Host Joni Balter will lead an action-packed, three-part April Civic Cocktail, Wed., April 5, at Palace Ballroom, 2100 Fifth Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the program gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are sold out to the event, where the featured guests include two big-city mayors, an Amazon executive and local health-care experts. You can sign up for the waitlist. General-admission ticket are $25.
First up, sanctuary-city mayors are firing back at the Trump administration’s threat to pull federal funding from local and state governments that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement laws. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will join Mayor Ed Murray to discuss American cities’ response to the new administration, from sanctuary cities to the impact of federal funding cuts. And with homelessness on the rise in America’s major cities, the mayor’s will discuss their effort to combat the problem.
Then, John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate and facilities, will discuss how the tech giant is shaping Seattle. Schoettler will weigh in on our region’s rapid growth and Amazon’s plan for sustainable expansion.
Plus, we’ll examine the future of Obamacare with Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and Premera Blue Cross VP of Congressional and Legislative Affairs Leonard Sorrin. They will talk about the fallout from the failed GOP plan to “repeal and replace” and what it may mean for Washington’s residents and health-care system.
Enrique Cerna, of KCTS 9, and Brandi Kruse, of Q13 Fox News, will serve on the journalist panel with questions for the guests.
Civic Cocktail — presented in partnership with Seattle CityClub — offers a night of networking, civic conversation, Tom Douglas appetizers and a no-host bar.
Civic Cocktail, taped before a live audience, will premiere on Seattle Channel cable 21, 9 p.m., Friday, April 7, with additional broadcast times listed in the TV schedule. Civic Cocktail will also be available online for viewing anytime.