- There will be a candidates forum Wednesday, October 7, at 7pm at the Boys and Girls Club, Inglewood Hill Road and 228th Ave. NE. It is sponsored by the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and the Sammamish Rotary. It will not be videotaped or broadcast on Sammamish TV Channel 21, so this is your only chance to see the candidates and ask questions in a forum.
Beginning Thursday and continuing today for five consecutive posts, Sammamish Comment will provide information about the five active candidates for Sammamish City Council running for Positions 2, 4 and 6. There is a sixth candidate, but he dropped out of the race two months after entering, but too late to withdraw his name from the ballot. Sammamish Comment began with Position 2 and will continue in order. Each profile will be for one candidate. Information will come principally, but not entirely, from the candidate’s website and the Public Disclosure Commission.
Ramiro Valderrama
Valderrama’s opponent is nominally Hank Klein. He filed in May to run against Valderrama but dropped out of the race in July, citing personal reasons. It was too late to remove his name from the ballot.
Previous profiles:
Position 2:
Today:
Position 4: Ramiro Valderrama
Biography
Valderrama is a co-founder of the Citizens for Sammamish grass roots advocacy group. He was elected to the City Council for his first term in 2011. He is a graduate of West Point (the US Military Academy) and he has four children.
Issues
Valderrama lists the following as his key issues:
- Fiscal responsibility
- Respect for and increased citizen participation
- City accountability and transparency
- Respect and Balance for Lake environment and tree retention
- Manage growth and increased mobility
- Build on the City’s diversity
Endorsements
Valderrama has more than 100 endorsements on his web site, including Republicans, Democrats, Independents, environmentalists, elected officials and organizations.
Among them:
- Doug Eglington, former member of the Lake Washington School Board and currently a Parks Commissioner
- Larry Crandall, planning commissioner
- Karen Moran, former planning commissioner and current on the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District
- Erica Tiliacos, former planning commissioner and environmentalist
- Mahbulbu Islam, former planning commissioner
- Fred Butler, Mayor of Issaquah
- Wally Pereyra, environmentalist
- Di Irons, activist and environmentalist
- Mary Doerrer, environmentalist
Financial Contributions
Financial contributions are one way to gauge support.
Valderrama raised $11,736, including a loan of $179 of his own money from 82 individuals and organizations.
- All data, websites and PDC reports current as of Sept. 28, 2015.
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