Courtesy
More than 75 neighbors came together on March 16 at the Queen Anne Community Center to honor Paula Mueller, a long-standing member of the Queen Anne community who recently retired as chair of the Queen Anne Community Council (QACC).
Upon retirement, Paula relocated to Edmonds with her husband of 39 years, Alan. With District 7 Councilmember Bob Kettle unavailable the day of the event, Councilmember Sara Nelson graciously stepped in to present a formal proclamation signed by Mayor Harrell and all nine City Council members, declaring March 16, 2024, “Paula Mueller Day.”
Mueller has been deeply committed to emergency preparedness planning and previously partnered with the Seattle Hub Captains and MIQA Hub Captains members to hold an Urban Survival Skills Fair. With 25 education stations and 75 volunteers on hand, this event, along with the continual updates provided by the QACC, modeled community-lead engagement on emergency preparedness.
CourtesyMueller also appreciates the importance of neighbors working together to address public safety concerns, first leading a block watch on her own block and later co-founding a Block Captains Network which today includes more than 60 block captains located across Queen Anne and Uptown and is the first and only one of its kind in the City of Seattle.
Mueller’s community stewardship extends to the environment, with her co-founding of the Friends of MacLean Park, a group supported by nearly 100 neighbors that holds twice-monthly activation walks and trash cleanups, and collaborates with the City and non-profits to ensure that individuals in the Greenbelt are provided necessary outreach.
The event was a great way for the community to celebrate Paula’s contributions and forge plans for sustainability. Everyone was also delighted by closing songs from the Seattle Seachordsmen. New QACC chair, Nicole Friedman, commented that “Acknowledging individual contributions and coming together as a community is deeply impactful.”
The QACC meets virtually the first Wednesday of the month, and regularly organizes events and public speakers. Get in touch via queenannecc@gmail.com.