I’m a kind of a community organizer myself but still prefer to take my government piece by piece in chewable, digestible bites. That’s why Monday’s Seattle City Council vote has my interest. At stake, the process by which restaurants and cafes can establish sidewalk seating and impact the public right of way. Sidewalk seating, pedestrian rights. These, I can make some sense of.

Monday night’s City Council hearing on neighborhood planning? You couldn’t make this stuff be any more esoteric. Give me three reasons why the Monday night meeting matters. I’m looking for a translation of this big muddle the city is planning. In the meantime, I’ll continue my internal debate on the streamlining of government in the name of an improved business environment vs. the citizens’ right of way.