Friday, March 4, 7 p.m., Cable 21, City Inside/Out with C.R. Douglas looks at the challenges facing the City’s Department of Neighborhoods. What does the future hold for this department that helps connect residents to city government? Guests are former Department of Neighborhoods’ Director Jim Diers, City Neighborhood Council’s Chas Redmond and Downtown District Council’s Laine Ross.

SEATTLE — The Department of Neighborhoods is often the main link that residents have with City Hall. Recently, Mayor Mike McGinn decided not to re-appoint Stella Chao to another four years as the department’s director This came on the heels of his proposal to cut the department’s budget. Some people are wondering what the mayor’s commitment is to the department’s mission of serving neighborhoods. This week on City Inside/Out, host C.R. Douglas interviews former department director Chao and as well as neighborhood activists about the department’s past, present and future.

Our studio guests are former Department of Neighborhoods’ Director Jim Diers, City Neighborhood Council’s Chas Redmond and Downtown District Council’s Laine Ross. We ask them: What should the department be doing? How do you empower neighborhoods? Does the City really want engaged citizens or only willing footsoldiers?

Whether you live in a Seattle neighborhood, work at City Hall or both, you don’t want to miss this discussion on City Inside/Out, Friday, March 4, 7:00 p.m., SEATTLE CHANNEL, Cable 21 or wwwseattlechannel.org! Did you see our latest journalists’ roundtable? Watch it now by visiting http://www.seattlechannel.org/CityInsideOut/.

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