State Of The City 2011

Renton business leaders, nonprofit directors, Valley Medical Center administrators, city staff, first responders and volunteers, among others, laughed, clapped and quietly listened in contemplative silence as Renton's Mayor Denis Law delivered his fourth State of the City address.

The lunchtime speech took place today before a packed house at the .

After introducing the Renton's  and former Mayor Don Custer, Law addressed the recession head-on.

"Before I delve into our priorities for 2011, I want to acknowledge two strong forces that were at work last year — one is very positive and one is very difficult," he said. 

Starting with the difficult, Law continued, "The agonizing downturn has impacted far too many of our residents, and the hardships people are facing cannot be overstated."

The city's general fund is nearly $4 million less, and its workforce is 14 percent less than when Law took office four years ago.

The positive force, said the mayor, is that despite budget cuts and staff reductions, "we have kept our commitment to delivering basic services, and we have advanced a number of initiatives to improve long-term quality of life in our city."

Renton's success cannot fall on the shoulders of its government, or select business leaders, or any one group.

"We must take a look at past decisions and be willing to ask more of our employees, and, frankly, more of our citizens," he said. "Lasting prosperity and sustainability must be our top priority."

 The  revealed that Renton is, indeed, a growing city. At 90,927 residents, Renton is the fourth largest city in King County and the ninth largest city in the state of Washington.

The mayor dedicated a sizable chunk of his speech on the need to improve public safety in Renton.

Although crime in Renton is down for the fifth consecutive year, it's also down for most of the region, he said

"Much of our crime is committed by a relatively small group of repeat offenders and we're focusing resources to get these individuals off our streets," Law said.

While the Renton Police Department is making strides in this street-level struggle, the justice system cannot seem to keep pace.

"This is where our criminal justice system seems to break down," he said of one particular case where a 17-year-old repeat offender received a deferred sentence for charges including possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen handgun, felony eluding and possession of cocaine.

"This ruling is very disappointing," he said. "We are challenging the judge to explain the logic of his decision and will encourage the public to start holding judges accountable."

The mayor cited yet another arrest that happened several weeks ago and ended in the . 

 Public safety in the form of ,  and also peppered his speech.

Looking toward the future, the mayor spoke of the city's recent announcement to , , new , , , and the upcoming SIFF Festival. The Boeing Company also received kudos for its continued investment in Renton.

Pushing aside fears of a slow economic recovery, the  mayor said, "When I look at Renton in 2011, I see opportunity. The strengths and assets of our community are many, our people exceptional, and our accomplishments enormous."

In a vow to continue progress in Renton during the economic recession and recovery, Law said city government will move forward with its plans to "lift our economy by our own efforts."

"I hope the rest of you will join us," he said.

The mayor’s speech will be broadcast on Channel 21 and available at rentonwa.gov.