the Central Area Public Development Authority in 1986, whose board was seen as deadlocked and dysfunctional. Another set of materials documents the City Council's decision not to intervene in the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority after investigating complaints by the market's Daystall Tenant's Association about a rent increase and alleged mismanagement. Also included in the subseries are minutes, reports, and correspondence relating to the work of the Seattle-King County Economic Development Council, of which Rice was a member.

The small Education subseries contains materials relating to the anti-busing Initiative 34; the organization Private Initiatives in Public Education (PIPE), of which Rice was a member; a proposal from Superintendent William Kendrick, and various reports and studies.

The Energy subseries documents Rice's work relating to Seattle City Light, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Washington Public Power Supply System. Most of the Seattle City Light material deals with rates, but issues such as a customer information system, cost allocation, and the Lake Union steam plant are represented as well. Other issues covered in the files include the electrical code, joint utility billing, and conservation.

Approximately half of the materials in the Finance and Budget subseries document the Seattle 1-2-3 bond issue, which passed in 1984. The bonds financed improvements to parks, streets, and municipal facilities such as libraries and fire stations. Other files in the subseries relate to the city budget, South African divestment, data processing, and community development block grants.

Much of the General Government: Departments subseries deals with space planning in various municipal facilities. Related files include the Seattle Maintenance and Renovation Survey, which was a comprehensive assessment of repair and renovation needs and a plan for maintenance activities. Other materials in the subseries include documentation of issues relating to the Human Rights Department, the Health Department, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Office of Policy Planning.

The General Government: Human Resources subseries covers a variety of issues, including the combined charities campaign, minority contracts, cost of living increases, and discrimination allegations at City Light. Files document several high-level personnel searches and appointments, including Police Chief, Personnel Director, and City Light Superintendent. A file containing detailed discussions of the city's affirmative action plan may be of particular interest.

The majority of the General Government: Intergovernmental Relations subseries relates to the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro). Some of the Metro documents detail the controversy surrounding Metro's purchase of South African granite for the downtown bus tunnel. The purchase violated the Metro Council's anti-apartheid policy and led to the resignation of Metro's executive director. Files in the subseries also document Initiative 28, which stated Seattle citizens' opposition to U.S. support of the governments of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, and Initiative 30, which essentially rescinded Initiative 28 as well as a resolution declaring Seattle to be a city of refuge. Seattle's sister city program is also covered in the files.

The General Government: Regulatory Issues subseries contains materials on a variety of issues. Several files detail the struggle for a compromise between the City Council and the King County Council on regulating taxis. Documents relating to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday include both an official report by a state commission recommending how the holiday should be observed in the future and the text of a speech given by Rice to commemorate King. The controversy over renaming Empire Way in honor of King is also represented. Of particular interest may be a file containing requirements and cost figures for a bid to host the 1992 Super Bowl.

Much of the Housing subseries relates to issues of low-income housing and human services. After a Housing Preservation Ordinance regulating demolition and change of use of housing units was struck down by the state Supreme Court, the city imposed a temporary moratorium on demolition of residential housing. Other files document the Council's investigation of mother-in-law apartments as a way to increase housing units in the city. Downtown housing needs, fair housing, and a bond issue for housing for low-income elderly are also represented in the subseries.

A major topic in the Land Use subseries is the Westlake Center project and the related closure of Pine Street as a pedestrian mall. After the state Supreme Court prohibited the city from completing the Westlake project as originally planned, the land was sold to developers who created a shopping mall, office tower, and public square. Several files document 1979 discussions about the annexation of the South Park industrial area. Studies were done but annexation did not take place at that time. Files on noise deal with issues ranging from trains and float planes to concerts in parks. Other subjects represented in the subseries include zoning, greenbelts, and the waterfront.

The majority of the Parks, Recreation, and Culture subseries covers issues related to the Seattle Center. Related files include discussion of the Walt Disney Company's proposal to take over the Center site, as well as the debate over building a new arena for the Sonics in the late 1980s. Materials from the Seattle Center Management and Institutional Alternatives Commission, which was established to study the Center's management structure and recommend improvements, are also included. Other topics covered in the subseries include Kubota Gardens, Carkeek Park, conservation easements, and the debate over whether to save historic buildings at Fort Lawton as the city took over the site.

The Public Safety subseries is the largest in Rice's subject files. One topic covered in detail is the numerous investigations undertaken after the 1984 stabbing death of a police officer, followed by the shooting of the assailant (Robert Baldwin) by Seattle police after a lengthy standoff. Files also document the development of an ordinance governing the police department's intelligence operations. This ordinance, meant to protect citizens from unlawful police spying, passed in 1979. Another subject discussed in the subseries is strategies to combat graffiti. An ordinance that would have banned the sale of aerosol paint to minors was eventually defeated. The "rockhouse" files cover citizen concerns about drug abuse and crack houses. Numerous other public safety issues are represented in the subseries, including domestic violence, pull tabs, public defenders, curfews, and parking meters.

One set of files in the Social and Human Services subseries covers youth programs, some supported by the Seattle-King County Private Industry Council. The PIC mainly focused on youth employment and job training. Also represented is the Coalition for Survival Services, which worked to support food banks, community health clinics, and emergency shelters in the city. Other materials document Project Share, in which the Department of Human Services served as screener and distributor of funds contributed to help low-income City Light customers pay their bills. Additional subjects represented in the subseries include domestic partners, AIDS, and Head Start.

Much of the Transportation subseries relates to Interstate 90. Construction of the final portion of I-90 over Lake Washington and through the Mount Baker neighborhood was put on hold by the courts after a group of citizens sued to stop the project. The court lifted its injunction in 1979 and the freeway was eventually completed. Another major topic is the West Seattle Bridge, where materials document the discussions about location and design and include a fair amount of citizen input. Files also cover the Jefferson bus barn, the monorail and mass transit, and the First Avenue South Bridge.

One significant topic in the Utilities subseries is Metro's West Point Sewage Treatment Plant. The siting of this plant was a subject of great debate in Seattle, with arguments about choosing the lowest-cost alternative versus protecting Discovery Park and the shoreline. Solid waste issues are also discussed at length, including issues surrounding a proposal to build a mass burn incinerator. Another topic covered in the files is cable television, including problems with the company awarded the Central Area franchise. Other subjects include the Cedar River Watershed and garbage collection.