Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In State of the City, Seattle mayor focuses on economic recovery

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn warned in his State of the City speech today that the economic storm isn’t over. The city faces another budget shortfall in 2013 and more state and federal cuts are on their way.
City of Seattle
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn warned in his State of the City speech today that the economic storm isn’t over. The city faces another budget shortfall in 2013 and more state and federal cuts are on their way.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn delivered his third State of the City Address today focusing on education, public safety, and the economy – noting that the city was knocked down pretty hard during the recession.

He said Seattle lost 35,000 jobs with unemployment peaking at 8.2 percent. But progress has been made.

Since the bottom of the recession, McGinn says 18,000 jobs have been created and the unemployment rate is now approximately  6.6 percent. Still, he says, there’s much more to do:

“There are children in this city who aren’t graduating school or if they are, they aren’t prepared for college or a career. Too many people don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods. Our transit system has to be better. Global warming still looms over us all.”

McGinn also warned that the economic storm isn’t over. The city faces another budget shortfall in 2013 and more state and federal cuts are on their way. He said that bringing new investment to Seattle is a priority, noting his discussions about a new sports arena with hedge fund manager Chris Hansen.

Anyone who approaches the city asking for help to invest in the city, he said, will be taken seriously.

The mayor also address the issues of crime and made animpassioned call for the legalization of marijuana.

On the Web:

Before accepting the position of News Director in 1996, she spent five years as knkx's All Things Considered Host and filed news stories for knkx and NPR. Erin is a native of Spokane and a graduate of the University of Washington and London's City University - Center for Journalism Studies. Erin worked in the film industry and as a print journalist in London and New York before returning to Seattle to work in broadcast news.