 Municipal
League of King County
2001 Civic Award Winners
For 42 years the Municipal League of King County has annually celebrated a
select number of community and government leaders. Over the past four decades
more than 200 individuals and organizations have been honored as exemplars of
public service including Jim Ellis, Walt Hundley, Mary Gates, Edward Carlson,
and Charles Odegaard, Dave Horsey, and Scott Oki. The organizations have been
equally varied: The League of Women Voters, the Seattle Central Area Advisory
Group, PONHCO, the Washington Business Roundtable, and KIRO. The 2001 honorees
maintain the high standards set by previous award winners.
 This year the Municipal League paid tribute to an outstanding group of
individuals and organizations at the Civic Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 8,
2001 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Washington State Convention Center.
It’s a pleasure to recognize leadership in our region, particularly at a
time when we are in such need of it,” said Municipal League Chair Tom Albro.
This year’s award recipients include individuals and organizations distinguished
in their ability to focus on the public interest and to inspire others to work
for the general benefit of our region.
The 2001 Civic Award winners are:
Citizen of the Year: Assunta Ng, Publisher, Northwest Asian Weekly and the
Seattle Chinese Post
 Born in China and raised in Hong Kong, Assunta Ng immigrated to the United
States in 1970. Putting herself through college, she graduated from the
University of Washington with a B.A. in Journalism and Education in 1974. In
1979 she completed an M.A. in Business Administration and Speech Communications.
Since founding the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post in 1982,
Assunta Ng has maintained the highest standards of journalism in her coverage of
local and regional issues, particularly those affecting Asian communities
throughout the Northwest. Beyond providing a voice and a forum for the Asian
communities, Ms. Ng has given tirelessly of her time and energy, serving on the
boards of many non-profit organizations, and as a volunteer moderator of
political forums and debates. In 1994 she founded the Northwest Asian Weekly
Foundation to provide training programs for youth; in 1996 she founded Women of
Color Empowered.
For more information contact: Assunta Ng, 206-223-0623
Assunta Ng's guests enjoy the Civic Awards program
Public Employee of the Year: Jim Diers, Director, Seattle Department of
Neighborhoods
 Jim Diers is a 1975 graduate of Grinnell College and moved to Seattle in
1976. He worked for many years as a community organizer, including six years at
Group Health, before Mayor Charles Royer appointed Jim Diers to shape the City
of Seattle's Neighborhood Planning and Assistance Program in 1988. Diers has
shaped a department that is responsive to citizen needs and focused on
preserving and strengthening the local character of the cities diverse
neighborhoods.
The Department of Neighborhoods manages 13 neighborhood-based Little City
Halls and 55 community gardens through the P-Patch Program. Through the $4
million Neighborhood Matching Fund it supports some 250 neighborhood-based
self-help projects every year. The Matching Fund has been recognized by the Ford
Foundation and Kennedy School of Government as one of the most innovative local
government programs in the United States. The Department also manages the City's
historic preservation program, and a leadership training program; it has worked
with cities throughout the United States and around the world to help them
replicate many of these programs.
Diers also oversaw the four year Neighborhood Planning process, which
involved 20,000 people in the development of 37 neighborhood plans; the
Department is now coordinating across agencies and with the community to
implement the plans' approximately 5,000 recommendations for transportation
improvements, additional open space and recreation opportunities,
neighborhood-specific design guidelines, affordable housing, economic
development, public safety, human services, and arts and culture.
For more information contact: Jim Diers at 206-284-0464
Public Official of the Year: Larry Phillips, Metropolitan King County
Council
 Larry Phillips is a Northwest native, graduating from Queen Anne High School
in 1969. He graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Political
Science in 1973, then obtained a law degree in 1976 from Willamette University
and a Master of Law from George Washington University. Phillips began his career
in public service as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Henry Jackson from 1977
–81, before serving as chief-of-staff to King County Executive Randy Revelle.
Elected to the State Legislature in 1988, he served two terms representing the
36th District. In 1991 Phillips successfully ran for a position on the King
County Council – he was re-elected to his third term in 1999.
For the past decade, Larry Phillips has been a leader in protecting and
enhancing the quality of life in King County through his work on growth
management and protecting our natural resources. Among his many notable
achievements are spearheading the Waterways 2000 program, which has identified
and acquired over 1,800 acres of prime salmon habitat for preservation, and his
work as chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee, which led to the adoption
of the Regional Wastewater Service Plan. The plan provides for construction of a
third waste treatment plant, promoting conservation and preserving water
quality. Most recently, he worked to establish the Snoqualmie Preservation
Initiative, working with non-profit and private organizations, and local
officials to preserve 10,000 acres of King County forestlands, while protecting
views of Snoqualmie Falls and maintaining long-term forestry activities in the
Snoqualmie Basin.
For more information contact: Larry Phillips at 206-296-1004
Business of the Year: Washington Mutual
 Even as it has grown from a local savings bank to the largest savings
institution in the country, Washington Mutual has maintained a strong commitment
to giving back to the communities where it does business. One example of this is
the company program that allows employees to take four hours of paid release
time every month to do volunteer work. The company also opens its management and
computer training programs to local non-profits at free of charge. Washington
Mutual has a particular commitment to K-12 education and to supporting
affordable housing programs. In addition to its work in the community,
Washington Mutual is nationally recognized as one of the best companies to work
for, particularly for women, people of color and people with disabilities.
For more information contact: Libby Hutchinson at 206-461-2484
Organization of the Year: Providence Mount Saint Vincent
 Established nearly 80 years ago by the Sisters of Providence (Providence
Health System), The Mount is a national leader among long-term care facilities
who look to its models in resident-directed care, employee retention and
resource sharing. Serving more than 400 older adults and others who need help
caring for themselves, The Mount also provides an Intergenerational Learning
Center serving 125 children between 6 weeks and 5 years old; a transitional
medical rehabilitation unit; vocational training; a Wellness Clinic and many
other services – in fact, The Mount is the largest employer in West Seattle.
For more information contact: Daneen Calvin, 206-938-6191
James R. Ellis Regional Leadership Award: Margaret Pageler, Seattle City
Council
 Although her father's family came to Seattle almost a century ago, Margaret
Pageler was born and raised in China and Taiwan where her parents were
missionaries. A lawyer by profession Pageler has a J.D. from the University of
Chicago. First elected to the Seattle City Council in 1991, she was re-elected
for a third term in November 1999. In January 2000 Margaret was elected by her
colleagues to be President of the Council.
As Seattle City Council President and as chair of the Council’s Legislative &
Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Margaret Pageler has worked to coordinate
the efforts of the Seattle City Council with other regional governments. She was
instrumental in bringing together the cities and the county to form and fund
Watershed Resource Inventory (WRIA) forums in WRIA 8 & 9, which encompass most
of King County. “Margaret is a voice of great pragmatism, who brings the
conversation back to what can actually be accomplished instead of building
castles in the air.”, said Deb Eddy, Executive Director of the Suburban Cities
Association. Pageler and key suburban city leaders developed an agreement
binding all of the cities to pay for WRIA planning, including habitat
preservation for endangered Chinook salmon.
For more information contact: Margaret Pageler, 206-684-8807
Warren G. Magnuson Award: Richard Thompson
 This award is given to the individual who, while serving in a public office
outside of local government, has made a significant contribution to the
enhancement of local government. Dick Thompson exemplifies the spirit of public
service. In the past 20 years he has served as director of the Department of
Community Development and later as Secretary of the Department of Social and
Health Services in the Gardner Administration; under Governor Locke, Thompson
served as Director of the Office of Financial Management. Prior to serving in
the Locke Administration, he served four years as president of United Way of
King County. In all of his activities, Dick Thompson has embodied the highest
standards of integrity, hard work public service.
For more information contact: Dick Thompson, 206-543-7604
Doug Mason Memorial Award: LaiLani Ovalles & Norma Straw, Co-Directors,
 Young Adult Civic Connector Initiative at Metrocenter YMCA
The Doug Mason Memorial Award is given to a person age 35 or under, who
during the previous year made a special contribution to the civic life of King
County.
This year’s award recognizes the significant accomplishments of LaiLani
Ovalles and Norma Straw at in creating and developing programs to promote civic
engagement and leadership among young adults through the Metrocenter. Funded by
a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, Metrocenter is one of six pilot sites in
the nation established to increase and strengthen civic involvement among young
adults aged 18 – 29 years old.
They achieved a notable accomplishment in April 2001 with the passage of an
ordinance by the Seattle City Council mandating youth representation on a number
of city boards and commissions, including the Human Rights Commission and the
Technology Advisory Board.
LaiLani Ovalles has B.A. in Speech Communication from University of
Washington. She has worked as an AmeriCorps youth volunteer and as a Service
Learning and Youth Involvement Specialist at the Office of the Superintendent of
Public Instruction, and she has facilitated Leadership Non-violence workshops
for the Institute for Community Leadership.
Norma Straw received a B.A. in Political Economy at Evergreen State College.
Before coming to the Metrocenter, she was a Executive Director of The Foundry,
the non-profit arm of the Speakeasy Café and also worked as a Youth Involvement
and Leadership Specialist for the Office of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction. She is a former board member of the national Points of Light
Foundation and also served as a trustee for Youth On Boards.
For more information contact: LaiLani Ovalles or Norma Straw,
206-382-5348
Enjoying the show
League Trustee Tom Tierney shakes hands with guests.
Keynote address by Louise Miller
Photos on this page taken by Magda England, and edited by
David Bangs.
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