Category Archives: City Politics

Fourth of July, other events cancelled; City hires a new attorney to advise on growth

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By Miki Mullor
Editor

The Sammamish City Council made several significant decisions on Tuesday during a special city council meeting. 

  • The Sammamish Farmers Market is cancelled. 
  • The “Fourth on the Plateau” Fourth of July celebration is cancelled. 
  • The “Party on the Plateau” celebration (formerly “Sammamish Nights”) is cancelled.
  • Renowned attorney Peter Eglick is hired to replace former City Attorney Kim Pratt on the Gerend case.
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City’s emergency manager transferred amid controversy

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By Miki Mullor
Editor

The Sammamish emergency preparedness manager was transferred to Fire District 10 on March 2 amid controversy that goes across a broad spectrum. The transfer is unrelated to the Coronavirus outbreak.

  • Complaint of harassment and political retaliation levied against council member Pam Stuart by the City’s Emergency Preparedness Manager employee, Andrew Stevens.
  • Stuart subsequently levied a charge of making a threat against Stevens.
  • Stuart complains of Stevens’ wife’s involvement in a Facebook election-oriented group and being “very mean.”
  • Roots date to 2015 during the administration of then-Mayor Tom Vance and then-city manager Ben Yazici, when neglect and equipment failure was revealed.
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City Council Selects a New Interim City Manager

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By Miki Mullor
Editor

The Sammamish City Council, in a 5-2 vote, selected David Rudat as its new interim City Manager. Rudat replaces former City Manager Rick Rudometkin, who was fired after only six months. 

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City listens to Gerend on legal representation in his case against the city

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By Miki Mullor
Editor

  • Former Mayor Don Gerend, suing the city, advises who city’s attorneys should be – and the city is set to award a contract.
  • Mass exodus of lawyers sets up new firm Gerend recommends.

Former Mayor Don Gerend, who challenged Sammamish’s stricter traffic concurrency testing ordinance adopted last year, recommended that the city council keep its attorneys after a group of them defected from Kenyon Disend and set up their own law firm.

And, tonight at the council appears ready to follow the advice of the plaintiff asking the Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) to overturn a piece of legislation that is critical to measuring traffic in future development applications.

The city’s law firm since incorporation in 1999, Kenyon Disend, lost five of its 10 attorneys in November, when those five attorneys abruptly resigned to start their own law firm. Two of those attorneys represented the city in the Gerend case. 

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STCA, Town Center developer, covers Gerend’s PAC $70,000 debt

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By Miki Mullor
Editor

STCA, the Town Center developer owned by Matt Samwick, has contributed $70,882.80 to former Mayor Don Gerend’s Livable Sammamish PAC.

Gerend and Kathy Huckabay, also a former mayor of Sammamish, were the only citizen contributors to Livable Sammamish. Gerend was the public face of the political action committee.

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