2015 STATE OF THE EASTSIDE REPORT
LESSONS LEARNED & HOPE FOR THE FUTURE SPONSORED BY:
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Thank you for reading our 2015 State of the Eastside Report: Lessons Learned and Hope for the Future. This report represents a convergence of several forces. The first: Leadership Eastside’s 10th Anniversary, prompting us to look back at the changes in our community since LE was founded in 2005. Of course, simply looking back was not enough. As an organization committed to reflection and continuous learning, we asked the question, “what should community leaders have learned” over the past decade?
And what a decade it has been. An incredible tide of population and diversity growth, ebbing and flowing through a complete economic cycle. We hosted eight forums in twelve months, covering the economy, arts & culture, neighborhoods & community building, the environment, education, health & wellness, basic needs, and transportation. Expert speakers provided fodder for discussion. Attendees added their own observations and determined what they thought was most important. The next force is hope. We set up video cameras at our State of the Eastside Lunch and invited all comers to share their aspirations for the future. We also welcomed guests to post their thoughts as a part of our monthly communication to the 3500-plus subscribers of LE Impact. Learning alone isn’t good enough; the question is what we should do about it. This report captures many perspectives about what our future could look like, if we’re willing to work together to make it happen. The most important force, though, is you.
We have pulled together this report for one reason beyond all others. We want to put into your hands the collected wisdom and aspirations of our community and ask you what you want to do next. Will you learn from our past? Will you engage in creating a thriving future? Are you willing to collaborate beyond what’s good for narrower interests in service of what’s best for us all? The table is set to come together, choose our future, and collaborate to create our next reality. The table is set for each of us to bring our unique passions, perspectives, and priorities. The table is set and you are holding an invitation to take your place. Welcome to the table.
Yours for the greater good,
James Whitfield, President & CEO Leadership Eastside
LESSONS LEARNED Leadership Eastside (LE) helps the community understand and address emerging issues, illuminating both the background and divergent influences that define the challenge. LE uses the seven elements of a healthy community as a framework for collecting actionable information and organizing opportunities to engage in the collective search for solutions. • Economy • Arts & Culture • Neighborhoods and Community Building • Environment • Education • Health and Wellness • Basic Needs This year, LE convened a forum focusing on each of these equally critical elements in the context of the Eastside community. Leadership Enrichment Program participants, LE Network members, and interested members of the community came together in eight forums (we added an additional forum on economy to explore the important topic of transportation) to explore opportunities to improve the health of the Eastside community. Three regional experts were invited to speak at each forum. Each speaker provided three lessons learned that they believed community leaders should have learned about the issue over the course of the past decade – particularly taking into account the Great Recession as well as demographic changes that occurred over that time span.
At each table, attendees added a lesson they determined should also be included, and ranked the list of lessons according to their own criteria. The following pages capture the results of these “lessons learned” discussions by issue area, including the average table ranking for the lessons offered by our presenters and the lessons added by tables. Each page also includes related video – a hope for the Eastside’s future (from the February State of the Eastside Lunch) related to the issues discussed during the forum.
ECONOMY October 9, 2014, Puget Sound Energy Speakers • Suzanne Dale Estey, President & CEO of Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County • Dr. Sandeep Krishnamurthy, Professor & Dean, School of Business, U W Bothell • Stephen H. Dunphy, Business and Economic Issues Journalist for Crosscut
Lesson Learned
Table Ranking
Different recession, different recovery, different future
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Still Work to Do
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We can turn this around if we get our act together
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Biggest Casualty: Confidence
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Tech Boom+
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Eastside, Westside, all around the town
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Under the Dome
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Recent Recession: worst ever
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Untapped Real Estate
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Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about the Economy on the Eastside • • • • •
New Lens, New Map Higher Education & Transportation Affordability Invest in K-16 Education & Continuing Ed Absorbing Diverse Growth (Jobs, housing, K-16, infrastructure) • Diversity is key to Innovation Economy which is dependent on Exceptional education • Debt Matters
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ARTS AND CULTURE November 13, 2014, Bellevue City Hall Speakers • Karen Abel, Executive Director, ARTEAST • Jim Kelly, Executive Director, 4 Culture • Una McAlinden, Executive Director, ArtEd Washington Table Ranking
Lesson Learned Stand up and speak out: Things won't change unless the role of the community in articulating expectations for the arts is properly catalyzed and consistently harnessed.
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Changing demographics and its impact on programming.
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The arts are essential to a complete education: while not a silver bullet, the arts deliver benefits that students and schools need and shouldn't be treated as expendable or extracurricular.
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Funding trends: changes in corporate giving, public funding and the search for philanthropists in the new economy School capacity is key: a patchwork quilt of community and volunteer provision is no way to teach a core subject.
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Arts (and heritage/preservation) are in a more prominent role in community planning and design
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In the Artisan Economy and among the new demographic, the gallery's role is facilitating relationships
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To support local arts sales and recreate the local marketplace, build a destination and build community through programming
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A hybrid model for gallery sales, in which e-commerce complements brick and mortar, broadens the audience and creates new touch points. A one size shopping model no longer fits all.
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Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about the Arts & Culture on the Eastside. • • • • • • • • •
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Art has a distinct ROI in our community: tourism, jobs, creativity in the workplace, career equity, technology The role of the arts in quality of life and livability is not told and communicated effectively…so it is undervalued. There is a lack of affordable real-estate that will nurture developing arts community Increased quality in the arts (and artists) increases the value to the community Affordable physical space for art that is accessible to all. "Platforms to experience the Arts" Tension between the old (the bread and butter pieces) and the new and innovative Impact of technology Technology is changing the way we interact, access, and engage with art. Traditional art culture needs to embrace these new trends Broader definition of Art (not just shows and sculptures, it's PowerPoint and excel charts in business Breaking silos - collaboration between government, non-profit and public sectors bridging a gap and unifying diverse perspectives Invest in artists and patrons at all stages of life and in the midst of increased distractions. Parents on the Eastside value arts/arts education. "Umbrella"
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Speakers
NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING December 11, 2014, South Bellevue Community Center
• Linda Hall, Community Enterprise & Services Director, YWCA • Mark Hallenbeck, TRAC Director, University of Washington • Kevin Henry, Community Coordinator, Cultural Diversity, City of Bellevue Table Ranking
Lesson Learned We experience cognitive dissonance. (i.e., we want inclusive, diverse and vibrant neighborhoods but we also want our home equity to increase; we want to experience less traffic but we want to live in traditional suburban communities) Our neighborhoods and communities are resilient. (i.e., strong schools, amenities, cranes have returned) The system is functioning as designed. (i.e., basic supply and demand concepts - when the economy is good, the price of housing goes up due to increased demand, people unable to meet the higher prices get "covered") Inside the Comfort Zone: Community building isn’t always fun or comfortable, but the rewards make it a worthwhile and insightful journey. Do you suffer from PC Paralysis?: Building bridges of understanding cannot begin without conversation, taking action and sometimes asking the difficult questions. Perception is Reality: Making cultural connections relies on seeing the other person’s reality. We experience cognitive dissonance. (i.e., we want inclusive, diverse and vibrant neighborhoods but we also want our home equity to increase; we want to experience less traffic but we want to live in traditional suburban communities). Our neighborhoods and communities are resilient. (i.e., strong schools, amenities, cranes have returned). The system is functioning as designed. (i.e., basic supply and demand concepts - when the economy is good, the price of housing goes up due to increased demand, people unable to meet the higher prices get "covered").
Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about Neighborhoods and Community Building on the Eastside • Preserve & strengthen neighborhoods through personal engagement • Growth is good and inclusion is awesome. • Design neighborhoods and communities (cities) where cars aren't needed. • Make sure diverse voices and values are included in the conversation and decisions. • Plan, prepare and accept change. • Learn how to play (in the sandbox, play nice together, breaking bread together) • Intentional local relationship building and mechanisms that engage diverse perspectives are essential!
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ENVIRONMENT March 12, 2015, YWCA Speakers • Eric Laliberte, Kirkland Planning Commission, former board member of People for Puget Sound • Mike Woodsum, Director of Development, Mountains to Sound Greenway • Norah Kates, Green Cities Project Manager, Forterra Table Ranking
Lesson Learned Going it alone is not the way: Collaboration, coalitions, and collective impact will allow us to do more with less Future in our hands: Our bounty of public lands continues to grow, but government funding to manage those lands is only getting smaller.
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A close connection with nature continues to be a big part of the Eastside's identity: Abundant access to nature, both close by and within cities themselves, remains a big part of what Eastside residents love about where they live and what they want to protect. This does not seem to have changed despite all of the other changes to population size, demographics, built development, or the economy.
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The changing role of our public spaces: as population growth and development continue, public spaces become all the more important.
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A global community connects at the ground level: The demographics of the Eastside have become increasingly diverse, specifically as residents immigrate from around the world. Literally digging in and working side by side on stewardship of publicly-owned parks and natural spaces is an effective and nearly universally-understood way to build a healthy community for all.
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Eastside in the spotlight: Cities on the fringe of the urban zone face critical growth management decisions. Triumph of the Cities: Real progress is happening at the local level. When the economy gets rough, going green is tough. Finally, we get it.
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Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about the Environment on the Eastside. • Given the changing demographic in our community, we must focus on sustainability in a way that are relevant, representative and accessible to the many diverse perspectives. • It doesn't matter how much we've done in the past 10 years; each person can still do more. • Expansion of public will and value awareness - all sectors/levels, influence on funding • "Access" isn't just for hikers, environmental health benefits ALL • Plan of action, call to action. • Everyone can do something to make a difference. Skin in the game. • Education, whether it's civics in schools or PSA's - is necessary, re: economic models, funding needs, and policy questions. • Businesses and consumers are evaluating and choosing sustainable energy sources as technology, economics and infrastructure are learning more accessible.
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EDUCATION April 9, 2015, Microsoft Speakers • Jane Broom, Director of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Microsoft • Yoshiko Harden, Chief Diversity Officer, Bellevue College • Luis Ortega, Board member, Eastside Pathways
Lesson Learned Teachers and coaches matter, a lot Potential is everywhere. Diversity as a value vs. a Fundamental A conversation with the Future Embracing a Diverse Majority Reframing the Challenge Education is about opportunity. Good Intentions=Good Outcomes Food, Fun and Famous People
Table Ranking 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 9
Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about Education on the Eastside. • Knowledge is great but we need collective action. • It takes a village. "Parents, community member’s businesses in addition to schools. Are all teachers and all have a share in raising kids? • Systems collaborating together for action - funding • Community support for making education a priority and making all these lessons exist. All sectors - support, funding, advocacy and engagement. • Educate the whole individual, (holistically, all encompassing). • Real world experiences matter - care essential - in and out of school. Unstructured play. • Learning how to learn. • Resources - Financial • Expand the definition of comprehensive education - civics, choices available, destigmatize choices, trade school, writing a resume as a few examples.
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HEALTH AND WELLNESS May 14, 2015, Swedish Medical Center Speakers • Wendy Bart, VP for Membership & Healthy Living, YMCA • John S. Milne, MD, MBA, FACEP, Chair of Emergency Medicine, Swedish Medical Center, Issaquah campus • John Dunn, MD, MPH Pediatrician Chair, Immunization Advisory Committee. Group Health Cooperative
Lesson Learned The Power of One: Multiplied. Social movements have the ability to make significant changes in public health - prevalence of tobacco consumption on the Eastside has dropped from 11% in 2002 to 8& in 2011, in large part due to changes in social norms. Making it Easy. Shark Bites and Ebola: The power of perception and its impact on health. The incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased in King County from 6.1% in 2004 to 7% in 2012. Even though type 2 diabetes is a disease that can be delayed or prevented with small changes in lifestyle behaviors, actions are often impacted more by emotions then by data. I heard it through the grapevine. The impact of electronic medical records on care delivery. Do you want fries with that? The rise of HAS accounts and the impact of consumerism in healthcare delivery. An Apple of Epic Proportions: How Newton's Laws can solve the obesity epidemic. Even though childhood obesity rates have declined on the Eastside from 6.9% in 2004 to 5.2% in 2012, we still have not made a dent in the obesity epidemic. Remembering the dinosaurs: The extinction of the independent physician. Diseases haven't disappeared. HPV Causes Cancer.
Table Ranking 1
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Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about Health and Wellness on the Eastside. • A Lack of Recognition + Importance of Mental Health! (addiction) • Access to Health Care: Language, Cultural, # of physicians, Corp. on-site, School nurses • Health care should be affordable and accessible • Affordability to be healthy: Organic, Deli foods too expensive, $1 menu, prep time • Central Health Care Data Base- Patient Access • Need to address Mental Health & Emotional Health • There's been a change in the last 10 years at the expense of… • Mental Health: Access, Cost, Youth + Adult, • The Rise of Misinformation: Hollywood, Social Media, Internet
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BASIC NEEDS Speakers
June 10, 2015, Mercer Island Community Center Co-Presented with Eastside Human Services Forum
• Meghan Altimore, VP Community Services, Hopelink • John Chelminiak, Councilmember, Bellevue City Council • Mary Leal, President, St. Madeleine Sophie Conference for St. Vincent de Paul
Lesson Learned Diversity: From Translation to Trans-Creation Basic needs can and must be provided with dignity, increased access and inclusiveness Income Inequality- From Occupy Wall Street to Wall Street Boardrooms Education: 100% Attainment People need to be able to afford to live near where they work - Mary Leal Suburban poverty is increasing nationwide and the Eastside is experiencing tangible effects of this change- visible homelessness; increasing free and reduced lunch numbers; panhandling Revenue must be diversified. Social ventures; community driven solutions; business partnerships must be explored, expanded and maximized. Charitable organizations, by themselves, can't do it all Government can't do it all
Table Ranking 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 9
Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about Basic Needs on the Eastside. • • •
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Employment, physical & mental health, transportation, childcare, community input & involvement, eligibility/access/education/awareness Trust starts with me; it builds respect, relationships, and hope Community and Social norm change to where all adults and organizations support all aspects of child success and wellbeing (birth-6yrs) Increased awareness, engagement, and action. What we learned: This lesson cannot be viewed as prioritizing issues/ actions, but recognizing it as a Mosaic that needs to be viewed and addressed simultaneously. As a unified community, listen to and respond to the whole person in all aspects of their life: mental, physical, and economical needs. Transportation: Increasingly important for people to live their lives and to access basic services and needs. Infrastructure is lagging behind and it's though (i.e. costly to build) Affordable, Quality, Accessible Childcare There has been a rising awareness of interconnectedness of transportation, infrastructure, & housing contributing to increased need for social services in our community. And our regressive tax structure needs to change. Community engagement and communication is underfunded, underemphasized, and lagging in technology Fairer taxation/revenue structure must be enacted and directed towards human services and education. seeing people in need as our neighbors: Education, awareness, buy-in We need real-time and shaved data on how the increase in medical insurance in impacting access to mental health, substance abuse, and physical health services as well as how it is impacting families. Mental Health/ Substance abuse Government should do more and work with NPOs/CBOs and community Humanizing and decriminalizing poverty: decriminalizing mental health, businesses being inclusive
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THE LINK BETWEEN TRANSPORTATION AND THE ECONOMY October 8, 2015, Washington Society of CPAs
Speakers
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Bart Phillips, CEO OneRedmond
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Don Billen, Director of the Office of Capital Project Development at Sound Transit
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Amy Ockerlander, Duvall City Council, Vice Chair King County Eastside Transportation Partnership
Lesson Learned Long term public infrastructure investments require long term perspectives Transformational change in transportation policy and funding is necessary to address the changing demographics of the Eastside, the region and the state True collaboration among various governmental and private sector entities makes for a better product for the citizens of the region Sitting back and doing nothing or punting the football to the “next” leaders will negatively impact our economy and communities – the time to act is now. We need to shift the conversation with the voter from fixing the commute to safeguarding the economy We remain woefully underinvested in our transportation infrastructure despite the transportation package Our Eastside Economy is strong, but our transportation system is not keeping up Financially, politically and demographically
Table Ranking 1 1 3
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We misunderstand the problem because we approach it from the perspective of a commuter
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The great recession slowed delivery of a number of infrastructure projects in our region and across the nation, but this is often when construction costs are at their lowest
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Attendees also identified other lessons they learned about Transportation and the Economy on the Eastside. • •
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Employment, physical & mental health, transportation, childcare, community Importance of the link between housing and workplaces. Failure to address the mindset/culture re: equity and overall community well-being has led to an inability to develop successful mass transportation policy and economic development (anti-tax, not in my back yard, anti-mass transit, property values) Address the use of technology and the change of employer/employee behavior to help people work where they live. Need for changing cultural perceptions: taxing structure and how money is used; separating from car (think Europe!); cost of housing linked with cost of commute/stress/health. We need to address the correlation between affordable housing and transportation causing a spiral of problems. Connect the voter/user/commuter with the benefits of short and midterm solutions to ensure they are invested in the long-term plan. Mechanism to facilitate the communication and the collaborative effort between agencies; public/private entities to unify the vision of promoting economic growth, citizens' well-being, and common good.
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HOPES FOR THE FUTURE (click images to watch videos)
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE (click images to watch videos)
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE (click images to watch videos)
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Rob McKenna
The Eastside is quite simply the best place in America to live, raise a family, and pursue a career. My hope is that the factors which have made possible our unparalleled quality of life will grow even stronger in years to come. Among the most important factors are strong public education, a thriving technology sector, and a vibrant community live characterized by outstanding volunteer leadership. I moved to Bellevue with my parents in 1977, as a high school sophomore. More recent arrivals to our area might be surprised to learn that while Bellevue’s public schools at that time were strong (which is why my folks chose Bellevue when my dad retired from the military) that was not true throughout the Eastside. Our high tech sector was nascent – Microsoft’s move to the Eastside was still years away – and we were still largely a bedroom community for Boeing engineers and workers in downtown Seattle. The Eastside was a vibrant community in those days, as it is today. As I observed in an article in the Bellevue Journal American newspaper around 1990, however, the same 100 or so people seemed to run everything. They were and are great people, there just weren’t enough of them. Moreover, despite the Eastside’s growing diversity, few community leaders at that time were people of color or immigrants, and very few were under 40. As a young lawyer working in downtown Bellevue during the late 1980s and early ‘90s, I was active with the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Association. I served on several City of Bellevue committees and its newly created Transportation Commission. That was all terrific, but I noticed that I was nearly always the youngest person involved, usually by more than a decade or two. At the same time, I regularly was asked by other community leaders where they could find other younger people to recruit into civic leadership roles, and by many young professionals who I met how they could become involved. A group of us came together to create a networking organization we called Forum Eastside, and that led us to design and launch Advance Bellevue, a leadership program intended to jumpstart the civic engagement of younger people in our community. Not long after that, a similarlyminded group to our north created Leadership Redmond. Over time, it became obvious that a combined organization made the most sense and the rest, as they say, is Leadership Eastside history. These developments have directly contributed to the Eastside’s success as a community, including its public education system and economy. Many graduates of Advance Bellevue, Leadership Redmond, and Leadership Eastside have gone on to play important leadership roles in our school districts and in local and state governments. In those leadership roles, they have helped strengthen our most important civic institutions: our public schools and colleges, our cities and county, and countless non-profit organizations. They have fostered a spirit of community involvement, and worked hard to recruit and encourage younger and more diverse individuals who reflect the Eastside’s vibrancy and its future. These individuals often come from companies in our burgeoning high tech sector, and they understand what our high tech companies need to be successful – especially an educated workforce of life-long learners who turn to our higher education institutions again and again throughout their careers to update their skills for a fast-paced economy. Education, the economy and community: all three are vital to our quality of life, and all three depend on the spirit of volunteerism, and of volunteer leadership, which Leadership Eastside embodies and supports. Congratulations on its 10th anniversary, and best wishes for many more years of making a difference in our communities.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Rep. Larry Springer If you see the Eastside as a vibrant, healthy region on the move with nothing but a bright future ahead you would be right. If you see the Eastside as a region on the move but the destination is unclear you would be right. Born and raised on the Eastside I remember the days when the only route to Everett was through downtown Kirkland and across the Juanita Park causeway. The Eastside was a sleepy, rural spot you couldn’t get to from there. Flash forward to a region today surpassing Seattle’s population, the economic engine of Washington State, home to some of the best school districts in the state, with an emerging cultural scene, and ground zero for technology innovation. It’s been a pretty good 50 years.
Looking through today’s lens at the Eastside the picture is bright. Job growth is healthy with many well paying jobs, the housing market is booming, and the development community sees nothing but cranes in the air for the next several years. We have state of the art healthcare facilities in Evergreen Healthcare, Overlake Medical Center and Group Health Medical Center. We are home to Bellevue College, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Cascadia Community College and the University of Washington/Bothell. The region has also made a strong commitment to our environment and every city on the Eastside has gone to great lengths to assure clean water and open space for generations to come. However, no region grows without leadership. Over the past 15 years or so the Eastside has certainly had its fair share from the visionaries who helped Bellevue incorporate in the 1950’s to the civic and elected leaders of today who have helped guide three of Washington’s twelve largest cities who call the Eastside home. And the Eastside has become a political powerhouse in Olympia as well. The delegation from the Eastside includes the chair of House Appropriations Committee, House Transportation Committee, House Public Safety Committee, House Majority Leader, House Deputy Majority Leader, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Floor Leader. Much of what happens in the Legislature goes through the Eastside. Nevertheless, our region is not without serious challenges which put much of our hard earned success at risk. Continued economic growth can only happen if we invest in the physical infrastructure needed to assure jobs keep coming here. We must make significant investments in transportation if our region is to continue to lead Washington as the most trade dependent state in the nation. Our cities must find ways to provide infrastructure such as water/sewer services, city roads, safe streets, and appealing parks and open space. Since the recession Eastside cities have struggled mightily to find the revenue needed to make these investments.
While we have high quality schools the need for future teachers and classrooms to accommodate reductions in class size the state has committed to will be a daunting task. The Eastside must lead the way in securing adequate state funding for our K-12 education system and in particular, our higher education system. Lastly I should mention the enormous task of creating and economy that strengthens the middle class. To glance at the Eastside demographics and income levels is to miss the pockets of poverty and the working poor who are here too. Homelessness is here on the Eastside as evidenced by the ongoing need for tent city locations over the past 10 years. All across the state we are becoming a service economy and the same is true of our region which has enormous implications for wage growth. That said, I am certainly optimistic about our future. We have made terrific strides in creating the human and intellectual capital needed to lead the Eastside for the next 50-100 years. Organizations like Leadership Eastside are beacons of commitment and innovation for the leaders of tomorrow……so….I am really not worried.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Lauren L. Thomas, CEO, Hopelink It’s been 75 years since the first bridge across Lake Washington linked east to west in our region. Hailed as an “engineering triumph,” the floating span helped grow an area that once was home to mining and logging into a high-tech hub; a birthplace of innovation and a catalyst for commerce and international trade. Today, business is booming and life is good for many of our neighbors on the eastside. But for all of the promising news –
for all of the cranes dotting our landscape and the new and expanding businesses in our area, the hard reality for tens of thousands of people in our community is that things are not so good. In north and east King County, more than 86,000 people live in poverty. For a family of four, that means their entire income is about $24,000 a year or less. For someone living alone – as so many of our seniors do – that threshold is less than $1,000 a month. In the Bellevue School District, one in five children qualifies for the free and reduced-price lunch program.
These are our neighbors; members of our community. They are schoolmates of our kids and grandkids, members of churches, coworkers, friends. What they have in common is that they are all struggling to get by in an environment of plenty. When I leave my house in the morning, I know I have a place to come home to at the end of the day. I know my family will have enough to eat, and that I will be warm and dry during the night. Most of us probably take that routine – or something similar – for granted. But for those who turn to Hopelink every single day, many of these basic needs are not so routine.
Construction projects always begin with a solid foundation. Our lives are no different. Having a warm, safe place to live and enough to eat are the cornerstones upon which we build our future. Without this stability, none of the other essential steps in the journey from crisis to self-sufficiency are possible. It is difficult enough to land a job when you’re homeless, but showing up for work every day when you don’t know where you will be sleeping that night is nearly impossible. Focusing on job training or improving your English-speaking skills is much more difficult when you know your kids will be going to bed hungry. The ability to thrive will always take a back seat to the need to survive. In this area, the income needed for a family of four to be economically self-sufficient is $74,000 annually. Yet of the nearly 10,000 households Hopelink served last year, more than 80 percent have an annual household income of less than $30,000 per year. And no longer is the eastside just a bedroom community on the outskirts of Seattle. Population-wise, Hopelink serves a geographical area that is home to a more diverse population and nearly as many people as the city of Seattle! Who are those most in need? Research shows that disproportionately, those facing the biggest challenges of housing, employment, and education are people of color, those with limited English proficiency, and those with the lowest incomes. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can build a community where everyone has access to the basic needs for a stable life – food, shelter, heat and light, and reliable transportation – as well as sufficient job training, a GED, financial literacy, and other life skills.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE (CONT.) Lauren L. Thomas, CEO, Hopelink
My vision for the future is that we as a community have the information, the partnerships, and perhaps most importantly, the will to work together to build a strong, vibrant community that includes every single person who lives here. Residents of north and east King County are smart, compassionate and creative leaders, made stronger by participation in Leadership Eastside. We all want opportunity for our children and prosperity for our families, friends and neighbors. Hopelink is on the front lines of that effort, strengthening our communities in north and eastside King County by helping people make lasting change in their lives. In a perfect world, there would be no need for Hopelink, or any other social services agency. That is my dream, and my ultimate vision. Knowing we have the collective tools – right here on the eastside – to make that dream a reality is one of the reasons why I am so proud to call this area home.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Kimberly Harris, President and CEO Puget Sound Energy
The cranes are back. When I look out of my office window in the heart of Bellevue, I see signs of economic activity all around. There are new hotels, offices, condos and restaurants. In some neighborhoods, streets and corners are changing so fast, you might not recognize them from one month to another.
Between 2010 and 2040, employment on the Eastside is projected to grow by more than 70 percent, and population will grow by more than a third, according to the Puget Sound Regional Council. Such explosive growth creates challenges. That’s where you come in. It’s also where you need to use all of the leadership skills you’ve learned through your involvement with Leadership Eastside. We need to address—as a community—some long-standing and complex issues in order to ensure the continued prosperity we have today.
A great example is transportation. Ask yourself: if you were starting or growing a business, would you choose a location where your employees had to spend hours in traffic each day? How many times have you started a meeting with a discussion about how long it took you to get home or drive to work? It’s a quality-of-life issue that has serious economic repercussions. For me, grappling with the impacts of transportation is more personal. Puget Sound Energy’s service territory stretches across ten counties. Every day, we have hundreds of vehicles on the road, as our employees make repairs to equipment to keep people safe, respond to emergencies, and connect new customers. Right now, our state has a multi-billion-dollar backlog of road preservation and maintenance needs. We have some of the worst congestion in the nation, and many of our roads and bridges are in poor condition. I want every one of our employees to go home safely. With a deteriorating transportation infrastructure, I can’t be sure that’s going to happen. I put my concerns into action as chair of the Washington Roundtable’s infrastructure committee and as a member of the Transportation Futures Task Force. We’re urging lawmakers to make critical investments in our roads and improve key economic corridors. If our state made a $7 billion investment in preservation and key projects, we could see a $42 billion benefit over 30 years. That includes essential projects on the Eastside that impact you and me every day.
We all have issues we’re passionate about. You might want to put your energy behind improving education in our schools, or increasing diversity where you live and work, or making our environment a better place. You might be concerned about housing affordability or access to health care. Seize the opportunity you’ve been given through your participation in Leadership Eastside to become educated and get involved. Use your voice to find common ground and develop solutions. PSE built its headquarters in Bellevue in the 1950s because at that time, the young city was the hub of our fast-growing suburban territory. Today, Bellevue is at the epicenter of an increasingly diverse, urban and economically vital region. We accomplished great things because of the foresight and dedication of those who came before us. I’m convinced that we’ll continue to do so because of organizations like Leadership Eastside and leaders like all of you. That’s my hope for the future of the Eastside.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Greg Johnson, President Wright Runstad & Company
Last month Microsoft marked its 40th anniversary. Like Microsoft, the Eastside is still growing strong after all these years and has a very bright future. Wright Runstad & Company developed the Microsoft campus 1985 through 1994 and it represents the best of what employees, employers and many of the rest of us wanted at the time: a suburban campus environment, set apart from the urban core. And, like most of the Eastside, most people needed a car to get there. Today’s knowledge workers, and the companies they work for, want to be part of vibrant, connected, often urban neighborhoods. Employees like mobility choices, like biking to work, or taking transit, in addition to driving; some even live within walking distance. Increasingly, as the region’s population grows and commutes become longer and longer, people naturally look for opportunities to live and work in the same area. Also marking an anniversary this year, the now 25 year old state Growth Management Act (GMA) has had a tremendous impact on our Eastside communities. In 1990 elected and civic leaders recognized the value of concentrating population and job growth in urban areas to protect the environment and reduce the cost of major public infrastructure investments such as transportation. The key to making it work was coordination by government agencies in charge of land use and transportation. Urban planners call this approach ‘smart growth’ and not only does it work to achieve the goal of managing growth, studies tell us that many people across the generations prefer to live and work in concentrated centers. Sitting between Bellevue and Redmond’s job centers, the Bel-Red corridor is one of the region’s best examples of how coordinated land use and transportation planning will make it much easier for people to leave their cars behind. Ironically, last year Sound Transit itself posed a threat to coordinated planning when it proposed siting a massive maintenance base in the heart of this high density zoned land to meet operational needs associated with the East Link alignment. Through considerable stakeholder effort and a major push by Bellevue, the Sound Transit Board recently agreed to redesign the base to restore transit area development (TOD) potential on and around the base. It will still take continued effort over years by Sound Transit, City of Bellevue, and King County to realize the fix just adopted. Restoration of density to Bel-Red is good news and, at the same time, it’s a reminder that having regional smart growth plans in place isn’t enough to guarantee land use or transportation decisions are always ‘smart.’ The Urban Land Institute, a national association of urban planners, architects, developers and civic leaders says that the first step in stopping suburban sprawl and implementing smart growth is ‘to create a shared vision of the future….and stick to it.’ Bellevue’s Bel-Red Plan is a case in point. When the City of Bellevue looked at the future of the corridor in 2005 it recruited 16 community leaders who spent two years forging a vision that would transform this 900 acre light industrial and warehouse dominated area into a vibrant new community with housing for all, protected environments, and strong multimodal connections.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE (CONT.) Greg Johnson, President Wright Runstad & Company
The Bel-Red Vision took another two years being vetted by all seven of the City’s boards and commissions and translated into city codes and regulations. It wasn’t until 2009 that the City Council unanimously adopted the Bel-Red Plan with strong community support. Less than five years later the Bel-Red Plan was threatened by Sound Transit’s decision to place a needed 25 acre maintenance base within a quarter mile of East Link’s 120th station. It’s no wonder the leaders who put the plan in place and adopted it spoke out. My hope for the future of the Eastside is that we have the courage to stick to local and regional plans that call for the alignment of public investments in transportation with smart land use decisions. And that collectively we continue to invest in infrastructure that increases all forms of mobility within and between communities. As I write this, it’s still unknown whether legislators will have the courage to pass a much needed statewide transportation investment package – I hope they do. Microsoft’s success over the past four decades has spawned a thriving tech cluster that’s transformed the Eastside and the Puget Sound region. It’s brought prosperity, diversity, and support for the qualities of life we value most such as good schools, the arts and a safe, clean environment. And, one more anniversary to celebrate: at 10 years old, Leadership Eastside is growing the courageous community leaders we’ll need for a strong future. Today, Wright Runstad & Company is developing The Spring District – a 36 acre green, connected, vibrant new urban neighborhood in Bel-Red. It’s much different than the original Microsoft campus, yet it’s a reflection of decades of smart decisions the Eastside and Puget Sound region have made about how we want to live into the future. The vision is a good one – let’s stick to it.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Contributed by Cascade Water Alliance Elaine Kraft, Intergovernmental and Communications Director
Making sure you have safe, reliable, high quality, great tasting water every time you turn on the tap is the goal of Cascade Water Alliance, the municipal corporation of which Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Tukwila and the Sammamish Plateau and Skyway Water and Sewer Districts are a part. You don’t hear about it, and you may not know about it, and we doubt you even think about it. But because of the work Cascade Water Alliance has done over the past 15 years, you won’t have to worry that the Eastside will have sufficient water for work, business and play for likely the next century. Cascade was formed 15 years ago with the cities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah and Tukwila and the water districts serving the Sammamish Plateau and Skyway areas so Eastsiders could have a voice and a vote in how our areas grow. Without a steady, reliable source of water, none of our communities would have been able to develop and grow as they have. For over a century, all communities in King County got their water from Seattle. But as Eastside communities grew, Seattle indicated it might not have enough water for everyone, which is why Cascade was created. But Cascade had to find its own water source, which is why Lake Tapps in east Pierce County was purchased as an eventual municipal water supply. To do this, and to be able to operate the entire White River/Lake Tapps project for water supply, we made agreements with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to ensure in-stream flows for fish; with neighboring cities of Auburn, Buckley, Bonney Lake and Sumner to make sure they had sufficient water to meet their residents’ needs for the future and with the homeowners around Lake Tapps to ensure their lake stayed full and beautiful throughout the summer. Cascade staff now is operating and upgrading this century old system and is assured of long term water.
But Cascade has proven to be much more. It has also driven many changes in how the region plans. About the time Cascade was purchasing Lake Tapps, it – and all water providers in the Puget Sound region – noticed that water demand was dropping – despite population increases. Why? Better building codes and efficient water appliances, like toilets, washers and showers. More density and less large lawns to water. Wise water use by residents and businesses. Better water supply system operators. So, from worrying about not having enough water, the region now saw it had plenty of water. We at Cascade asked ourselves – should we build Lake Tapps into water supply as planned? Water investments and infrastructure are costly – and transmission and supply systems take many years to plan and implement. Was building a Lake Tapps system as necessary today as originally thought? The answer to all was clear – no. So, instead of building more infrastructures by itself, Cascade worked with Seattle and Tacoma to purchase their abundant water and keep Lake Tapps for future regional needs. In addition, Cascade and the other major water providers (Seattle, Tacoma and Everett) began to plan for the region – together – to ensure the best use of all the water for today and tomorrow before making more investments. They are planning together for the region’s future – very long range -- looking at the impacts of potential drought, earthquake, water quality and climate change on the region and what they might need to do to prepare – jointly – for those impacts. A plan is expected early next year.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE (CONT.) Contributed by Cascade Water Alliance Elaine Kraft, Intergovernmental and Communications
Cascade has also been a convener on critical legislation addressing water needs, pulling the region and even state interests together to help individual governments or utilities form into units like Cascade to provide essential services, and to make sure governments and water and sewer districts could pay for and protect fire prevention services. And most interesting of all, Cascade has a very small staff and a board of elected officials from its members doing all this work quickly, nimbly and in a cost effective manner.
But from day one today, the goal is and remains constant -- ensuring safe, reliable and great tasting high quality water to each home and business on the Eastside, so that every time you turn on the tap, you will have water. Cascade Water Alliance – water for today and tomorrow. Find out more at www.cascadewater.org
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE
Jeff Borgida, Leadership Eastside, Chair General Manager, Republic Services Sponsor of LE's “Lessons Learned" Morning Forums
Over the years, the Eastside has become one of the most dynamic and diverse communities in our region. It is home to some of the world’s largest corporations, along with small, startup industries and everything in between. Our region is on the cutting edge of technology, inventing and developing software, hardware, airplanes, and delivery systems all intended to improve our lives. As we have developed, we have maintained a strong connection with our past, preserving the hometown feel and a sense of community that provides a great place to raise a family. Our grasp is firm on the things we hold dear: safe neighborhoods, thriving downtowns, and a variety of outdoor recreation from nature trails and ball fields to beaches and parks. As I write this message, I am sitting on a bench in Bellevue’s downtown park, near the expansive lawn that was alive last weekend with thousands of people celebrating our country’s independence. As a country, we achieved independence by coming together, bound by similar ideas and a common vision. The survival of that vision depended upon our ability to work collaboratively, to build solid foundations for a future of prosperity. Our country was built on the premise that all people are created equal and that we all have an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Despite these good intentions there are still many people who are not treated equally. There are people who have faced significant obstacles in their own, personal pursuit of happiness. As a community, we have an opportunity - and an obligation - to address these issues and to work to resolve this imbalance. To that end, it is my hope that we continue to develop new and meaningful partnerships grounded in a long-term, strategic vision. The quality of that vision will depend on our ability to collaborate, to set differences aside and to listen intently to each other. Our success will be determined in part by our ability to hear from a wide range of voices: not only our community leaders but also those whose voices have, to date, been marginal if present at all. Our ability to engage the community will have a direct impact on our success. It is not what we can do “for” our community, but rather what we do “with” our community. I do not have the answers…We do. Let’s work together. Let’s be deliberate about reaching out to each other to both those who are familiar to this process and to those who have yet to be invited. Together, we can and will build a strategic vision that ensures a future of prosperity on the Eastside.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Kari Magill, CEO Rowley Properties LE 10th Anniversary Sponsor
As I stepped back and thought about what Rowley Properties’ hope for the future of the Eastside was, there were so many things that came to mind… a highly effective regional transportation system, knowledge wage jobs for all, informed people involved in government and taking the time to vote, strong STEM programs in every school, a nice range of housing options for every community, smart growth, a pathway to a higher education for everyone, preservation of open space and natural lands, support for the elderly and disadvantaged, and a bright future for our youth. But, what most resonated today that I wanted to share with you was Forterra’s (forterra.org) message: Stand up… Protect land… Build smart… Plant trees… Come together… Demand fairness… Ride a bike… Speak out… Buy local… Do with less... Take the bus… Do more with less… Evolve and GROW for this place… Act… Bend a little… Be dedicated… Volunteer… FOR THIS PLACE! What a powerful message and… reminder for us all. Each and every one of us has a unique gift to share. We encourage you to get out there and make a difference. We have long since supported Leadership Eastside because we understand the need for active, engaged community members. It makes our towns and communities so much stronger and improves our quality of life collectively. Doing something doesn’t have to be big or magnificent or even awe-inspiring, just do something that feeds your passion and makes you feel good about yourself. To sum it all up, our hope for the future of the Eastside, is a place even just a little bit better than it was before us. A future that is built with the understanding that our legacy is to leave a bright and bold future for others.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EASTSIDE Becky Evans Leadership Eastside, Board Member Boeing, Employee Development & Training Leader LE 10th Anniversary Sponsor
As a graduate of Leadership Eastside (LE) – Class of 2014, as well as a graduate of the first LE Executive Insight and a current LE Board Member, I pause to consider why I chose to make such a meaningful personal investment in this organization. Leadership Eastside raised the bar on my pursuit for excellence as a leader. The facilitation and teaching of how to bust through roadblocks, work through conflict and find the courage to stand by my convictions was a game changer for me. Experiencing individuals in my cohort who thought they had it all figured out, then grew to new heights by experiencing life changing realizations of inclusion, adaptive leadership and leaning into the pursuit of an excellent, thriving life was a true gift. Leadership Eastside brings a new level of excitement to those who realize that they can control their own destiny by utilizing new tools and practicing newly acquired behaviors that take them in a direction of possibility.
Leadership Eastside enables people to find their true passion; to experience personal freedom to think differently from others and the courage to speak up and stand by their convictions. LE lit the fire within me to pursue my passion of teaching others to think differently about their circumstances. The Eastside is blessed by gaining graduates of LE. “We are everywhere”. We are on city councils; we are small business owners; we are corporate executives and much more; however, the most meaningful to me is that LE graduates are first responders. My husband is a Bellevue Fire Captain, who cares deeply about the quality of life, safety and security of the residents and business owners on the Eastside. Although we live in Enumclaw, he travels to Bellevue on his days off to attend leadership meetings and ensure that firefighter development does not take a back seat. He has a passion for excellence in the fire service; especially on the Eastside. My husband and I spend a lot of our personal time in Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Renton dining with friends, shopping, working and celebrating major milestones. The Eastside is buzzing with arts, culture, visitors, business meetings, conventions and much more. I have worked on the Eastside for nearly 25 years as a senior manager for the Boeing Company. My commitment to the growth and sustainment of the Eastside is naturally evident. Boeing expects the continued investment of quality of housing, schools, roads and transportation for their employees who live and work on the Eastside. What is my hope for the Eastside? That the investments stated above will continue to bring about stronger local government leaders, a valued and supported first responder community coupled with increased safety; capable community leaders and a personal commitment by residents to share their resources and volunteer efforts to ensure the Eastside continues to flourish. With this being the 10 anniversary of Leadership Eastside, my vision is that adaptive leadership will penetrate the leadership of our cities, instilling a noticeable quality of life and growth transcending the norm and being noticed by the world.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO LEADERSHIP EASTSIDE’S 2015 SUPPORTING SPONSORS
