Category Archives: City Politics

Vance promised barricade discussion in July or September; both have come and gone and no discussions

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Sammamish Mayor Tom Vance promised in March the City Council would have a

Tom Vance, Mayor of Sammamish.

discussion of the controversial 42nd Street barricade in July or September.

July came and went. No discussion.

Now September City Council meetings have come and gone. No discussion.

The NE 42nd St barricade issue has been around for 10 years and, other than the East Lake Sammamish Trail and tree retention has probably been the most controversial and lingering issues facing the Sammamish City Council.

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Rotary, Chamber still say “no” to videotaping and broadcasting Sammamish City Council candidate forum; Mayor Vance, seeking reelection, objected

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Update, Sept. 23: Deb Sogge, executive director of the Sammamish Chamber, responded today to the emails sent Sunday about the objections Sammamish Comment reported coming from Mayor Tom Vance about videotaping the October 7 candidates’ forum.

Sogge was one of four people to make the decision to not tape; the other three were Bob Toomey, president of the Chamber; CJ Kahler, treasurer of Rotary and Bill Shaw, publisher of the Issaquah-Sammamish Reporter, who will moderate the event. Shaw could not be reached when any of The Comment’s articles were written because he was on vacation.

Kahler told The Comment that “a couple of candidates” objected to videotaping. The Comment verified that Ramiro Valderrama, Christie Malchow and Tom Hornish favor taping. Valderrama said he encountered Mark Cross at the Farmer’s Market last week, who said he also favored taping. Cross did not respond to an email from The Comment. That elft Vance, who also did not respond to an email asking if he objected and why.

In a later interview with Toomey, he said Vance objected and provided detail surrounding the issue. He said Sogge spoke with Vance and told him that a commitment made to Vance not to tape should be honored.

In today’s response, Sogge denied all of this. She said Vance agreed to taping. Vance continues to stonewall The Comment. As noted in the report below, Kahler is, appears, the key holdout.

Original Post

The Sammamish Rotary and Sammamish Chamber of Commerce have stuck to their

Tom Vance, seeking reelection to the Sammamish City Council, objected to videotaping the October 7 candidates forum.

decision to not videotape the Sammamish City Council candidates forum, which will be at 7pm October 7 at the Boys and Girls Club, Inglewood Hill Road and NE 8th St.

A Chamber official confirmed the decision Friday to Sammamish Comment.

Sammamish Comment also confirmed that Mayor Tom Vance, who is running for reelection, objected to videotaping and the groups agreed to forego taping. The four other active candidates favor videotaping. Vance did not respond to a request for comment for the original story last Thursday when it first appeared he had objected.

“I think this shows a lack of transparency in our government leadership,” said Tom Hornish, Vance’s opponent in the November 3 election.

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PDC rejects Odell complaint against Shedd, Citizens for Sammamish

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City Council Member Tom Odell filed a complaint with the State Public Disclosure Commission against Harry Shedd and Citizens for Sammamish.

The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission has rejected a complaint filed by Sammamish City Council Member Tom Odell with the State Public Disclosure Commission against Harry Shedd and Citizens for Sammamish (CFS).

Odell filed the complaint under his own name and not as a City Council Member when campaign “yard” signs and newspaper advertisements began appearing in the City supporting an affirmative vote for Initiative and Referendum (I&R) for Sammamish voters.

Odell vehemently opposed adoption of the I&R and was the lone vote against even putting the issue to voters in an Advisory Ballot in the April 28 election.

Harry Shedd, cleared by the Public Disclosure Commission of Tom Odell’s complaint.

Odell complained to the PDC that Shedd or CFS failed to file financial disclosures with the PDC.

Odell’s complaint was part of a secret campaign by the City, led by Deputy Mayor Kathy Huckabay, to undermine the vote, public meetings by CFS and sow confusion among voters.

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Sammamish Kiwanis drops plans for candidates forum over political image concerns

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The Sammamish Kiwanis Club dropped plans to host a candidates forum at its October 7 regular membership meeting.

An club insider told Sammamish Comment that concerns inside the club that the organization developed an image of becoming a political group led to canceling plans for the five active candidates for Sammamish City Council to appear at the October 7 meeting.

Three sitting council members, Tom Vance, Kathy Huckabay and Bob Keller, are members of Kiwanis. Vance is running for reelection. The concerns about the politicizing Kiwanis are outlined in yesterday’s Sammamish Comment post.

Politics kills plans to video Sammamish candidates forum for broadcast on City’s TV station

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  • Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, Rotary cite politics in banning videotaping for later broadcast of candidates forum.
  • Sammamish Kiwanis Club beset by political concerns.
  • Candidates object to videotaping, says Rotary official.
  • Discussions continue, says Chamber, cites Rotary opposition.
  • Four of five candidates favor taping and broadcasting.
  • Mayor/Candidate Tom Vance silent on the issue.

There will be a Sammamish City Council candidates forum the evening of October 7 at the Boys and Girls Club (Inglewood Hill Road at 228th Ave. NE), but it won’t be videotaped for later broadcast on the City’s government TV (Channel 21, Comcast).

Objections by a “couple” of candidates to videotaping and concerns to do so would politicize the event led the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and the Sammamish Rotary to ban videotaping, CJ Kahler, treasurer of the Rotary, told Sammamish Comment.

The candidates are:

  • Christie Malchow vs Mark Cross of Position 2. Neither is an incumbent. They are running for the seat now held by the retiring Nancy Whitten.
  • Ramiro Valderrama vs. Hank Klein, Position 4. Valderrama is running for a second term. Klein filed to oppose him, but dropped out of the race two months later, too late to remove his name from the ballot. Klein reconfirmed to Sammamish Comment Wednesday he is not a candidate, won’t be at the forum and he won’t reenter the race at any time.
  • Tom Hornish vs Tom Vance, Position 6. Vance, currently the mayor, is running for a second term.

Kahler said he didn’t talk to the candidates and doesn’t know who objected. Malchow, Valderrama and Hornish say it wasn’t them. Cross reportedly favors taping. Vance’s position in unknown.

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