Blethen Way Strikes Chord In Readers
Last Sunday's column proposed renaming a street in the Cascade neighborhood near Lake Union for Col. Alden J. Blethen, colorful and visionary patriarch of The Seattle Times.
That suggestion drew a surprising number of responses.
My thesis was that Seattle has far too many generic street names (Pine, Main, First and Cherry) and far too many streets named for other places (Fremont, Wallingford and Seneca).
The few only-in-Seattle street names mostly celebrate pioneers, land developers, politicians and sawmill owners. Where, one asks, are the streets named for scholars, musicians, artists and journalists?
Response was lively. One woman caller resolutely turned thumbs down, growling, "No way would I EVER want to name a street for a newsman."
But other callers, including several from close-in neighborhoods, endorsed the idea of turning generic Fairview Avenue into one-of-a-kind Col. Blethen Way.
"Count me a supporter," said Eastlake activist Jules James.
A few readers, alas, refused to take the project seriously. KPLU's Greg Coe suggested naming a Pioneer Square overpass for Seattle Mariner CEO John Ellis.
Top gun: A local political consultant, Blair Butterworth of FDR Services, has bragging rights to the top award at the Pollies, the academy awards of politics.
Butterworth won the prize, presented annually by the American Association of Political Consultants, for a 30-second TV spot in which gubernatorial candidate Gary Locke remembers his dad's store being burglarized.
Butterworth says, "In the old days, they used to say that to be considered (for a Pollie) you had to buy an entire table at the banquet."
Not only did Butterworth not purchase a table, he didn't attend. Instead he took his children skiing. He says, "That set me back even more than a table. . . ."
Pollution solution: A Feb. 10 memo from a King County agency explains official policy on radios in the workplace:
"Background music will be allowed in the facilities providing it does not disrupt normal work routine. Background music will be mutually agreed upon between co-workers.
All other radio programs, such as talk show radio programs, will NOT (emphasis added) be allowed."
The memo is to maintenance workers from the county's Water Pollution Control Division. Water and air pollution?
Paramount Patty: Sen. Patty Murray has graduated from modest "mom in tennis shoes" to top billing, one of "the 25 most influential working mothers in the U.S."
She was the only legislator named by Working Mother magazine and honored at a White House luncheon last week.
The magazine cited Murray's work on family leaves, including sponsorship of an act that would allow parents up to 24 hours of unpaid leave to participate in children's school activities.
Ralph's lament: On hearing that the Legislature is considering making the woolly mammoth the state fossil, longtime Secretary of State Ralph Munro commented: "I'm just glad they didn't choose me."
Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Local News section of The Times. Her phone is 464-8300.