Bergen delegation visits Seattle City Hall

A highlight of One Ocean Week was a tour of Seattle City Hall with the Bergen delegation, concluding with an exchange of gifts in the mayor's office. / Photo: David Kim, City of Seattle

A sister-city friendship strengthened through an exchange of gifts and ideas at Seattle City Hall as One Ocean Week draws to a close

There is the old adage "You can't fight city hall," but at the end of of One Ocean Week in Seattle on the morning of Oct. 24, members of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) showed their visitors from Bergen, Norway, that Seattle City Hall is more than a bureaucratic hub but a warm and welcoming place.

Members of the Bergen delegation included the Mayor of the City of Bergen, Marit Warncke, the Mayor of the Vestland County, Jon Askeland, and Espen Børhaug and other representatives from the Bergen Chamber of Commerce. The SBSCA was represented by President Lori Ann Reinhall, Secretary Julie Pheasant-Albright, and members Kristine Leander and Wendy Jensen. Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss was there to welcome everyone and serve as host for the morning's tour.

Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss (far left) welcomed the Bergen delegation to Seattle City Hall and served as tour guide. / Photo: David Kim, City of Seattle

As Strauss explained, Seattle City Hall is not only home to the offices and chambers for our city government officials and employees, it is nothing less than a "work of art" filled with art and symbols of our local culture. One first experiences this in the lobby, with artworks inspired by the Indigenous cultures of Seattle. Strauss provided a brief overview of their history and efforts now being made to incorporate their voices in city government.

The chair of Seattle's Mayor Bertha Knight Landes is proudly on display at City Hall. / Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall

The group made a stop in the Bertha Knight Landes Room, which was designed for public meetings. Strauss talked more about Seattle history. Bertha Ethel Knight Landes (Oct. 19, 1868 – Nov. 29, 1943) was the first woman mayor of a major U.S. city, serving as Mayor of Seattle from 1926 to 1928. For this reason, her chair has been proudly put on display to commemorate this fact, a reminder of Seattle's commitment to diversity, equity, and progress.

The delegation then walked up the stairway next to the waterfall that runs through City Hall,. The water is a reminder that Seattle is a port city built on water, a fact that is critical to the municipality's life and industry. Once upstairs in the city council chambers, Strauss took the opportunity to touch on the structure of the city's government. A major difference with Bergen is that all Seattle City Council positions are non-partisan. Lively discussions about Seattle and Washington state history followed.

The "blue bridge" at Seattle City Hall connects the council chambers with the city's administrative offices and the office of the mayor. / Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall

They then crossed the "blue bridge," an indoor pedestrian bridge that, like a waterway, spans the lobby and connects the city council chambers to the administrative offices and mayor's office, accessed by elevator to the seventh floor, where there is a magnificent view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Once in the mayor's office, a meaningful exchange of gifts took place. The SBSCA presented the Bergen mayor with three books from Arcadia Publishing: Seattle's Waterfront by Joy Keniston-Longrie, Early Ballard by Julie Pheasant-Albright, and Norwegian Seattle by Kristine Leander. The moment was even more special, since SBSCA members Pheasant-Albright and Leander were present to talk about their books.

There was also a nod to the future when SBSCA member and educational adviser Wendy Jensen presented the first book of her "Scandinavian Hearts" children's series to the Bergen mayor. The book is a celebration of Jensen's own childhood in the Ballard neighborhood, as she writes to connect younger generations to their heritage. Her son, Cole, was there to share this proud moment.

And then there were gifts for Seattle, too. The mayor of Bergen presented the SBSCA with a beautiful book filled with majestic vistas from her city and a Bergen umbrella, so appropriate with the rainy weather that the two cities share.

County Mayor Askeland also presented the new English translation of Hugs kvinnene!, Remember the Women!, a collaborative project between the Norwegians Reidun Horvei and Inger-Kristine Riber and Katherine J. Hanson from the Pacific Northwest region, all good friends of the SBSCA.

The Bergen delegation visited the new Seattle Sister Cities signpost located near at South Lake Union. / Photo: David Kim, City of Seattle

The morning concluded with a quick Uber ride to visit to the new Seattle Sister Cities signpost located at South Lake Union near the Museum of History and Industry. Even though the rain was pouring down, the group took the time to pose for a photo.

With the dedication of the Seattle sign on the city signpost in Bergen last April and now the visit to the new Seattle signpost , it felt like a loop had been closed on what had proven to be a perfect week. A sister-city friendship had been strengthened not only through an exchange of gifts but an exchange of ideas. Everyone is looking forward to meeting again soon.