HomeMy WebLinkAbout59_Mayors Newsletter_113017Clam Lights
I HOPE YOU’LL join me this
Friday night for the annual
Ivar’s Clam Lights at Gene
Coulon Memorial Park. The
Lindbergh High School Vocal
Jazz Ensemble will perform
starting at 5:30 p.m. Santa
Claus will be there for photos.
We’ll do the official lighting
at 6:15 p.m. and you’ll see the
Rainier Yacht Club’s “Parade
of Boats” and be entertained
by the Dickens Carolers on the
Argosy Christmas Ship.
NOVEMBER 30, 2017
This Week
from the Mayor
Denis Law, Mayor
VOL. II, NO. 37
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Comments, questions or suggestions, or just want to share all
the great things that are happening in the city, please email me.
Thanks for reading.
Renton volunteers shine during the holidays
ONE THING I’M thankful for is the
philanthropic work by members of our
city staff and community.
For many years, I have had the
opportunity to join city employees and
Renton Rotary members to prepare
an annual Thanksgiving dinner at
the Renton Senior Activity Center.
We started cooking the turkeys and
hams around 5 a.m. and then worked
on several delicious sides throughout
the morning. Other volunteer groups
arrived and played games with the
seniors, set up the dining room, served
the meal, and cleaned up.
Our Renton Police Department also
was in the holiday mood. The wife of one of our officers made about 70 turkey sandwiches, which
officers distributed at Harambee Church and in the downtown area to the homeless and several
Metro drivers working the holiday.
Several city employees spent part of the day at Luther’s Table helping prepare and serve the
annual free Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by REACH, the Renton Ecumenical Association of
Churches. REACH served an estimated 300 meals.
In addition, we just concluded our annual employee giving campaign, which represents a portion
of the thousands of dollars city employees generously raise during the year for various charities.
Giving of your time and resources is a very personal decision and I am constantly amazed at, and
appreciative of, the generosity of our employees. Thank you.
Mayor Law, Kevin McQuiller from Public Works, and other
volunteers helped prepare Thanksgiving dinner for 250.
Holidays a perfect time to relax and reflect
I HOPE THAT everyone
had a happy and restful
Thanksgiving with friends and
family.
The time from Thanksgiving
and Christmas through the
end of the year is the perfect
time to reflect on all of the
reasons we truly have to be
thankful, from family and
friends, to the quality of life
many of us enjoy.
It’s also a time to give
thanks for those who are
no longer with us, including
many individuals who spent
years improving the lives of others. It’s been a tough year for the city as we’ve lost outstanding
community leaders like King Parker, Al Talley, Mike Lowry, Alex and Norma Cugini, Bill Taylor, Jerry
Shellan, Susan Bressler, Dave Thompson and Andee Jorgensen, all significant contributors to the
Renton community.
Additionally many have also lost members of our families and close friends this year who were
important in our life. My condolences to you.
We tend to devote a lot of time stressing over things these days, from local and national politics to
traffic gridlock. But as I get older, I’ve become much more aware that life is precious and our time
on earth is limited. So I urge you to leave the stress behind and devote time to reflect on all the
reasons we have to be thankful.
Albert Talley and King Parker are two of the community leaders
Renton lost in 2017.
Library wins third award
Our downtown library was recently recognized with an Award of
Honor by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). It was one of
only four honored, out of 133 submissions. This was the library’s
second AIA award, having won in 2016 for the renovation.
Our “library over the river” also garnered a Governor’s Smart
Communities Award in 2016 for the partnership between the
city and King County Library System. The two worked together
to completely refurbish the library’s interior and exterior, while
maintaining the integrity of the river and surrounding area.