Dick Lilly

Dick Lilly is a former Seattle Times reporter who covered local government from the neighborhoods to City Hall and Seattle Public Schools. He later served as a public information officer and planner for Seattle Public Utilities, with a stint in the mayorā€™s office as press secretary for Mayor Paul Schell. He has written on politics for Crosscut.com and the Seattle Times as well as Post Alley.

In Switzerland: Cities Safe for Kids

We have lost some elements of community that once let us feel our children would be safe out in the city on their own. Switzerland has retained that safety.

Book Review: Death and Consequences on Hilo

Eric Redmanā€™s second crime novel set in Hawaiā€™i, ā€œDeath in Hilo,ā€ is better than his first, lots better, and ā€œBones of Hiloā€ which came out in 2021 was itself a strikingly good first novel.

Seattle Needs More Cops and Fewer “Debates”

Simply put, Seattle needs a police department large and smart enough (and openly responsive to review by the cityā€™s Office of Police Accountability and Community Police Commission and others) to investigate and arrest those involved.

Shaken to our Core: AI as a Change Agent

Remember Googleā€™s early motto: ā€œDonā€™t be evilā€? With superintelligence they might be. And thereā€™s Facebookā€™s motto, ā€œMove fast and break things.ā€ Theyā€™re racing to develop superintelligence and this kind of thinking still animates the tech companies. With AI theyā€™re pretty likely to break things.

Here’s How to Fix Downtown: Better Parking and Tax Breaks

And how many street parking places have been lost in recent years to bike lanes and bus lanes, desirable as they may be? With nearly nothing available at the curb, parking costs probably deter a lot of people from even thinking about shopping downtown.

When Culture Conflicts Become Threats to Free Speech

The underlying issue is what, if any, circumstances allow groups to overpower freedom of speech, as happened at Hamline University.

An Alarming Racial Disparity in Seattle Public School Reading Scores

Between 60 and 70 percent of BIPOC students in Seattle canā€™t read effectively. You donā€™t need dozens of academic studies to know that any weak reader will continue to do poorly in school.

Poison Always Leaves a Trace: Navalny Documentary Wows Opening-Night SIFF Audience

It would be hard to imagine a greater example of the power of film, the essence of what SIFF is all about.

An Emphasis on Homelessness and Public Safety

Most notably, after two years of variations on ā€œdefund the policeā€ pushed by activists and most on the council, Harrell reassured Seattleites that the city would ā€œenforce criminal lawsā€ including ā€œorganized retail theftā€ while ā€œwholly committed to avoiding the mistakes of the past.ā€

And Just Like That, An Elegant Affordable Housing Plan Fizzles

The basic proposal: Give landlords of qualified properties a real estate tax exemption in exchange for freezing rents at current levels for six years.

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