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| Entrance to the Abby Road and Emerald Heights neighborhoods (click to enlarge) |
A compilation of candidate blog reports, stories and opinions is posted at this link. I hope you find some of this information helpful.
I support Steve Fields for City Council Position #2. Mr. Fields is endorsed by - the Eastside Business Alliance, "Friends of Osama Hamdan," King County Democrats (unanimous,) Washington Bikes, former Mayor Rosemarie Ives, among others.
I endorse Kathy Lambert for County Council, Cassandra Sage for LWSD Director District #3 and Vandana Slatter for the 48th LD. -- B. Yoder
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4 comments:
**Redmond City Council Position 6 - Jeralee Anderson vs. Jason Antonelli**
My take is the choice for this seat is between a smart, creative, progressive candidate who surely will bring a fresh perspective to the Council (Anderson) - vs a more unconventional, critical candidate that is willing to do his research and mix things up to hold the City accountable on a variety of issues that residents are concerned about (me).
For example, I was very impressed when talking to Ms. Anderson and hearing some of her ideas about adding additional STEM outreach classes in the programming offered by the City – ideas and views that I think she would uniquely qualified to bring to the Council and that no other candidate has even come close to discussing.
I believe either of us would be a substantial improvement over outgoing Councilmember John Stilin – who I believe had a significant number of shortcomings that led me to want to spend the time, money and effort to run a campaign notwithstanding a demanding job and two young children.
My vote went to Jason Antonelli (I am supposed to vote for myself – right?) – but had I not been running – I would have no problem giving my support to Jeralee Anderson. I would not be able to say the same about the other potential choices for this seat.
Source: facebook
**Redmond City Council Position 4 - Tanika Padhye vs Eugene Zakhareyev**
I first met Zakhareyev at an Education Hill Neighborhood Association meeting when a developer was trying to convince the neighborhood that a rezone to allow higher density multi-family housing along Avondale was a good thing. In this meeting – I was beyond impressed with the command that Zakhareyev had on the issues at play around the City’s Comprehensive Plan, zoning regulations and Growth Management Act – and how these things were being used to justify non-friendly policies by the current Marchione administration unlike in previous administrations.
Since then – I have continued to be impressed with Zakhareyev’s campaign. While his campaign is understated – Zakhareyev has taken the high road in both communicating his positions and engaging with the citizens on topics that are facing the City of Redmond – exactly what I would want in a Councilmember. In addition – I trust Zakhareyev when he says he wants to balance growth with the level of service offered to the existing residents and ensure neighbors have a more meaningful voice in decisions and direction taken by the City.
I think Padhye on the other hand – will not shake things up where things need shaken-up.
In fact – what should be a strength of hers – the near unanimous appointment to the Council when previous Councilmember Allen resigned her seat – is a shortcoming in my mind. Having watched the interview process for almost all the candidates – it was clear to me that the decision process used by most of the Councilmembers prioritized like-minded thinking and ability to reach unanimous decisions that would ultimately lead to voting in sync with the current majority.
My vote went to Eugene Zakhareyev.
**Redmond City Council Position 2 - Steve Fields vs Byron Shutz**
Fields has two important qualities that I think would make him a great Councilmember. First – he shows a propensity to proactively engage, listen and connect with the City’s residents across a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Second – he develops a distinct point of view based on that engagement that he can articulate well and isn’t afraid to push forward.
Having gotten to know Fields a bit this election – I have seen these qualities first-hand. For example, Fields organized a candidate tour of various neighborhood parties for Redmond’s National Night Out and invited all the candidates including a challenger competing for his same position to attend. Similarly, he organized meetings with the City Planning Department – again with all candidates – during which time I saw him represent specific concerns on a variety of topics that he learned about through his citizen engagement.
Meanwhile – having watched Shutz over the years in countless Council meetings and Study Sessions – and more recently sharing the stage with him during two of the three Candidate Forums held during this election – I cannot recall a single unique point of view or thought that he presented that gave me pause to think or reconsider a view I might have. Not so with Fields – or for that matter – any of the other candidates in the general election – each of who have had me reevaluate my thinking on a variety of different topics.
While I am impressed with Shutz history of involvement as most of his supporters point to – I do not believe involvement itself is what makes an effective Councilmember.
My vote went to Steve Fields.
-- Jason Antonelli
Source: facebook
My Letter to the Editor of the Redmond Reporter
The race between Byron Shutz and Steve Fields for Redmond City Council Position 2 is a study of contrasts. Do you want:
Four years of city budget participtation (Shutz) OR 20 years of corporate and Seattle andKing County budget experience? (Fields)
Back-door “Group think” meetings with omnipresent 7-0 decisions (Shutz) OR an inclusive, innovative problem-solving approach with fearless leadership? (Fields)
Community volunteerism with the Kiwanis Club (Shutz) OR a City of Redmond "Community Emergency Response Team" neighborhood CERT volunteer and King County emergency preparedness expert (Fields).
A developer-focused “OneRedmond” board member (Shutz) OR business owner and small business advocate? (Fields).
The choice is yours. Please vote for Steve Fields on Nov. 7!
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