Last week, Rep. Pettigrew hosted his first conversation hour at Eastern Cafe in the International District in Seattle. Eastern Cafe is a spacious, two-story, sunlit cafe serving crepes, gelato, sandwiches and coffee. It was the perfect venue for Rep. Pettigrew to sit down with constituents in a casual setting so they could discuss their questions and concerns about local issues.
The event was a great success! The owner of Eastern Cafe, I-Miun Lu, told Rep. Pettigrew about a recent neighborhood improvement project in which local businesses banded together to create a “parklette” – a beautiful, safe, common space that can be shared by all. The two discussed ways the state could work with the city and local businesses to make more improvements to the neighborhood, preserve the history and of the international district and also revitalize it and encourage small business growth.
Others stopped by to discuss preservation and restoration of old buildings in the international district. Many of these buildings have not been updated or retrofitted in over a hundred years and are unsafe. This is a project Rep. Pettigrew is already tackling. Additional constituents chatted with Rep. Pettigrew about the need for affordable housing in the district.
All in all, the conversation hour was a great event! Rep. Pettigrew is planning to host several more after election year restrictions are lifted at the end of this year. In the meantime, if you have questions, comments or concerns, please get in touch directly with his office!