Part I - Over 250 Russian and Egyptian citizens turn-out at recent City Hall meeting.

The last City Council meeting (11/17) could be labeled "organized chaos", "a monster meeting", "history in the making".   For Mayor John Marchione it was a home run.  One of  Marchione's Budget priorities is to "build a sense of community and connections with others" and to measure it by counting  turnout at council meetings. Probably, close to 300 citizens showed up!  See for yourself  here.

Two items of  "new business" caused the high turnout;  the Christian Egyptians of NE Rose Hill and the Russians of Overlake, trying to establish their cultures and connect their citizenship to the Greater Redmond community.  (Coptic church painting on left).

More than half  were members from St. George Coptic Orthodox Church - a growing, peaceful community of Christian Egyptians seeking  freedom from religious prosecution in America.   The *church members came to Council seeking a sewer line extension to service a new church they've planned in NE Rose Hill.  The project site is on county land planned for annexation.  The annexation currently has 59% election approval: it needs 60% approval for annexation into Redmond.

Councilmember Richard Cole laid the hammer down referring to Redmond's long-standing urban growth boundary policy denying city sewer extensions into the County.  Mayor Marchione summed up the Council's decision stating:

"We welcome the St. George Coptic Church into the community, but this in not the vehicle in which  to do it.  The vehicle is through annexation."

Greater Redmond christian Egyptian immigrants may not have achieved the immediate infrastructure connection they had hoped, but they made significant progress towards connecting their culture and building our Greater Redmond community.

* Members of the Coptic church presently holds services in space leased from Rev. Tim White's, Washington Cathedral.   Rev. White addressed the Council speaking in support of the church community.

The Russian community of Overlake story will be presented in Part II, above this one.

by Bob Yoder

Ordinance approved, 12/14  http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/citycouncil/20091215pdfs/AM09296.pdf