Category Archives: City Politics

SCA endorses Mass Transit “Principals;” Sammamish lone dissenting vote

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City_of_SammamishThe Sound Cities Assn. (SCA) approved a resolution endorsing “principals” of mass transit for the Sound Transit taxing district (roughly Everett to Tacoma, Seattle to Sammamish) with Sammamish as the lone dissenting vote.

Four other members of SCA which are not in ST district abstained.

A majority of the Sammamish City Council opposed the “principals” as a thinly disguised endorsement of the $50bn Sound Transit 3 draft plan. ST wants voter approval for $27bn in new taxes. Sammamish gets nothing in the proposed new plan, except an average of more than $500 a year in new taxes: no new service and in some respects, service is taken away.

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Candidates for 8th Congressional, Sammamish’s Legislative Districts file for November election

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Candidates for state and federal elections across Washington filed for office last week.

Sammamish is included in the 8th Congressional District, which now stretches across the Eastside, over the mountains and to Wenatchee–a safe Republican seat. But there were a number of challengers to incumbent Dave Reichert, a Republican.

Sammamish is also included in the 5th, 41st and 45th Legislative districts for the state Legislature.

The 5th includes the Klahanie area. With Sammamish’s annexation of Klahanie, we regain the 5th, which had been removed from Sammamish in the 2010 redistricting. The 41st encompasses the southern half of Sammamish, roughly from SE 8th. The 45th has the northern half.

The following details who has filed for what. Where there are only two candidates, or in two cases, unopposed candidates, these names will not appear on the August primary ballot–only the November general election. Where there are three or more candidates, this will be winnowed down to two in August for the November general.

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Council opposes ST3 plan, debates principals of document

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Valderrama

Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama: ST3 is “taxation without transportation.”

The Sammamish City Council was clear at its May 10 meeting: the draft plan for Sound Transit 3 does nothing for our taxpayers.

A majority of the Council was also clear: they didn’t want to support a statement sought by the Suburban Cities Association (SCA) in support of principals of mass transit, because these were viewed as a “Trojan Horse” for ST3.

Led by Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama, members feared that there would not be an opportunity to later weigh in on ST3 itself and any expression of support for the SCA principals would be taken as support for ST3.

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State Sen. Litzow slams Trump; Valderrama ducks and weaves

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Valderrama

Ramiro Valderrama

With the certainty that Donald Trump will be the Republic nominee for president, State Sen. Steve Litzow (R-Mercer Island) was quick to denounce the billionaire in no uncertain terms. Litzow, of the 41st District (the southern half of Sammamish), is targeted by Democrats in this election. The 41st trends Democrat. Litzow’s full comments are below the jump.

Former State Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, said he’ll write in John Kasich’s name for president. But Sammamish Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama, who is running for the State House as a Republican for the 45th District seat held by Democrat Roger Goodman, ducked and weaved when Sammamish Comment asked whether he supports Trump or not. The 45th trends Democratic. The north half of Sammamish is in the 45th.

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Give Sound Transit an earful May 2 over ST3

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Sound Transit 3: Parallel rail lines, two stations from Issaquah/Bellevue and Seattle/Bellevue along the South Bellevue corridor.

Sound Transit will hold a public intake meeting Monday, May 2, at Sammamish City Hall beginning at 6:30m to receive comments on Sound Transit 3 (ST3), the $27bn tax hike for $50bn in projects over the next 25 years.

This is on top of tax increases approved for Sound Transit 2.

Sammamish citizens should attend this meeting to make it clear to Sound Transit and King County officials that ST3 is poorly conceived, ill-timed, extends over too long a period and short-changes not only Sammamish and the Eastside, but also Everett City Center and the Boeing Everett plant, where so many people from our local environs work.

Our citizens also need to urge the Sammamish City Council to opposed ST3.

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