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Dear Neighbors, As we have recently passed the 100-day mark, I am pleased to share My First 100 Days In Office report as your Council representative for District 1 (D1). Many of our activities have been reported to you in my weekly newsletters so this is not intended to replicate past reports. The initial activity and impact described in this report is NOT intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all the many things that me and my office have been working on to date. Instead, it is intended to be a representative sample of select engagements and key initiatives that have defined my first official 100 days in your service. On my first day in office, I produced a video for my constituents and outlined three goals for my first three months, all which have been accomplished: To hire my staff.To vote to fill the Council seat vacated by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, and we welcomed our newest Council Member, Tanya Woo.To establish a visible presence in District 1 through setting up office hours for constituents. This First 100 Days In Office report contains: My staff team and areas of responsibility; Briefings, community meetings, and outreach events; Top constituent issues and delivering for our community; Council Transportation Committee and Full City Council actions; Media interviews. I want to thank each of you who have and continue to reach out to my office with your inquiries, comments, or simply to say hello. Core constituent services is a top priority for me and my office. Our goal is to help build a more collaborative, transparent, accountable and responsive government at Seattle City Hall. My team is working tirelessly each day on your behalf. Thank you for your continued engagement and onward to the exciting months and years ahead,together! In Your Service, Rob rob.saka@seattle.gov
Staff L-R: Heather Marx, Councilmember Saka, Elaine Ikoma Ko, Leyla Gheisar My Staff Team & Recognition of City ColleaguesIt is my privilege to work alongside of my team! Please note that while each have primary areas of responsibility, all team members work on constituent issues. Elaine Ikoma Ko (she/her), Chief of Staff, is responsible for coordinating the office, media/communications, and works on economic development, federal legislation, and the Comprehensive Plan policies. Heather Marx (she/her), Policy Advisor, is responsible for staffing the Council Transportation Committee, assists with my external regional committees, and works on transportation, public safety, and policy areas related to my Committees as well as other Council Committees. Leyla Gheisar (they/them), District 1 Director and Scheduler, is responsible for constituent inquiries, tracking constituent issues, and conducts community outreach activities in D1. Leyla is the friendly voice you will hear when you call our office! I’d like to acknowledge the dedicated professionals of the City Council Central Staff who continue to make sure our office is well supported. I would also like to thank Mayor Harrell, his Deputy Mayors and staff, and the City department leaders and staff who have been so responsive and generous with their time and expertise to assist me and my team. And, last but certainly not least, thank you to my fellow Council Members. The collegiality, professionalism, and shared commitment to work collaboratively together to serve the public is so welcome AND necessary especially given that six of us are new to the Council. 
Councilmembers L-R: Joy Hollingsworth (D3) ,Dan Strauss (D6), Tanya Woo (Pos. 8, city-wide), Robert Kettle (D7), Sarah Nelson (Council President, Pos.. 9, city-wide), Rob Saka (D1), Maritza Rivera (D4), Cathy Moore (D5), Tammy Morales (D2)
The Guiding Principles (above) refer to my team’s approach to our collective work. My first months have been filled with countless internal briefings (Council and departmental). And, why so many you might ask? Because as a new Councilmember, it is critically important to establish a good foundation for well-informed decisions that constituents deserve. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “The time is always ripe to do right,” and I need the sturdy grounding to “do right.” Well-rounded stakeholder and constituent engagement and feedback remain my highest priority to be reflected in my legislative and non-legislative decisions.
Delivering For District 1
I have the privilege of representing over 105,000 individual residents in D1. I also represent hundreds of small businesses, larger companies, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations, and neighborhood groups. My team and I are aware of the scores of concerns/issues raised by constituents in the district, as summarized below. We know that durable solutions to many issues require resources and this year, in particular, will be challenging as we face a massive City budget deficit. In a challenging budget environment, I am committed to prioritizing critical investments to address public safety as well as basic services that make a difference in people’s everyday lives. At the same time, I am prepared to meet these challenges with bold and creative approaches! With the bright minds of my City colleagues and the voices of constituents, I am confident that together we will find good solutions.
While this list of constituent contacts may not be exhaustive and is an illustration of the active constituent engagement in our diverse D1, my team had at least 1,000+ constituent communications (emails, calls, in-person, social media). In many instances, we were able to make constituent referrals to appropriate City resources such as the storefront window repair fund and tenant and housing resources. Small questions or large concerns, they’re all important. We also addressed 51 more complex constituent concerns on issues ranging from wide-scale pothole challenges to property crime as shown below. Homelessness – 11 While accomplishments are never the efforts of one, here are a few in which my office played significant roles: In the aftermath of the tragic killing of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam, the first homicide of 2024 and in my district, I, along with my staff, have been in ongoing contact with the family. I stand firm that justice must be served for the family. This is an ongoing work-in-progress. We successfully advocated with the Seattle Parks & Recreation Department (PARKS) for the re-installation of security cameras at the Southwest Teen Life Center, the location of the shooting of Mobarak. The cameras are now currently up and running. Small business constituents contacted our office to request the Mayor’s office to include ‘Economic Vitality’ as a policy goal in the draft Seattle Transportation Plan and through our advocacy, this goal was added in. (The draft Plan is being reviewed by full Council at this time.) Responding to constituents, my office actively supported and helped resolve some long-standing RV and tent encampments in SODO, West Seattle, and South Park. Through the work of the dedicated Unified Care Team (UCT), many were referred and successfully connected to shelter and services. At the 1st Avenue and South Cloverdale encampment, for example, all 13 residents were offered and accepted permanent supportive housing working with our community outreach partner, REACH.Advocated with SDOT to expedite the repaving of a street along 21st Ave SW from SW Dawson St to 22nd Ave SW, and along 22nd Ave SW and 23rd Ave SW between 21st Ave SW & SW Oregon St. Advocated with SPU to successfully address sewage overflow into Puget Sound from a repeat offender site. Helped resolve a fuel spill in a resident’s property in a District 1 neighborhood. Secured commitment from SDOT to construct a NEW SIDEWALK by 2025 next to the Disabled American Veterans facility at 4857 Delridge Way SW (between 25th Ave SW & Delridge) as part of SDOT’s existing New Sidewalk Program. (Note: we landed this new project commitment just outside of our first 100 days.)
Council Transportation Committee As you may know, I seem to have earned the title of the “King of Potholes!” It is a moniker that some elected officials may traditionally shy away from because it doesn’t sound particularly bold, transformative, or ambitious – at least not from a surface-level perspective. But I proudly own it! It is a title that I truly cherish because it succinctly captures my focus on “the basics” legislative agenda. That is why I have stated that my policy goals are “back to the basics” and “plain, good governance.” I believe that is what constituents want from their local elected officials, now more than ever. As Transportation Committee Chair, an example of how this can translate “concretely” is to make bridge maintenance glamorous! Recently, I made an impromptu comment to a member of the media that maintaining bridges are a bit like Rodney Dangerfield for transportation policymakers traditionally – no respect! It’s past time that we flipped this narrative on its head. Joking aside, we never notice when our bridges are functioning well, but certainly notice when they’re not. A s Chair of the Transportation Committee: I chaired the process for approving Committee amendments to the Seattle Transportation Plan now ready to be reviewed by the full Council (this action technically occurred just outside of my first 100 days). I issued a public statement of the recently-released Mayor’s Transportation Levy Proposal. The Committee granted an alley vacation at 1305 Stewart Street that will facilitate the development of a 15-story research facility with ground-floor retail in South Lake Union. I issued a D1 constituent survey on transportation priorities (survey is currently still open). Click on dates for all five Transportation Committee meetings to see videos of the meetings: Feb 6Feb. 20 March 5March 19April 2 Full Council ActionsMajor Council Actions (among other legislative impact)KEY VOTE! Adopted the Coalition of City Workers labor agreements for 7,000 City workers.Approved honorary street designations for the late George Fleming and Weir Harmon. Review and consider proposed legislation to streamline the Seattle Police Department recruitment process. I also serve as Vice-Chair of the Council Public Safety Committee and serve on several external Regional Committees. Proclamations I co-introduced two Council Proclamations: Black History Month with Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth; and commemorating the anniversary of the Japanese American Incarceration during WWII with Councilmembers Tanya Woo and Dan Strauss. I prepared a Proclamation for Black Student Union Day at Chief Sealth International High School and I co-signed a Proclamation with Mayor Harrell recognizing the month-long spiritual celebration of Ramadan. Media I hold the strong belief that our media plays a critical role enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution and established to protect our democratic society and institutions. They help shine the bright light of transparency on government and help hold elected officials accountable for the good, the bad, and the ugly! I have welcomed opportunities to connect with the various media professionals and thank them for their coverage: West Seattle Blog, Seattle Channel , Westside Seattle, The Seattle Times ,KING 5 TV, KOMO TV, KIRO TV, Seattle Bike Blog, Converge Media, The Urbanist, Seattle University and Joni Balter, VIBRANT magazine, Hoodline.com. Here is a sampling of my interviews. Seattle City Council 1/2/2024 (youtube.com) (Swearing In Ceremony)West Seattle Blog… | VIDEO: City Councilmember Rob Saka puts his ‘King of Potholes’ nickname into actionCouncil Edition: New faces, fresh perspectives, and Position 8 debate (seattlechannel.org) Bing Videos Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka says it’s time to right the ship with new leadership (fox13seattle.com) Will Seattle’s new transportation levy be the answer for the city’s aging bridges? (komonews.com) Seattle council member pushes for more funding for aging bridges | king5.com Councilmember Rob Saka on his Leadership Journey and Vision for Seattle — Converge Media (whereweconverge.com) Follow Councilmember Saka:WebsiteTwitter / XInstagramFacebookLinkedIn |
Councilmember Saka’s 100 Day In Office Report
