Redmond Reporter: "Sounding off on last Issue's City Council Letter"

Redmond Reporter "Letter to the Editor"  July, 27, 2017

Phil Miller (Redmond Planning Commission) recently questioned why people without civic experience run for city council. His letter underscores key several issues facing Redmond voters.

First, why are we suddenly seeing so much interest in council races? The trend began three years ago with two levy increase proposals. The council was told victory was a lock. The council even reduced the cost by nearly half. Contrary to conventional political wisdom, Redmond voters soundly rejected both proposals. This year, for the first time in memory, all council positions on the ballot are contested. Each position has a “City Hall” candidate (Byron Schutz, Tanika Padhye and Roy Captain) and one or more “outside” candidates. Neither political party in the districts covering Redmond endorsed a City Hall candidate, another first. Anyone who thinks the levy elections and the current contests are flukes is missing the big picture.

Second, why do people without civic experience run? To get on a board or commission, you must be appointed by the mayor. With more than 30 years of government affairs and transportation experience, I applied four times and was rejected each time. If you represent an independent or contrary philosophy, it is unlikely you will be appointed to a board or commission. If I wanted to be involved in my community, I would have to get elected. David Carson, one of the most engaged and dedicated council members I know, was an outsider when he ran. John Marchione also ran for city council without having been appointed to a board or commission.

The most disappointing part of Mr. Miller’s letter was asserting reasons why all of Jason Antonelli’s ideas won’t work. The attitude is, “You have a new idea, I have complex reasons it won’t work.” In my experience, when the word “complex” is used as an explanation, it means, “you can’t possibly understand the issues, and even if you could, there isn’t much that can be done.” If you don’t like the current situation, accept it or move.

Why do people without experience run for office? Because they are told to stay out of the process. Told not to engage on boards if they aren’t an insider. Told to support tax increases and to trust that government will spend it well. As problems get more obvious and taxes increase, is it any wonder people have decided that the same old routine isn’t working for Redmond?

Hank Myers
Redmond City Council member

Sage for Schools, District 3

Cassandra Sage

for Lake Washington School District Director, District 3

Cassandra Sage has been active in the Lake Washington School District for the past 22 years as an involved parent and PTA board member.  She has four sons, two with special needs, and would like to ensure all our children receive a high-quality education.

“All kids deserve equitable access to high quality K-12 education.”

Nancy Bernard, who has served as Lake Washington School District Director for District 3 for the past 20 years and is not seeking re-election this year, has endorsed Cassandra to be her successor. She has also been endorsed by former Lake Washington School Director Jackie Pendergrass.

Cassandra feels the Lake Washington School District is doing a good job staying on top of technology in education, but would like to see more inclusion of special education students, more vocational education opportunities, and more assistance with college preparation for those going on to university studies.

--Excerpt from Cassandra's website

Steve Fields responds to "Washington Conservation Voters" Questionnaire

Steve Fields responds to Washington Conservation Voters

2017 Municipal Candidate Questionnaire:

---

Steve Fields:  Please describe what motivates you to run for public office and what or who inspires you?

Throughout both my personal and professional life I have been active in environmental protection, conservation, and sustainability.I am motivated to run for public office by a deep passion to ensure the well-being and sustainability of human life and existence. The most dramatic and important inspiration I received was from my then 6-year-old son, who is now 19. At that time, he was crying in the middle of the night and concerned about polar bears drowning and “his planet burning up and why was no one doing anything about it”. It was at this time I left a corporate position to work in local Government. I am also inspired by sincere and involved people from all over the world who address the issues of protecting our planet and work to create environmental quality along with quality of life. Conversely, I am also inspired by organizations who work against the interests of our environmental sustainability and work to expose or mitigate actions and perspectives that promote environmental damage and create an uncertain future. On a personal level,  I have lead a lifestyle since I was a child that focused on reducing my impact on our environment. I grew up in a home where my parents insisted that we to turn off lights and electrical items when not in use. Recycling was a major part of our lives and when plastic and disposable containers become popular my family minimized there use. I have commuted by bicycle throughout my 40-year professional career. I have supported the Sierra Club, was active in Greenpeace in the 1980s and have purchased numerous Robert Bateman art that supported environmental causes (“Spotted Owls Continuation Generations” for example)

On a professional level, I have worked throughout my career on environmental protection. Examples and Highlights include;

Dr. Jeralee Anderson runs for City Council Position 6

Jeralee Anderson

As an experienced non-profit executive, civil engineer, and startup founder, I have dedicated my career to public service and sustainable development.

I am committed to creating policies and making decisions that promote a safe, prosperous, and resilient Redmond for residents, families, businesses, and future generations.

I am a passionate advocate for healthy, equitable communities, and environmental conservation. I will be a voice on the Council representing Redmond’s diverse businesses, startup culture, women’s issues, and STEM education.

I will apply my problem-solving skills and engineering creativity to future-proof Redmond’s infrastructure projects. I will make sure your tax dollars are invested in projects that enhance quality of life and do right by the environment. Together, we will make Redmond’s streets smarter, safer, and better connected for pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and for all ages and abilities.

I would be honored to serve as your Councilwoman. Thank you for your vote.  Endorsed by 48th and 45th District Democrats. 

Source:   Website  www.jeraleeanderson.com

"Meet the Candidates" forum

 "Meet the Candidates" forum, was sponsored by the "Education Hill Neighborhood Association" and organized by Paige Norman.  City council and LWSD candidates participated.  Paige has set up 3 new "Meet the Candidates" forum events for August, September and October. These forums will be for candidates in the General Election -- those that made it through the Primary process.

Thank you Paige Norman!

Osama Hamdan, Position 2, Representing a Diverse Redmond on Five Key Issues is Endorsed Steve Fields

Osama Hamdan

Coming to the US as a refugee with my 
parents at the age of 7, I have had all the opportunities of the American dream. My father always instilled in his children that hard work is the way we can achieve that dream. He started his first job as a janitor in a hospital outside Detroit, eventually getting a job on the Ford assembly line and ultimately opening his own business. His goal was to provide for his family which led to my college education and me joining Microsoft more than 20 years ago. 

I moved to Redmond because I believed it would provide the best experience for my family. My oldest boys have grown up playing baseball on the RedWest Little League and now are both on the Redmond High School Mustangs Football team. My daughter plays on the Redmond Girl Select Basketball team. These experiences have helped my kids build a strong sense of community. They are not just players on a team, but are part of a team that cares for each other. These are the same experiences I want for all our residents. 

Throughout my life I have built a passion for identifying and solving problems. From when I worked for my father in his business to building and running strong teams at Microsoft. I pride myself on understanding the issues from different perspectives and coming up with solid long-term solutions.

Today, Redmond is a great place to live, but we can’t take it for granted. We are at a key turning point and how we manage through the challenges we face will define the Redmond of the future. Traffic and other pressures are only getting worse and we need to do better at solving those problems. Redmond is the kind of community my father dreamed about when he came to America. It has opportunity for everyone and offers a lifestyle where we can raise our families and enjoy our community. Those are the values we all share in Redmond, and with my background and experience, I will work to build a community that lives up to those values.  

ISSUES:  

Fiscal Responsibility:  We need to prioritize spending based on projects that our residents find value and improve our quality of life. 

Steve Fields, Position 2, "Build Community, not Just Buildings"

Promote a Smart and Sharing City

Steve Fields

Our quality of life is good, but as we’ve grown, we’ve been steadily losing ground. Residents have been regularly asked to dig a little deeper to help pay for new parks and new amenities to keep up, but we continuously fall further and further behind while growth happens and developers determine what the look and feel of Redmond is going to be. We should not be a city in retreat. We must turn that around immediately! Our success as a city brings great benefits, also, great challenges. As a former Redmond official said to me recently, “Redmond’s focus over the past five years has been on quantity not quality. The massive downtown buildings lack a creative, innovative architecture design. Getting around Redmond in any mode is stressful. Our open spaces have disappeared.”

We can choose to be smarter and do a better job of managing our growth. This begins with reevaluating how we make our decisions and improve our current approaches and methods to be more inclusive and more comprehensive. Our best city planning resources are the people who live and work in Redmond. If elected, I will be an advocate for community involvement in determining what our city will look like and what amenities we will insist on.

Redmond City Council Candidates Primary Profiles

The Primary Election  of Tuesday, August 1st is over.

This video was deleted by the city.  Steve Fields, Jason Antonelli and Jeralee Anderson, and Byron Shutz advance to the General Election.

City of Redmond, Council Position 2

Osama Hamdan   

Byron Shutz

Steve Fields

Back to top

City of Redmond, Council Position 6

• Jeralee Anderson
• Jason Antonelli
• Roy Captain

This link summarizes the candidate websites & facebook pages --a quick guide to help you vote! 

Cassandra Sage announces her run for LWSD Director 3.

Cassandra Sage

I'm running for school board, LWSD Director 3. Nancy Bernard is retiring. This is my 22nd year in the district as a parent volunteer, PTA member and occasional para professional sub. (In other words, I'm the OLD mom now!).

At the school board meeting last night they adopted a new math curriculum for Algebra I, II and Geometry. It looks like it has online supports/videos. I'm looking forward to exploring it. Since my stepson is in a Transition room and will be heading to Juanita High in the fall, and my next oldest son is enrolling in Running Start (due to medical issues) I felt this was a good time to get further involved to improve outcomes for ALL students. Special Education, Vocational Education, College Prep.... all are important paths!

Cassandra Sage

Sage For Schools

Cassandra is endorsed by School Board Director Nancy Bernard. Other endorsements.