UPDATED,11/4: Human Services Commissioner Janet Richards Takes On Incumbent Steve Fields

Councilmember Steve Fields

Incumbent Steve Fields is running for re-election on a progressive platform that puts people, climate action, and careful city planning to the forefront. Outside of the council, Fields owns a local coffee shop and is an umpire in youth sports.

In his first term, Fields points to the city council's declaration of a climate emergency as a sign of progress. He hopes to move forward with policies on sustainability that protect water quality and parks and promote energy-efficient buildings. He also wants to see the city update the downtown urban design code, stating that the process is out of date. As Marymoor Village and Overlake are developed, Fields says he aims to see more community involvement to improve the appeal and function of new development.

Fields generated some controversy during an October 5 council meeting about the county's plans to use a Redmond hotel to house up to 144 people experiencing homelessness. While attempting to convey the concerns of some constituents, he carelessly repeated some harmful comments about people struggling with addiction. Fields later apologized and reaffirmed his support for the Health through Housing initiative.

Fields' efforts to listen to all perspectives and bring people together on the issue of homelessness are laudable. Fields is a good choice to maintain a narrow progressive majority on the Redmond City Council.

-- Progressive Voters Guide

This recommendation is made through the lens of political progressivism.

Progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform ... "a social or political movement that aims to represent the interests of ordinary people through political change and the support of government actions". 

The Progressive Voters Guide later changed their recommendation to favor Janet Richards.

Read the comments

Katie Grainger is running for King County Public Hospital District 2, Commissioner Position 4. Grainger works as a communications consultant with Clinical Care at Providence. She was the first in her family to receive a college degree and went on to earn a master's at the University of Washington. Additionally, Grainger serves as an ambassador with the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation.

Grainger believes her experience living with an autoimmune disease paired with her work at a health care nonprofit makes her well-poised to bridge hospital administration and patient needs while bringing a community focus. If elected, she wants to work on health care reform at the local level in the service of the health and wellbeing of all district residents.

Grainger is facing retired emergency doctor Charles Pilcher. He was elected to Commissioner Position 4 in 2010 and is running to cut funding for services. While Pilcher is the only physician on the board, he does not appear to be a progressive choice.

Katie Grainger is the best candidate for King County Public Hospital District 2, Commissioner Position 4.

 

On the trail to Stehekin / Yoder

Councilmember Vanessa Kritzer Hefts A Monster Salmon

Redmond Councilmember Vanessa Kritzer says on Facebook: 

"This is probably one of the coolest things I've done all year: got to help with salmon spawning at FISH (Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery)! What a great way to see the returns on our chinook salmon by actually wading around in a pool and handling them. Grateful for the work of this mostly volunteer-powered group!" V.K.

Councilmember Vanessa Kritzer, hefting a Chinook   

Ms. Kritzer represents the City of Redmond on the WRIA-8 Cedar Council (for salmon recovery.)

 9/29/2021

 

Highlights From The City's New "Homeless Hotel" Website

 

One of my wishes is the Operator use the homeless
hotel's whirlpool for rehabilitation and therapy.  Internet

 

Did the City recruit the County to locate the Silver Cloud  facility in Redmond?

No, the City did not seek out the Silver Cloud facility in Redmond.

When did the Mayor’s Office make City Council aware of this program in Redmond?

City Council was made aware of the new legislation supporting this type of program through a variety of 2020 and 2021 legislative updates by the City’s lobbyist. **Mayor Birney called each of Redmond’s seven City Council members on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 to notify them of the County’s purchase and intended use of the Silver Cloud Inn in Redmond.

When did the City learn about the County’s desire to locate a homeless facility in Redmond?

In spring 2021, King County informed the City that they were actively exploring locations in Redmond and in late May 2021, Redmond was made aware of the County’s intent to purchase the Silver Cloud Inn. **As this was a private real estate transaction, it was kept confidential, as requested. Redmond first became aware of this potential type of program early in the 2020 legislative session. The City has continued to follow this since the State Legislature passed House Bill 1590 in 2020, which allowed jurisdictions to enact a 0.1% sales tax to finance construction of affordable housing and behavioral health facilities and operations or services supportive of affordable housing residents. In 2020, Executive Constantine proposed, and the County Council approved, this dedicated sales tax. In 2021, the State Legislature passed House Bill 1070, which clarified acquisition of property as an eligible use of these funds.

Will the City consider making it illegal to camp or sleep outside in public spaces?

The City passed ordinance 2911 in 2018 which prohibits camping and storage of personal property in parks, public spaces, and on publicly-owned property when overnight shelter space is available.

Will the City forbid use of drugs and alcohol at the Silver Cloud HTH facility?

The City will provide the same policing and uphold the same safety protocols regarding drugs and alcohol as is provided throughout the community. HTH residents will be considered tenants under Washington State landlord/tenant law and as such will have specific rights with regards to their leased space, which are consistent with the rights all tenants have throughout the city. King County will provide a code of conduct that residents must agree upon to remain housed at the facility.

Will the City be involved in choosing and monitoring an operator for the facility?

Yes. ***The City will participate in the evaluation and selection of the facility operators.

Source:  Redmond.gov/hth (City's homeless hotel website)

**  CM Forsythe and Fields griped in last night's Study session they were notified too late so couldn't participate in the decision-making.**  I'm not so sure about that.

*** CM David Carson said his energy will be put into finding a suitable operator. Thank you David.  One of my wishes is the operator use the whirlpool for rehabilitation and therapy.  

CM Varisha Kahn was not at either meeting to comment.

-- Bob Yoder 9/29/2021

Monthly Financial Report / Annual Impact Fee Report

 

Key highlights from the Monthly Financial Report through August 2021 include: General Fund

 · Total revenues are 28.5%, or $17.1 million, above target. 

· Sales tax is 80.2%, or $12.9 million, above target primarily due to the high level of development activity, which has generated $10.5 million in one-time construction sales tax through August 2021. · Utility taxes are 0.3%, or $23,000, below target. 

· License & permit fees are 28.3%, or $2.3 million, above target primarily due to the high level of development activity.

· Intergovernmental revenues are 25.0%, or $2.6 million, above target primarily due to the American Rescue Act. 

 · Total expenditures are 16.3%, or $16.9 million, below target primarily due to position vacancies, the timing of one-time expenditures, and the budget adjustments adopted by ordinance on August 17, 2021 that impact 2022 or beyond (e.g., $5.0 million in ARPA funding won’t be spent until 2022, and most of the Police body-worn camera program funding is reserved for 2023-2025). 

Other Funds

Mayor Birney's ZOOM Chat With The Commissioners

Mayor Angela Birney gave a terrific talk to the Planning Commission last Tuesday. Her presentation provided a great opportunity to observe the depth of her knowledge, leadership skills and pleasant personality. I left her presentation feeling very confident we are in good hands.  

To hear Mayor Birney's video chat with the planning commissioners click this link. (advance to 1:45 minutes)

To get familiar with the Planning Commission visit here.

-- Bob Yoder, 9/23/2021

Police Chief Lowe Asks Council For De-escalation Equipment

Bola Wrap, Internet

The police department wants to ensure the safety of the community and staff when responding to critical incidents requiring appropriate de-escalation techniques while providing the most current and functional training and equipment. The department anticipates allocating one-time federal funds as follows:

· BolaWrap: The Wrap can safely & humanely restrain resisting subjects from a distance without relying on pain compliance and while keeping all involved safe. When used to control subjects in a mental or drug-impaired crisis, this tool enables officers to keep the community safe and get people the help they need without causing injury. Link to BolaWrap website . ($7,000) 

· Virtual Reality (VR): Axon VR Training provides comprehensive real-world training paired with Taser and other weapons systems to ensure training, coaching, and development for critical incidents. Empathy insights, critical thinking, analytical, and de-escalation skills training are provided. Officer preparedness and tools to identify and address the psychological impacts of the public safety profession are addressed. Link to Axon VR Training website . ($83,000) Pricing starts at $700,  Our police chief wants VR Training beyond his allocation.

· Taser 7 upgrades: Upgrading to Axon Taser 7 provides for the must current platform, integrates with use/training records, and integrates with the Virtual Reality training system. Link to Taser 7 website . ($191,000)  Then ~$60.00/month. [As a lay citizen IMO this upgrade is a luxury; spend it or lose it.]

Committee Of The Whole, memo, 9/22/2021

Reader's Comments On Downtown Building Design

Wow! Thanks for bringing this to our attention Bob, this is a huge planned development. Personally I am incredibly disappointed with the initial design plan of the building, it looks similar to the large block buildings we already have downtown. I think the design review committee needs to start creating expectations for setbacks at higher elevations to allow sunlight in the roads, more public facing engagement opportunities along the street level, and less dark colors but not all white like triangle is. 

Some of the recent projects completely block the sunlight at street level. I think, especially in the northwest, sunlight is an important feature to maintain. Other than that, it seems to be an improvement over what’s there, but the larger plan could change DT Redmond in a HUGE way…If done right, with important architectural design protocols it could be a good thing. If allowed to maximize the property for every square inch, it could just be huge blocks of boring apartment communities that do little to attract people to our downtown. Given the way the city has been managing new development downtown, this one hugely concerns me. There are two open positions for community members on the Design Review Board…Let’s get involved and make some changes! Thanks again Bob!

-- Comment on post:  

https://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2021/09/22-acre-urban-village-is-planned.html

-- Bob Yoder, September, 2021

Firefighter Vaccine Resistance At City Hall

The Fire Chief said at last night's Business Meeting that his department is fully staffed.  He said he lost some well trained employees but was confident with the replacements.  10/20/2021

Redmond Fire, Facebook

To watch the firefighters, and homeless hotel protesters on City of Redmond video click HERE.  (Advance the tape to 2 hours: 17 minutes.) [Homeless Hotel protests start at 40 minutes.]

NOTE:  Firefighter family members visited last night's city council meeting to share their concern that up to 20 employees could lose their job if they do not seek a vaccine by October 18.  Many firefighters and their families addressed the Mayor and Council  emphasizing that in this pandemic none were ever infected. However, early on before the necessity of PPE was recognized four were sent home to quarantine and one quarantined at a fire station. Later the Fire Chief was let go. -- Bob Yoder, 9/212021

###

 -- Steve Kiggins, Q-13, 9/21/2021

REDMOND, Wash. - "Controversy is building in Redmond on whether first responders will be granted a religious exemption from taking the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Family members and firefighters from the **Redmond Fire Department say they jumped through all the hoops to apply for the exemption, but now worry the city might not provide accommodations. 

"For us to even contemplate to fire any of these heroes, shame on us," said firefighter mother Sknge Alsin. "We should keep every job intact."

Alsin’s daughter Kayleight is married to a firefighter. Her husband joined the department after spending 10 years as a Redmond cop. 

The family joined a group of firefighters and other family members who expressed their concerns. 

The City of Redmond says it has 164 full time employees at the department. Firefighters say as many as 20 have applied for a religious exemption asking the city to allow them to continue mirroring the health protocols they have been using since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Last week, firefighters say they believed the city would accept their exemption, but now worry the accommodations may not be allowed.

A city spokesperson said the department is following Gov. Jay Inslee’s state mandate on the vaccine. 

-- Steve Kiggins, Q-13, 9/21/2021, edited

-- Bob Yoder, cc: Mayor / Council, 9/22/2021

2021 Private Development -- Low Affordablity, High Commercial

Rendering of Redmond Square (facing light rail) ckos.com

Recap of Redmond Council's 9/14 Study session:

PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT: Summary: 1) excessive commercial space (office space; industrial; multi-family rentals; and retail.) 2) lack of affordable housing units.  

• Of significance, Commercial Space grew 90% from last year.  7,500sf (2020) 77,912sf (2021)  The senior planner glazed over this; council didn't raise any questions. Redmond is becoming a retail desert.  Our planners should report retail statistics and be held accountable. 
• Staff reported 58 Pre-Applications on all projects under review.  😩
• Nelson "Project One,"  4,316 Sq ft Commercial proposed, 25 Affordable units,Woonerf and Open Space.
• Redmond Square:  623 New units, only 62 affordable units, 30,000 Commercial SqFt Retail is getting shoved out.
• Redmond Sunrise Apartments:  93 dwelling units. 2,000 SqFt Commercial (yes, more) Roof top activity deck and Car stackers. Innovative design! 
• LMC South Marymoor Village: 284 Units, 28 low-cost affordble units. Why is 10% affordable units the city standard for all these projects?  Why not an extra story to incent 25% affordable?
• The Spark, 217 Dwelling units, 12,800 Sqft proposed. Here we go again:  22 affordable units.
• Proctor Willows:  195 Dwelling Units, 20 affordable,  22,000 Sq ft. commercial (yep) Trails/Public Art. (Yay)
• NOTE:  President Padhye asked the Planning Director why 10% affordable units are so common in developments. The Director appeared to brush this aside saying the large projects have a higher percentage of affordable.  Why not an extra story to incent 25% affordable?

This clip was taken during Council's Private Development discussion in City Hall. CM Vanessa Kritzer is the first to speak.  She was concerned with the retail driven out of Redmond Square and other developments.  She thought shoppers may have to take light rail to get their things.  Council V.P. Jeralee Anderson asked Planning Director Carol Helland questions related to parking challenges.  Jaralee is up for re-election in November.  

Watch the video in full screen.  It makes a big difference.

 -- Bob Yoder, 9/20/2021 

Melissa Stuart Runs For Redmond City Council Position 4.

 

Melissa is a non-profit leader with deep experience breaking down barriers for youth and families. She

serves as the Director of Individual Giving at Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. During the

 pandemic, she’s worked to keep students connected to school and parents/caregivers in the workforce.

 Prior to Boys & Girls Clubs, Melissa worked to create affordable access to behavioral healthcare for all

 East King County families at Youth Eastside Services. She’s also worked to ensure education success

 for youth in foster care at Treehouse, and more. She earned a Masters of Non-Profit Leadership from Seattle University.

Melissa served as a Community and Organizational Development Advisor in Moldova with the U.S. Peace Corps. During her service, she worked with community leaders to strengthen youth development programs and with international NGOs to increase the reach of human trafficking prevention programs to rural areas of the country.

On council, Melissa will be a leading voice for urgent action on climate change. She is a known environmental advocate in the city and has served as an Eastside Climate Justice Steward with the Alliance for Jobs & Clean Energy, board member at Zero Waste Washington, and volunteer member of a Sound Transit/Metro 520 Connections Sounding Board. Melissa is committed to working with other leaders so that Redmond can be a leader in climate mitigation and resilience across the region.

Melissa and her family have lived in Redmond’s Overlake neighborhood for 10 years. They love their neighborhood’s amenities such as Indian grocery stores, great transit lines, and good schools. They are very eager for the light rail stations to open, and to one day have a park in the neighborhood’s urban center.

WEBSITE

Redmond 2050 -Sharing What We Heard About Housing

· The community acknowledges the nexus between different housing types and housing affordability and was curious about the aesthetics of different typologies.  

· The community sentiment is to encourage flexibility in “missing middle” (middle class) housing types across the City. However, the community is almost evenly split on whether existing neighborhood-specific policies that restrict “missing middle” should be kept or removed.

 · Questionnaire Comments on Missing Middle:

 o “I do not want to see low income housing in my neighborhood. This would lower property values and impact my ability to resell the home that I've worked hard to own. Should my tax dollar go to help someone else buy a home? No.”

OR

 o “Allowing density is our local way to help fight climate change and increase housing affordability. Allowing the free market to develop duplexes and triplexes is one of the best ways to do this, with minimal negative impact to quality of life. I wonder how Kirkland has promoted subdividing properties and building new modern housing

What do you think?  Email: council@redmond.gov.

What wasn't discussed by the City is a free market plan to develop 22 downtown acres into an "Urban Village."

--Council memo, Redmond Neighborhood Blog report, 9/21/2021

Popular LWSD Board Director Cassandra Sage Runs For Re-election

Director Cassandra Sage

Cassandra Sage was elected to the board in 2017. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education, a certificate in Montessori studies and is a certified P.R.I.S.M (Promoting Resilience in Stress Management) coach at Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

Additionally, she is a Family Centered Care Specialist for SCH and has served on their Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit Advisory Board, their Pain Medicine Board and their Serious Event Review Team. Her work at Children’s involves strengthening the partnership between medical providers, patients, and families to achieve best possible outcomes for kids.

Cassandra serves on the Eastside Human Services Forum board to build stable and equitable services for residents of East King County. She is also a member of Eastside Pathways, a “community-wide partnership on the Eastside that works collectively to attain better outcomes for children from cradle to career”.

Experience

• Elected director of Lake Washington School District, district 3, since 2017
• Eastside Human Services Board of Directors, since 2018
• Eastside Pathways collective impact collaboration – since 2019
• Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) mentor 2018-2019
• 26-Year PTSA and Parent Volunteer, LWSD
• 19+ Year Family Advisor, Seattle Children’s Hospital
• 15 Year Cub Scout Den Leader
• 5 Year Director and Teacher of Montessori Preschool
• 3 Year Teacher of Montessori Kindergarten (all subjects)
• 3 Year Teacher Multi-age Montessori 1st-3rd Grade (Social Studies/Pro-Diversity Curriculum)

WEBSITE

School District V.P. Mark Stuart Running For Re-election

LWSD School Board V.P. Mark Stuart

I am proud to say that the following organizations and individuals are raising their voices in support of my candidacy:

King County Democrats
45th District Democrats

48th District Democrats

41st District Democrats

1st District Democrats

(4 for 4 in LWSD)

Labor Organizations

Lake Washington Education Association (LWEA)

Teamsters Local 763

LiUNA Laborers Local 242

Elected Leaders

State Senator Patty Kuderer, 48th LD

State Senator Derek Stanford, 1st LD

State Representative Vandana Slatter, 48th LD

State Representative Amy Walen, 48th LD

State Representative Roger Goodman, 45th LD

State Representative Larry Springer, 45th LD

State Representative MyLinh Thai, 41st LD

State Representative Shelley Kloba, 1st LD

Tanika Padhye, Redmond City Council President

Vanessa Kritzer, Redmond City Councilmember

Penny Sweet, Kirkland Mayor

Jay Arnold, Kirkland Deputy Mayor

Neal Black, Kirkland City Councilmember

Jon Pascal, Kirkland City Councilmember

Amy Steele Falcone, Kirkland City Councilmember

Joyce Bottenberg, Chair of Sammamish Human Services+

Eric Laliberte, LWSD President+

Ram Dutt, Snoqualmie Valley School Board Director

Roy Captain, Redmond Planning Commission &

Lake Washington School Foundation Chair

Community Leaders

Sarah Perry, Candidate for King County Council

Janet Richards, Candidate Redmond City Council and LWSD parent

Tara Van Niman, Candidate Redmond City Council and LWSD parent

Joan McBride, former 48th LD State Rep and Kirkland Mayor

Hank Margeson, former Redmond City Councilmember

Byron Shutz, former Redmond City Councilmember

Arnold Tomac, former Redmond City Councilmember

Pat Vache, former Redmond City Councilmember

Dave Asher, former Kirkland City Councilmember

Santos Contreras, former Kirkland City Councilmember and Deputy Mayor

Ramiro Valderama, former Sammamish City Councilmember and

Deputy Mayor

Jackie Pendergrass, former LWSD president

Sue Stewart, former chair of Redmond Human Services Commission

Larry Gilmore, Kiwanis immediate past president

Rabbi Burt Schuman

Anu Gopalam

Renay George

Cary Young

Reetu Gupta

CJ Kahler

Mardi Rhodes

Susan Weston

Tori Cannaday Jesse

Lisa Guthrie

If that's not enough. Read Mark's website.

Vishal Misri Running For School Board

 Voter's pamphlet:

Vishal Misri

"This last year has been challenging for everybody. 18 months ago, nobody could have visualized a world where kids were not in classrooms. While our educators have done a great job of adapting to unprecedented times, we have also seen the gaps in our system widen. And while we all hope for a return to “normalcy” we need to learn from this disruption to education and work together in an innovative fashion to move forward in an inclusive, equitable and a welcoming learning environment.

As parent to twins and a member of the PTA, my experience with the LWSD prompted me to join the race to ensure that our schools are ready to meet the challenges and help our children thrive.

I’m committed to draw on my background to bring fresh energy, responsible fiscal management, and innovations to the LWSD focusing on these four areas: equity and inclusion, mental wellness, school infrastructure, and teacher support.

I will be a voice for students, families and community members and will seek out the unheard students and parents. I know with the right leadership, the LWSD can build on our strengths to expand opportunities and deliver high-quality education for every student."

LWSD Position 4  https://www.facebook.com/electvishalmisri/

ATTENTION: The "Redmond Blog" Is Now User Friendly On Smart Phones!

 Redmond Neighborhood Blog is now much easier to read on smart phones!  

 Search "Redmond Blog." Special thanks to the reader who brought this feature to my attention!

-- Bob Yoder

Jeralee Anderson Up For Re-election

 

City Council Vice President Jeralee Anderson

Dr. Jeralee Anderson is serving her first term as Councilmember in the City of Redmond, Washington and is currently Vice President of Council.  Jeralee is running for re-election in November.

​

Professional

In her day job, Jeralee Anderson is the President/CEO and co-founder of Greenroads International, a globally recognized nonprofit organization leading the green and equitable transformation of the transportation industry through education and the independent third-party sustainability certification of transportation projects. Currently, she manages an infrastructure project portfolio of over $35 billion dollars in more than 11 states and 8 countries. She collaborates with public works professionals, departments of transportation, ecologists, planners and designers, general contractors, and multiple non-profit partners daily.

​

She earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and her doctorate from the University of Washington in construction engineering and sustainability, including a certificate in business administration from the University of Washington Foster School of Business.

 

Dr. Anderson is a licensed civil engineer in Washington State and California and legacy LEED Accredited Professional. As the executive leader for the small nonprofit she founded in Redmond, she manages day to day operations and is responsible for governance, board development, program management, human resources, budget, strategic planning, and more. 

 

In 2013, President Obama recognized her and her team at Greenroads as White House Transportation Champions of Change for the 21st Century.  View her Greenroads YouTube presentation HERE.

She serves in a variety of Mayoral and Council appointments including as an alternate on the King County Regional Transit Committee as part of the Sound Cities Association (SCA).

 

Dr. Anderson also is an alternate to the Mayor on the Cascade Water Alliance Board of Directors, and sits on its Finance & Management Committee.

 

Recently, in 2020, the Mayor appointed her to serve on the Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters (LEOFF I) Disability Board.