Sybil Bailey nominated by Mayor, approved by Council Committee for SHA Commissioner seat

SEATTLE—September 14, 2006—City Council confirmed Mayor Nickel's nomination of Sybil Bailey, a long-time resident of Denny Terrace, one of SHA’s low-income public housing buildings, to Seattle Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners this month. Bailey will replace SHA Commissioner Judith Fay who has served two terms on the board. 

“I am very excited by the prospect of working with Sybil Bailey, and I look forward to warmly welcoming her to the Board of Commissioners,” said Tom Tierney, SHA executive director. 

“I have been impressed by her integrity and steadfastness in the face of a great deal of criticism from various housing advocates and other residents who opposed her appointment to the Board.”

Bailey has been involved in community issues since she first moved into Denny Terrace, starting with taking simple actions to make Denny Terrace a safer place to live. She helped start a resident council at Denny Terrace and for the past 15 years has served as its president.

She worked on the Joint Policy Advisory Committee since its inception and for three years chaired the committee.

She later became involved in SHA’s Resident Action Council. She served as secretary of the Resident Action Council for two years, and as president for the remaining eight years. In these roles she helped bring together representatives from each of the duly-elected resident councils within SHA communities.

Sibyl has also served on the committee to help formulate, write, and implement Seattle Housing's Moving To new Ways policy. She has been instrumental in implementing an in-house food bank at Denny Terrace, receiving Department of Neighborhood grants, arranging caravans to Olympia to lobby for residents' rights, organizing and implementing classes in American Sign Language, and making preparations for residents to attend out-of-community presentations pertaining to Office of Housing and Urban Development regulations and other resident concerns.

Mayor Nickels chose Bailey from a field of 16 residents who applied for this volunteer position. She was unanimously recommended for membership on the board by a panel which included a former SHA resident board member, and a representative of the non-profit housing industry.

The seven-member Board of Commissioners, two of whom are SHA residents, is nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The Board of Commissioners is responsible for approving SHA’s annual budget, and for setting the specific policies that guide SHA’s operations.

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