“Hey!” I called out as if we were old friends, before the mayor and I exchanged a cordial smile and shook hands. “You ever been to 8 Bit before?”

I wasn’t surprised when he shook his head. I knew from his bio on the City of Renton webpage that Denis Law has two grown daughters and though I’d only met him a couple times I couldn’t quite imagine him saddling up to a game of Tetris at the new arcade on Third after work.

On the flip side of that coin I could also never have imagined Bill Gates recently dressed in a chicken costume on Jimmy Fallon to promote a viral video about poverty, so I know people do a lot of things you wouldn’t expect when they’re engaged and passionate.

And so here we were at 3 p.m. on a Wednesday at 8 Bit for what I hoped would be a candid discussion about downtown Renton over a doubles game of Ms. Pacman.

As a Renton resident who yearns for a cool downtown to take my family, I’m tired of what appears to be a disconnect between the City and residents about how to go about creating a vibrant and bustling downtown.

This communication gap and lack of progress only seems to have widened after the whole library debacle. And my concern going forward is that this continental divide will impinge future progress.

These days, driving by the empty storefronts on Third is like signing up for a tour of the dashed entrepreneurial dreams of Christmas Past: people who no doubt sunk their life savings and gumdrop dreams into a now failed small business in downtown Renton.

Over the years of writing columns about the business owners in DTR, I’ve heard an earful: complaints about slum land lords locking down any hope of progress; a lack of support from the city on actual dollars spent to help market and promote the downtown; resistance to change from all sides, where new ideas for events are often treated with suspicion and exorbitant city permit fees.

I’d exchanged emails with Law many times about things going on in downtown Renton, and the lack thereof. But after reading that the Old Renton Book Exchange was in the weeds so bad they were reduced to offering a kick starter on gofundme.com to keep the dream alive, I think it’s safe to say without too much controversy that what we’re doing is not working.

I hoped to walk away from my meeting with a sense of exactly what the mayor could do for DTR and to get some specific answers.

Which brings us back to 8 Bit and my meeting with the mayor. Unfortunately, on weekdays, the arcade doesn’t open until 4. Too bad; I had this vision of a photo of me beating the mayor at Ms. Pacman.

So with 8 Bit not yet open, the mayor and I decided to walk over to Common Ground for a coffee.

“So, what’s the problem with downtown Renton?” I asked after we’d gotten our drinks.

“It’s a problem of critical mass,” the mayor began.

I tried not to appear disappointed as he eloquently broke down the need to attract more people to live and work downtown if it is to attract developers. I was disappointed because I wanted to talk to him not as a mayor, but as a person who has the power to move aside from words like “critical mass.”

I wanted to get real.

“I want to write a more personal column about specific ideas that YOU have, what kind of downtown would YOU like to see in the near term, specifically,” I said. “I mean you live in Renton. Like all the rest of us you drive down Third, which compared to The Landing looks more and more like a place where people’s entrepreneurial dreams come to die. As a former highly successful small business owner how does it make you feel?”

If you didn’t know, before the mayor became The Mayor, he had a successful career as a newspaperman. He started the Renton Reporter followed by the Kent and Auburn Reporter and sold in 2000. He is no longer affiliated with the paper in any way.

My impression going in to the meeting was that the mayor has the power to make changes downtown based on his professional track record, which includes accomplishments such as past chairman of the Greater Renton Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Renton Rotary Club among others.

“You’re making your piece too broad. This isn’t about me,” The Mayor said in the confident way editors have of seeing a story that a passionate writer may be too caught up in.

But I wanted the story I was attempting to write to be his story too, in a way that it hadn’t before: less “savvy politician” more “roll up your sleeves Norma Rae.” Essentially, more “chicken suit.”

“Well, unless I’m mistaken at the power a mayor has, it is a lot about you,” I said.

“I want to make downtown Renton a place where the Mary Clymers of the world can thrive,” Law responded, referring to the artist and former owner of Happy Delusions.

“Why is it that a cute shop like Happy Delusions can’t survive?”

Pause.

“Not enough people,” he said, adding, “Thousands of cars drive down Third every day. Seventy-five percent are commuters rushing by and they are NOT stopping.”

As he spoke, the mayor wore a look I could relate to: frustration.

“We’re creatures of habit. We have to give them a reason to stop. Look at The Melrose, it’s packed every night. People come to downtown Renton for The Melrose because they have great service and food, they know where it is and there’s parking, it’s a destination. The Melrose also destroys the myth that businesses can’t be successful in downtown Renton.”

Clearly another issue is the perception that downtown Renton isn’t safe and I asked him about it. When the whole library fiasco happened I was surprised by the number of people who said they didn’t feel safe over by the Big 5 location. As a mom of five, I’ve never not felt safe in downtown Renton.

“It’s hogwash that people say downtown Renton is not safe. It’s very safe. Things can happen anywhere,” Law said. “But its perception and we need to change that. If it means we put police on walking patrols, most people love to see cops and that’s not a problem for the city to provide that.

“Another thing is the property owners,” he continued. “Those buildings next door are low- income housing in a substandard building. The people who live there deserve better. They deserve a nice place to live and should be treated with more compassion.

“I think people want places to go in the downtown; a safe, clean, upbeat environment to do some shopping. We have to attract retailers that can survive. Downtown is going to evolve the way the market allows. We can help it along.”

But I wanted more.

“What EXACTLY is the city planning to help it along?”

The mayor explained that in the short term he wants to turn the space that was once the old Big 5 building into an extension of the Piazza with a water feature for kids to play.

He also wants businesses to know that the city is committed to processing permits quickly: “Time is money and we are willing to bend over backwards. We will also continue to offer deferred property taxes for 10 years to encourage multi-family construction.”

I was also surprised to learn that the City often gives tours to potential developers around downtown, wooing them with how business-friendly the City of Renton is.

In addition, Law would also like to see the old McLendon’s building become an extension of Renton Technical College.

I came to the meeting believing that the mayor has the power and influence to revitalize downtown Renton. And I left the meeting the same way.

The mayor does not have a magic wand, but he can bring people together like the Chamber of Commerce and potential developers who have money to inject into downtown through city sponsored incentives that are too good to refuse.

In a nutshell, he can be a cheerleader for the cause of revitalizing downtown Renton, inspiring confidence and encouraging current and future small business owners to keep throwing their hat in the ring.

I left Common Ground feeling inspired and excited to be a part of an upcoming meeting where Law intends to invite developers (with money), small business owners and locals to discuss potential opportunities.

“There is a lot of opportunity in downtown and we intend to turn over every rock we can to move the ball forward.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be there with my “I Love Renton T-shirt” on. (By the way, you can get your I Love Renton t-shirts in the DTR at pinkpress.com: www.facebook.com/PinkPressScreenPrinting.)