A Little Movement, A Lot of Spin

"It's a beautiful thing when someone changes his mind, said the Church Council's Sandy Brown at this morning's press conference. "Bob Edwards has changed his mind." Up to now, the Port Authority's response to calls to save 162 units of affordable family housing could be summed up in one or two words. Those would be "No," or "Fuck No," depending upon your interpretation. Today, that response became much more ambiguous.

While this is good news, we are still some distance from declaring victory. Today, Commissioner Bob Edwards will introduce a resolution to his fellow commissioners that opens the possibility for compromise. Should a majority agree, a proposal will be drafted for broader approval that "directs staff to explore compromise. This is not exactly the win we need, but it's a great start.

Edwards has shown admirable moral courage in taking this first step. The Port Authority has "come into the family," as King County Executive Ron Sims so graciously put it this morning, due to immense pressure from the County and the broader community. Like all development that happens at the expense of the poor and powerless, this is about money, opportunity, and power. We need to keep our guard up and the pressure on.