Daily Archives: August 17, 2011

Now, on to the election and hopefully the issues

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With the primary behind us, it’s now on to the general election and the issues facing Sammamish.

Here are the issues that are already apparent for the candidates to address in the general election, in no particular order:

  1. Kick-starting the Town Center. The capital markets still remain very tight for development. How can the city help kick-start the Town Center in the continued challenging economic climate?
  2. The Community Center. The city is proposing a concept that I’ve already labeled the Taj Mahal. I previously compared the proposal to city hall: 2 1/2 times the size at seven times the cost. I got some pushback on the price comparison from one of the council members, who questioned the figure I used for the cost of city hall. Even granting his figure–which I don’t–there is a mismatch. In the most recent newsletter, the city cleverly separated the infrastructure price (some $20 million) from the cost of the building ($44 million), saying the infrastructure (improvements to 228th and a parking garage) would also serve the Town Center. But don’t be fooled: the infrastructure isn’t triggered without the community center, and taxpayers will be asked to foot the bill in a bond vote. But is this the best solution? I’m not sure it is. The YMCA has tried for years to partner with the city to build a community center. This would shave millions of dollars off the cost (and the Y already owns the land, by the way) to taxpayers for a similar concept. I don’t think this option has received due consideration. This ought to be a big topic of debate for the candidates. Continue reading →

75% of voters reject Galvin tactics, “policies”

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Update, Aug. 19: Galvin continues his wild allegations. In another comment in the election story he takes my observation about his ridiculous commentary repeated below and leaps to a series of assertions about my “support” for Valderamma. In fact, there is no place, no where and no how in which I have indicated support for any candidate. I declared Wasnick the victor over Galvin, so by Galvin’s twisted logic it would seem I support Wasnick, too.

Why is Galvin anti-Valderrama? Because, perhaps, Valderrama as a leader of Citizens for Sammamish–a group Galvin tried to exercise a leadership role–shunned his tactics and style.

As for my comments vis-a-vis Valderrama and Galvin, I’m merely exposing Galvin’s continued hypocrisy and distortions.

Update, Aug. 18: Here is Galvin’s graceless comment from the story in the Sammamish Review directed toward the vote for Valderrama:

John Galvin on August 17th, 2011 7:00 pm

A clear message that the paper’s editor is eager to hide is that more people voted against Valderrama than for him.

There is a growing discontent with City leadership, with grandiose plans that are never implemented, with policies that deny the future and cling to the past. Valderrama will need to be more dynamic, more substantive, and more independent if he hopes to get elected.

I invite citizens to compare Valderrama’s campaign website with my campaign website.  Which site is more substantive? I know what the Growth Management Act is. I know the city’s comprehensive plan. . I have attended city meetings and forums since 2000 and know all the players. I’ve studied all the confusing city economic reports. I’ve dared to raise issues the city council was eager to ignore. The first round is over, but the fight has just begun.

Humble in victory, proud in defeat. Relentless!

I am more than happy to support those candidates who will bring new vision and energy to Sammamish.

Hardly “humble in victory.”

Original Post:

It’s all over but the shouting, as they say: 75% of those voting in the Position 4 primary rejected John Galvin and his tactics of intimidation, insults, hypocrisy, cry-babyism and his advocacy of policies that would pave over the Town Center and result in traffic gridlock.

It’s particularly noteworthy that Galvin, who had a high profile following his years of berating everybody he didn’t agree with, his constant whining in letters to the editor and his advocacy of building a “Bellevue Square” in the center of Sammamish without the remotest ability to build roads to accommodate the traffic, was thrashed by two candidates who were unknown to the public, save for some road signs and a couple of articles in the local papers.

Continue reading →