By Miki Mullor

Commentary

The Sammamish City Council is facing an extraordinary moment in the life of our city.

On the table is a plan to double the number of housing units in the Town Center—from the current 2,000 to 4,000. This is by far the most consequential decision the city has faced since 2010, when the original Town Center plan was adopted.

Even more extraordinary is the timing: this decision is scheduled to occur just as four City Council seats—enough for a new majority—are up for election this November. If just three of those seats change hands and align with Councilmember Kent Treen, who opposes the Town Center 4000 plan, the plan could be blocked.

In theory, that means voters could decide the fate of Town Center 4000 simply by voting for council candidates. But the council has another option: place an advisory vote on the ballot. That would allow residents to vote directly on the plan and for their preferred candidates—regardless of the candidates’ individual positions on the issue.

It should be an easy decision.

Mayor Karen Howe, in a recent op-ed we published, expressed confidence that the public supports expanding the Town Center. If that’s the case, why is the sitting City Council unwilling to postpone the final vote on Town Center 4000 until January—after the election results are in?

Perhaps the mayor is not so sure that public support exists. And if the support isn’t there, moving forward would risk breaking public trust.

The timing set by the current city council to vote on Town Center 4000 certainly suggests they doubt the purported support is there. They plan to vote on approval of this policy in December–after the November election and before the new city council is seated in January. Therefore, if three current council members who support this policy are defeated in November, they still get to lock in the new project before opponents take office.

The timing appears intended to be a slap in the face to residents and to the taxpayers who must subsidize the growth that comes with Town Center 4000.