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Activist Scott Harlan |
LETTER: Redmond's Ban Cam Activist Scott Harlan writes to "Voters Decide For Redmond", the following:
Council President Richard Cole said in yesterday's Redmond Reporter:
"Council's [red light safety program] decision will be based on the infraction and collision data, not a few thousand signatures.
“Our decision on whether we renew the contract or not will virtually have nothing to do with (Harlan's) signature gathering," said Cole, adding that council members would certainly take notice if Harlan brought in 25,000 signatures. "That would send a message," he said.
Mr. Cole’s dismissal of our effort as being only 1/5th of what it would take to get the council’s attention is a dismissal of the campaign’s volunteers and supporters and their incredible effort. It is a dismissal of at least 3,845 registered voters in Redmond that have, or will, take the time to sign the petition, put a stamp on an envelope, and send it in to us. Please reach out to Redmond Council council@redmond.gov and let them know that it is their job to listen to the citizens of their city.
The initiative law was written such that 15% of the registered voters in a city can sign a petition to put a measure on the ballot (in the case of Redmond, that is 3,845). The drafters of that law wanted to create a very high hurdle for voter access to the ballot. We hope to hit that high hurdle.Mr. Cole is saying, “Thanks for your efforts, but a few thousand signatures is a drop in the bucket. Bring me five times that amount and then we’ll notice”. 4,000 to 5,000 votes is what it takes to elect a mayor or city council member in Redmond. Read More >>
Are those thousands of votes as inconsequential as the signatures from thousands of voters about a topic they disagree on? The citizens of the city have a guaranteed right under the Constitution to petition its government. That right to petition, guaranteed by the First Amendment, provides a critical voice to the people. Elected officials take an oath to abide by the Constitution. Using that tool, in as respectful and civil a manner as possible, the voters are (and will) be telling the city that they want to vote on this issue.
Please send an email to the council at council@redmond.gov . Send a letter to the editor of the Redmond Reporter. Comment on the campaign’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/no.red.light.cameras . Please remind our public servants that they are there to serve the public and not ignore the massive grassroots chorus this issue has generated from thousands of registered Redmond voters. Please have your friends, contacts, and colleagues who share your views do the same. The only thing I ask is that everyone be as respectful as possible. There is enough ammunition on this issue to create a healthy debate. I do not want our comments to be personal attacks.Having said that, I find it difficult to believe that any elected official could so casually dismiss the opinions of thousands of voters.
Here is a link to the entire Redmond Reporter article: Many are asking for a status on the campaign. We’re working very hard, we’re not there yet, but we continue to put in a lot of time and energy to get us over the top. The finish line is well within sight if we execute strongly over the next few weeks.
Thank you,
Scott Harlan
Redmond Ban Cam Activist
Edited by RNB for clarity & brevity
Internet photos
I can understand Harlan's frustration, but I don't think there is a lot of support for putting this measure on the ballot. I received two different mailings asking me to sign and mail in the petition and several petition gatherers at Safeway on more than one occasion. If the support was there, certainly enough signatures would have been gathered to get this on the current ballot.
ReplyDeleteThough I didn't sign the petition, I do admire and support the efforts of Harlan and others to exercise the right to pursue this issue, and city council should respect that as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd that Redmond won't let a few thousand citizens influence a decision on redlight cameras, but will let a few dozen citizens influence their decision on small animal husbandry. But that's Redmond. They do what they want, for their own reasons. They only use resident opinion and support as a manipulated prop to support what they already want to do. This is the real reason the initiative process is so very important here.
ReplyDeletecwittel:
ReplyDeleteI don't normally comment on these things, but a little clarification is required. For some goofy reason, to get something on the November ballot, the city council needs to act by 8/16 (a full 2 3/4 months before the November election). Those rules are set by the county. We started our campaign very late and have a full six months to gather signatures. It would have been a miracle to pull that off by 8/16 and we didn't quite make it. Having said that, we still have lots of time, expecially since the 8/16 deadline is not looming. You did not return the petition in the mail (though I will still anxiously await it!!), but thousands of others have.... If you could see what I can see, you would be blown away by the response. Thanks also for your nice words. Scott