The Times just posted that West Seattle’s ex-city councilmember and citizen activist Charlie Chong is gone. Most recently, as we mentioned in February, he had lent his support to the Charlestown Cafe campaign, although we’ll always remember him best for the snowplows. 11:15 AM UPDATE: The P-I has an article up now too.
Nearly two decades ago you taught my brother and me well how to organize and agitate. Our little neighborhood around 51st and Prince Street would be vastly different today had you not been there to mentor and guide our rag-tag “Friends of College Street Ravine” to victory. In your memory we will renew our community effort to restore our hard-won neighborhood green space. Farewell, Charlie.
Charlie was one of the very few “public” people that you could say hello to anywhere, and get a big smile and hello right back. His enthusiasm for a high quality of living in West Seattle will be missed.
Thats too bad. I always gave Charlie props, met him once at Thriftway and told him so. RIP.
as a kid, I used to deliver the WS Herald to Charlie Chong.
He was the lightning rod that the city council needed – it’s too bad he didn’t fit in too well with the perennially 9-0 voting city council and no such councilman has filled the void after he left.
RIP
As a West Seattle resident, I had the occasion to run into Charlie throughout the years. He was always approachable and friendly whether working on an issue or serving as an usher in church. I truly mourn the loss of Charlie….a real man of the people.
Rest in Peace, Charlie.
I attended several of his Neighborhood Rights meetings in the ’90’s, and by that was inspired to atttend, and nervously speak at a meeting with the Jim Street led City Council at Gatewood Elementary, giving my opinion of the then proposed Urban Villages.
I also saw him once or twice, in recent years, patronizing my current place of employment.
You were one of a kind, Charlie!
Mike
what a dear, dear man…his presence made us all in West Seattle the better for it…he will be missed…
Charlie you will be missed.
Charlie was instramental in my introduction to city politics. He was always calm and positive. Even though I only got to meet with him twice for a very short time, he always remembered my name and the names of my kids when I would bump into him around West Seattle. I really will miss him.
RIP Charlie… you’ll be missed.
My fond memories of Charlie Chong were seeing him ride the same Metro bus that I did and bumping into him having breakfast at The Chelan Cafe. Definitely a man of the people.
RIP Charlie.
You added a desperately needed spice to the council that few, if any, will be able to fill.
The only consolation, in my mind, is knowing that Charlie is working hard to make the afterlife an egalitarian place for all of us who will follow. (since we all have to die some day!) I will miss him here on this plane.
Charlie had an enormous influence on my life, more than any of the landscape architecture professors at the U. Before myriad groups began forming to save their favorite green space, Charlie had a simple idea.”We are going to save this ravine, and we are going to secure a grant to ‘beautify’ it, and you are going to design that,” he told me. That sent me down the path of ecological restoration, a path which I am still on. I’ll plant a tree for you Charlie, but I’ve already planted thousands.
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