Steve Fields contests John Marchione in run for Mayor

Steve Fields: A New Voice with the Right Experience for Redmond

REDMOND, WA – You can find him early every morning with his wife at Down Pour Coffee Bar in Redmond, serving up some of the best cups of coffee – and community conversations – on the Eastside. But for the next six months, you will most likely find Steve Fields walking to homes and businesses in his beloved Redmond as he today filed his official paperwork to run for Redmond Mayor.

Steve Fields, 62, is a government efficiency guru who designs and implements systems to bring public budgets under control, making them more transparent and understandable for the citizens they are meant to benefit. For more than 30 years he has worked to improve the performance of businesses and government, helping King County and the City of Seattle become more financially accountable for the services people expect their governments to deliver.

Why is Steve Fields running for Mayor?

“Redmond is changing very fast. We are building everywhere. We have endless traffic congestion. Our parks and recreational facilities are deteriorating, and our neighborhoods are being ignored while we focus our investment on the changes in downtown. We’re losing the beauty that is Redmond; we are losing confidence in leadership that is promoting growth, but does not have a plan on how to manage this growth so it works for everyone.” he said.

“People are frustrated and feel powerless. There is a sense we will just have to endure the consequences of haphazard growth and in the end pay more to cover costs of the infrastructure, parks, and transit improvements for development projects that have not been well planned. The current request for a bond and levy increase this year should have already been included in our budgets. The question I asked myself when I decided to run for Mayor is “How did we get here?”

“The current Mayor talks about the importance of city government living within its means. But are city leaders making decisions that would allow small businesses, retirees, and working families to live within their means?” he said.  

Fields will take on two-term Redmond Mayor John Marchionne. “John has been a good caretaker Mayor and completed a number of city projects during his term, but Redmond needs new leadership focused on efficient government and inclusive growth. We need to find ways out of a bureaucracy that requires constant tax dollar increases but still doesn’t address Redmond priorities.”

Fields is promising a “Field campaign” – one where most of the voters will meet him on their doorstep as he goes to them. “I’m ready to listen, something that’s become a lost political art. I’m also ready to hear new ideas and build community engagement that’s real, not contrived meetings and ribbon cutting ceremonies that lack spirit and authenticity.”

Steve Fields, married to his coffee shop partner, Ronni Fields, has lived in Redmond for almost 25 years. His three children attended Redmond schools and his youngest child, Jackson Fields, will graduate next year from Redmond High School. Steve Fields, a local sports, tennis and health advocate, coached Redmond kids in basketball, baseball, and soccer in Redmond’s recreation leagues. Steve loves living in Redmond. “Redmond needs to keep its heart and soul. It needs to be a livable city for everyone. We can’t let unmanaged growth and government inefficiencies destroy the community we have built and love he said.

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