Candidate Questionnaire, King County Council District 3

Candidate Name: Kathy Lambert

Your Current Occupation, and the duration in this position:

King County Council Member, District 3

Your Campaign Website:

http://www.kathylambert.com/

Your Campaign Email:

No response

General Questions

Why are you running for King County Council?

No response

What are your priorities?

No response

How would you resolve these priorities?

No response

Finance

King County perpetually has financial limitations. County officials and candidates for office perpetually take about cutting spending by cutting waste and gaining efficiencies, but beyond campaign rhetoric, little seems to happen. What will you do to effect both?

No response

Taxes

The King County Council approved an “Arts Tax” (which tailed in the August primary). There’s been a prospective “homeless” tax (which Seattle Mayor Ed Murray wants to county-wide). There have been a series of other taxes the County proposed during recent years. Following the ST3 tax, which caused sticker shock to many, what is your view generally of new County taxes? Are there any specific tax hikes or new taxes that you will support?

No response

Environment

At this writing, neither of you on your websites talk about environmental protection as an overall County goal or policy. Why is that?

No response

What is your position on environmental protection, including tree retention, wetland and lake protection, buffers, etc.?

No response

How do you balance environmental protection with property rights and development?

No response

Sammamish-Specific

Transportation

Sammamish is now a City of about 60,000 people, ranking it the fourth largest on the Eastside (after Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond). Yet Sammamish continues to struggle to get money King County roads on which residents depend and transit services from Metro Transit. What will you do to direct money and solutions to Sammamish for its residents, who are also your constituents?

No response

King County owns Sahalee Way from the Sammamish City limits to SR 202, 244^th Ave. NE from the City limits to SR 202 and a section of Duthie Hill Road along “the Notch” between two segments that are within Sammamish City limits. This limits Sammamish’s ability to undertake road improvements that may improve congestion. The County has taken the position it has no money to improve these roads in order to effect a congestion solution by Sammamish. What would you do to help Sammamish?

No response

King County approved thousands of homes and commercial development that uses Issaquah-Fall City Road, yet never used its concurrency funds to improve the road. Following the annexation of the greater Klahanie area to Sammamish, the City now faces an estimated $54 million bill to make improvements King County neglected. Are you prepared to seek County allocation of money for these improvements that were intended through the collection of concurrency monies?

No response

East Lake Sammamish Trail

Construction over the current south leg of East Lake Sammamish Trail is back in court over the placement of two stop signs. The County believes the cross-street should have the stop signs and the trail-users the right of way. Sammamish believes it has jurisdiction over how to regulate its traffic control devices on its streets. What is your view of this never-ending controversy?

No response

The Center Section of ELST is the most difficult section that is next on final development. Some homes not only abut the trail right of way but a few are within it. King County permitted these homes before Sammamish was incorporated and now attempts to exercise its property rights which may conflict with some of the homes with conflicts that it permitted in the first place. As the County Council Member representing these homeowners, how would you attempt to resolve or mediate between King County (which you are employed by) Sammamish and the homeowners (whom you represent on the Council)?

No response

Affordable Housing

Sammamish has a lack of affordable housing. Although it participates in ARCH and a Habitat for Humanity project is under development, this is not enough. What would you do as a County Council Member to coordinate with Sammamish to provide more affordable housing in Sammamish?

No response

Why me?

Why should voters choose you over your opponent to represent them on King County Council?

No response

Time for a change, or staying the course

Kathy Lambert was elected to the King County Council in 2001.

For Kathy Lambert: Isn’t 16 years in office enough time for any elected official? Isn’t it time for a new perspective, fresh ideas and eliminating the prospect of an official who has become “ingrained” in the office?

No response

For John Murphy: An elected official with 16 years in office has experience, institutional knowledge knows the ins-and-outs and has established relationships not only within the Council and King County government, but also throughout the District. In this case, doesn’t Lambert have the advantage over a newcomer to the office?

(N/A to Lambert-Editor.)