By Miki Mullor
Editor
Karen Howe has filed for candidacy for City Council seat 4, opposing Ryika Hooshangi. Howe ran in the last election and lost to Deputy Mayor Karen Moran.
On her website, Howe lists the following as her top issues:
- Champion parks and natural spaces; prioritize completion of the park’s 6-year capital improvement plan
- Provide safe roads, sidewalks and bike paths + enhance all public transportation options
- Broaden regional outreach to ensure Sammamish resident’s interests are represented
- Leverage my experience in child and youth advocacy to serve our youngest community members
- Utilize my business background to ensure prudent and transparent management of funds
Copyright (c) 2022 The Sammamish Comment
Sammamish Comment 
What is Ms. Howe’s view on the most important topic, development in Sammamish? Does she favor more or less? Does she favor the Town Center development? I could be wrong but since she wants to “enhance all public transportation options”, that probably means she is for the Town Center development since that plan includes a Transit Center downtown, which is a horrible idea that will bring even more congestion to an already clogged 228th. Sometimes, not saying something is really saying something.
I’m very thankful we ended up with Council member Karen Moran. She has been fantastic in helping to curb over development in Sammamish incl. putting the kibosh on the ill-conceived Town Center. Sammamish needs either a moratorium on all new development or a new rule that mandates no more than U1 (one home per acre) on all new development. I hope we can get this passed while Tom Hornish is still around.
Karen Howe is cut from the same cloth as Indapure, Stuart, and Ritchie. Someone from CFS or the Facebook mob should step up to the plate.
That said, it’s a battle not worth fighting. Developers are going to sue the city for projects that fail concurrency for which the city doesn’t fund improvements, the city will lose given the current political ideology of courts in the county and state, and all we will have accomplished is to delay the inevitable. Sammamish’s fate was sealed when it was included inside the urban growth area back in the early 1990s.
I am no longer a citizen of Sammamish (hence the moniker change), having seen the writing on the wall for some time. For all that are “up in arms” about the current situation, I would highly suggest moving out of the urban growth area and enjoy the lack of development, peace, and quiet. I can’t believe it took our family this long to do it… it was the best decision we made in years.