Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee Discusses Quynh Pham Appointment on April 22, 2026
Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee Discusses Appointment of Quynh Pham as Director of Department of Neighborhoods on April 22, 2026
The Seattle City Council's Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee met on April 22, 2026, from 9:32 AM to 10:15 AM to discuss the appointment of Quynh Pham as Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for a term ending December 31, 2029. The meeting included public comment, a presentation by the Mayor's Office, and initial questions from councilmembers. A second meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2026, to continue the confirmation process.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Seven speakers addressed the committee (six in-person, one remote), plus one additional speaker who arrived late. All but one speaker expressed strong support for Quynh Pham's appointment.
- Jamie Lee (Seattle Chinatown District Preservation Development Authority) spoke in support, noting she first met Pham 12 years ago and highlighted her work building Friends of Little Saigon from the ground up.
- Mike Stewart (Ballard Alliance) called Pham an excellent partner and collaborator, praising her communication and leadership.
- Sue Taoka (community member, decades of experience in International District/Little Saigon) described Pham as an outstanding young leader who listens and understands complexity.
- Matt Hayashi (community member) commended Pham's unique blend of kindness and effectiveness, especially in a historically important neighborhood facing challenges.
- Michael Winkler Chin spoke about Pham's ability to handle "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in neighborhoods and her tactical approach to implementation.
- Lauren Lundberg (Soto Business Improvement Area) expressed strong support, citing Pham's commitment to community engagement and translating voices into action.
- Susan Leo (friend) endorsed Pham as a leader with strategy, humility, and integrity, noting her deep understanding of community issues.
- One remote speaker (David Aynes) spoke critically, accusing Little Saigon of being a headquarters for fraudulent activities and criticizing the city's library policies and union practices. He expressed frustration that the agenda did not include library improvements.
Discussion Items
- Committee Chair Maritza Rivera opened the meeting, noting this was the first of two meetings on the appointment. She invited councilmembers to submit written questions for Pham to answer before the next meeting on May 13.
- Mark Ellerbrook (Deputy Director of Operations, Mayor's Office) introduced Pham, highlighting her 14 years as a community leader, her role at Friends of Little Saigon, and her participation in the inaugural cohort of the People's Academy for Community Engagement (PACE) in 2012.
- Quynh Pham delivered a prepared statement, sharing her personal story as a first-generation immigrant from Vietnam, her work in the Chinatown-International District (CID), and her vision for the Department of Neighborhoods (DON). She outlined three pillars: strengthening relationships, aligning collaboration, and evaluating for impact. She cited key statistics from DON programs:
- Neighborhood Matching Fund: $2.3 million awarded to 112 community-driven projects in 2025.
- P-Patch Gardens: Plot fee assistance for 768 multicultural families, 33,000 volunteer hours, and 41,000 pounds of produce donated to local meal programs.
- Councilmembers asked questions or offered comments:
- Councilmember Foster recalled working with Pham nearly a decade ago and praised her vision and collaboration.
- Councilmember Rinck asked about community safety and capacity building. Pham responded that communities define their own safety needs and DON helps build capacity and connect partners. Rinck also asked about PACE; Pham described it as a valuable program for understanding government and expressed interest in expanding it.
- Councilmember Lin (remote) expressed excitement for Pham's leadership, especially on public safety and community building.
- Council President Hollingsworth (remote) commented on DON's role as a resource for communities lacking access to traditional city departments, calling it "the womb of Seattle."
- Chair Rivera thanked Pham and her staff, citing the FoDEP (Friends of Little Saigon?) initiative as a model for community-led public safety.
Key Outcomes
- No vote was taken; this was a briefing and discussion session.
- Councilmembers will submit written questions to Pham by a deadline set by the Chair's office, and Pham will provide written responses before the next meeting.
- The second part of the confirmation process is scheduled for the committee's next meeting on May 13, 2026, at 9:30 AM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good morning, everyone. Good morning. On this rainy Seattle morning. The April 22nd, 2026 meeting of the Libraries Education and Neighborhoods Committee will come to order. It's 9 32 a.m. I'm Maritza Rivera, Chair of the Committee. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Foster. Here. Councilmember Lynn. Councilmember Rink. Present. Vice Chair Hollingsworth. Present. Chair Rivera. Present. Four council members are present. Great. Good morning again. Uh to colleagues, to those of you watching on the Seattle channel, and to those of us, those of you who've joined us in chambers. Today we will start the confirmation process for Department of Neighborhoods Acting Director, Quinn Fam. The mayor's office will introduce Director Femme, and then you will have an opportunity, colleagues, to ask questions after. But before we get into that, we will begin with public comment. So on to today's agenda. If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted. We'll now open the public hybrid uh comment period. Public comment should relate to items on the agenda or within the purview of this committee. Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today? Currently we have six in-person speakers and one remote speaker. Thank you, Clerk. So we will have give uh each speaker two minutes. We'll start with in-person speakers and then go to speakers online. Uh clerk, will you please read the public comment instructions? The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner. The public comment period is up to 60 minutes. Each speaker will have two minutes. Speakers will be called in the order in which they registered. We'll start with in-person speakers first and then remote speakers until the public comment period has ended. Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time. The public comment period is now open. We will begin with the first speaker on the list. Thank you, Clerk. All right. All mics are um live. So if you want to step up, I'm gonna call a few at a time, and you're welcome to step up to a mic. Um, Jamie Lee, Mike Stewart, Sue. Um to I am so sorry. Talca. Thank you, Sue.
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