The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle

“Dizzle” is one of those movies that film festivals were invented for. Too bizarre to ever see wide distribution it’s a gem of a film that expands minds even as it wallows in, well, the toilet. The film starts with a stunning sequence of a message in a bottle making it’s way down from Snoqualmie Falls to the Seattle waterfront. Shot over many months in numerous locations, it’s an opener that even big budget films wouldn’t have the budget for. It’s obvious from the beginning that this film is a labor of love and dedication. via blog.thenewstribune.com I forgot to Read more…

Russell Employees will add 374,000 hours to their commute …

Our analysis, which we shared with Russell, shows that in the aggregate Russell employees will spend an additional 373,880 hours per year in their cars (if the company left Tacoma). This is 474 more hours per commuter per year. Based on IRS mileage reimbursement rates, Russell employees would see an additional cost of commuting of $4.5 million per year. We used actual Russell employee zip codes so this takes into account the few people whose commutes will be shorter. In terms of miles traveled, the Seattle commute will result in 8,225,360 additional miles traveled annually by employees.

 via blogs.thenewstribune.com From Read more…

City Club’s Community Studies

I referenced it below, and should probably clarify. City Club of Tacoma publishes regular community studies about issues that are broadly affecting the community. They're all online on our website, so if there's a topic that strikes your interest check it out. As part of my role as the new ED, I've been trying to read some of the "greatest hits" and studies that interest me personally. I carry a few of them with me and read them at odd moments. The Image of Tacoma study from 2004 is an interesting look at the self-image of Tacoma. I found good Read more…

If we had a “strong mayor” form of City government, would the Luzon have fallen?

So while the Luzon discussion was happening this past week, I happened to be reading City Club's 2003 Community Study that evaluates the council-manager government system, and I have to say … it got me thinking. And it got me to my question: if we had a strong mayor form of City government, would the Luzon have fallen? In a mayoral form of government, where the Mayor is truly running the city, the mayor has to think about the politics of his/her decisions. I know politics gets thrown around as a dirty word, but think back to this last week. Read more…

Bob Evans passed away

According to the Tribune, Former City Councilmember Bob Evans passed today. Bob sat on the board of the Grand when I was there. He had a passion for movies and for expanding the theater (as the Grand is currently doing now). He was a very nice guy.

Tacoma’s Shipbuilders

In the midst of the deepest economic downturn since the Depression, one venerable Tacoma business is busier than it’s been in 20 years. The company is hiring. Its backlog of major projects now lasts through at least 2011, and several of its new proposals are on potential customers’ desks. For Tacoma’s J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. this rush of activity stands in pleasant contrast to the first years of this decade when the 85-year-old shipyard sat idle for five years with no new construction work. via thenewstribune.com After my sail program with SEA (the Sea Education Association), I was lucky enough Read more…