Defeat of the first -and expensive - levy lid-lift was up there for me as one of the biggest events in Redmond 2007. Why does the city give a "property tax increase" the wonkish label of "lid lift"? No one really knows what a lid lift is. (Oh! there's the reason!) This mysterious terminology is just as nebulous as that 4-page "marketing" piece staff mailed -- crammed with vagaries. No wonder citizens clamoured for "transparency". My Letter to the R. Reporter griped about the $50M plus City Hall albatross. I voted for the levy only to support council. It wasn't easy. 60% voted NO vs. safety and park funding.
The election of Marchione was #1 for me. It was historic, with the start of a "Marchione dynasty" and the end of Rosemarie's 16 year reign. It was the first time I ever campaigned and it was exciting. The long process brings out the best and worst in candidates (and their supporters). My blog stories gave me some voice. It was fun! And, the best man for leading the City of Redmond won!
The size and cost of our new City Hall was my #2 story because of it's harm to our budget & city services and especially for it's symbolism of government waste & excess. Why no citizen input on this "project"? The first lid lift lost mostly because of the City Hall. The size and expense of the building demonstrated Rosemarie's power, control and charismatic personality. The Silver Thaw art flood lights outside of the Hall never worked from the start. Bureaucracy at it's finest.
The removal (clear-cutting) of Perrigo Heights hill-top woodlands was a nightmare for the neighborhood. 8 acres of mixed conifer/hardwood urban forest and trails gone. Hartman bog wetlands lost it's shelter from the sun and wind and is drying up. I wrote three columns in the Reporter hoping an angel would step forward. Mayor Ives "partnered" for a cheap deal. The new $70 million City Hall made council feel "cash poor". As Redmond urbanizes, the next generations of Redmonites will pay dearly for our short-sightedness.
The Redmond High School basketball's District tournament wins was refreshing and happy news for this usually gripey blog! "You gotta believe!" ....and our young men and their coaches DID! Did you see any games?
What happened? The city ceded control of the art projects for the city hall and parking garage to 4Culture (formerly the King County Arts Commission). The excuse for this was that the city wasn't going to own the building, but that was just silly.
ReplyDeleteEd Carpenter, the "Silver Thaw" artist, never met with the Redmond Arts Commission. Blue McRight and Warren Wagner, the creators of "River and Rain" at the parking garage, did meet with a few members of the commission, but it was late in the process. They apparently ignored advice that the selected location was not used by pedestrians, so the artwork needed to be visible from a distance or it would get lost.
The result is that neither of the two largest art projects in Redmond fit the city or work well on the city hall campus. Hopefully, these mistakes won't be repeated.
The above anonymous comment was made by a former Redmond arts commissioner.
ReplyDelete"Open Government" & citizen participation had been talked alot by all the candidates during our local election. This is just one example of why...