Is Issaquah about to equivocate on prior indications that it would release the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area if it lost the vote February 11?
It did lose the vote-albeit by a mere 32–but outside the margin for a recount. Despite Mayor Fred Butler pledging during his successful campaign for election in November saying he’d release the PAA and not gerrymander it, Butler’s been silent so far.
Councilman Paul Winterstein appears to be equivocating, however. According to The Issaquah Reporter, Winterstein told the county that “Winterstein testified that Issaquah hasn’t had time to analyze the election results and sort things out”
What’s there to sort out? Issaquah lost. Period.
Butler’s silence is disturbing. He needs to step up and honor his campaign pledge. One of the issues in the annexation vote was the inability to trust anything Issaquah says it will do. Butler, as the first new mayor in some 16 years, immediately stepped up to resolve the water wars. It’s already past due to step up and take moves to honor his word on annexation.
As for Winterstein and the Issaquah City Council: enough, already. You lost, and that’s that. Stop holding the PAA hostage. You could have annexed the area in 2005 if you weren’t greedy about the debt issue. Give it up now.
Sammamish Comment 
I’d heard that Sammamish promised Klahanie residents no increase in property taxes…is this true??? If it is, I protest! We pay exceedingly high taxes here in Sammamish & if my tax dollars are going to fund fixing roads, etc. I don’t use, that Klahanie residents do, they have to foot an equal portion of tax dollars. Can you research this? A friend told me this was part of the “sell” in Sammamish’s campaign to see the Issaquah vote fail.