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Dolores Sibonga Subject Files, 1979-1990

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Sibonga, Dolores
Title
Dolores Sibonga Subject Files
Dates
1979-1990 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.4 cubic ft., (11 boxes)
Collection Number
4681-02
Summary
Correspondence, memoranda, draft legislation, reports, testimony, and notes regarding important issues in the City Council work of Dolores Sibonga, 1979-1990.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Born in 1931, Dolores Sibonga grew up in Seattle's International District. She received her B.A. in journalism in 1952 and a law degree in 1973, both from the University of Washington. She was the first Filipina-American admitted to the Bar Association in Washington State. Prior to attending law school, Sibonga worked in radio and television in Spokane and Seattle, including producing documentaries, and publishing a community newspaper. After receiving her law degree, Sibonga served as a public defender and later was Deputy Director of the Washington State Human Rights Commission.

Sibonga was appointed in 1978 to fill Phyllis Lamphere's seat until a special election was held. She did not run in the special election, but was subsequently elected to Council for the term beginning in 1980. She chose not to stand for reelection in 1992. While on Council she chaired four committees: Personnel and Property Management (1978, 1980-1981), Parks and Community Resources (1982-1983, 1988-1989), Finance (1984-1987, 1990-1991), and Labor (1986-1987). During her tenure on the City Council, Sibonga championed minority hiring by the City, increased expenditures for parks, Japanese-American reparations, and maintaining the local character of Seattle Center during a proposed redesign of the facility by the Disney Corporation.

After her Council term expired, Sibonga resumed her law practice and served on the Horse Racing Commission and Human Rights Commission.

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Content Description

Correspondence, memoranda, draft legislation, reports, testimony, and notes concerning issues before City Council while Sibonga was a council member. The collection contains a significant volume of materials relating to the Pro Parks levy. This $188 million bond issue would have financed park improvements and acquisitions of land for new parks. The levy appeared on the ballot in 1982 and was defeated. Also documented in Sibonga's files are discussions about the site of the Martha Washington School. When the school closed, the city purchased the property and eventually turned it into a park. Other materials in the collection cover the planning for the new downtown Seattle Art Museum, which opened in 1991, funded by a 1986 levy.

Additionally, the materials document Sibonga's work on issues relating to Seattle Center, including redevelopment of the Fun Forest amusement area, as well as the Walt Disney Company's 1988 proposal to revitalize the Center, which was rejected after citizens protested Disney's plans to commercialize the campus and demolish the International Fountain, Center House, and other structures. Other topics covered in the collection include the Seattle Mariners, Japanese-American reparations, the proposed Ackerley Arena, and the Nuclear Freeze Resolution.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Dolores Sibonga Subject Files, Record Series 4681-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Antinuclear movement--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Japanese Americans--Washington (State)--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
  • Parks--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Fun Forest (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Martha Washington School for Girls (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Seattle Art Museum
  • Seattle Center (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Seattle Mariners (Baseball team)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Occupations

  • Women city council members--Washington (State)--Seattle

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Seattle (Wash.)--City Council (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Scott Cline and Julie Kerssen
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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