I would like to thank the city of Mercer Island, especially Officer Jennifer Franklin, for its support of the National Night Out program.

I recently had the pleasure of planning a National Night Out event for my East Seattle neighborhood. Coming by foot, wagon, scooter and even paddle board, over 40 families enjoyed an evening of getting to know one another. Some had lived in the neighborhood for decades, others for only five days. The highlights of the evening were visits from a Mercer Island police car, a Mercer Island fire car and Mayor Bruce Bassett. Ours was only one of many events on the Island that night. Officer Franklin scheduled cars and civic officials to visit each one and provided all with emergency preparedness materials. Thanks to her efforts, a great time was had by all.

We are already looking forward to next year!

Alex Seidel