Ryika Hooshangi
Chris Ross
Sammamish voters will be well served to advance Ryika Hooshangi and Chris Ross through the Aug. 1 primary to the general election in November.
Both are newcomers to Sammamish politics. All things being equal, we like to see some seasoning and education on the complex issues of government in general and Sammamish in particular through service on the Planning Commission.
Commentary
Sammamish residents have an unusually good set of candidates this year from which to choose for the Aug. 1 primary, and from this, the November general election.
This hasn’t always been the case. In some years, some very weak candidates, or some with clear and self-evident personal agendas, ran. In several years, at least some incumbents were unopposed or had token opposition.
There are nine candidates seeking three Council seats, requiring a primary. These are in Positions 3, 5 and 7.
Position 3 candidates are Minal Ghassemieh, Karen Howe and Karen Moran.
Position 5 candidates are Ryika Hooshangi, Rituja Indapure and Chris Ross.
Position 7 candidates are Melanie Curtright, John Robinson and Pamela Stuart.
Position 1 candidates, Mark Baughman and Jason Ritchie, go straight to the November election; they are not on the Aug. 1 primary ballot.
By Scott Hamilton
There were no break-out candidates during the only Candidates Forum for the Sammamish City Council last night, although there were a few minor rookie mistakes.
Given today’s national political environment and the bitter City Council elections two years ago, last night’s forum was a marked contrast for its civility and friendly nature.
A standing room crowd was here to listen to the nine candidates for the three of four Positions that are contested in the Aug. 1 primary: 3, 5 and 7.
The candidates said traffic and development were the issues they most heard from resident during their campaigning.
Ross (Position 5) was the only candidate to hit hard on City finances, carving out a position that his professional finance background for Boeing will be needed as the City approaches the so-called cross-over point (operating deficits) in a few years. Others including Moran (Position 3), touched more lightly on finances.
Today Sammamish Comment publishes the candidate questionnaires of Position 5 for City Council.
The candidates are Rikya Hooshangi, Rituja Indapure and Chris Ross.
The candidate responses are printed verbatim. The Comment only checked their responses for spelling and grammar. Each response is in its own post, so scroll down on The Comment’s Home Page to see each response.
The responses were reviewed and processed by Scott Hamilton.
Chris Ross
Questionnaire
Name: Chris Ross
Position: 5
General
Why are you running for Sammamish City Council?
With a looming financial crisis for the first time in our city’s history, it is imperative we 
have councilmembers that carefully select opportunities that have positive impacts on improving traffic, sustaining our infrastructure, and preserving our environment. I am the only Candidate with proven financial skills and experience to effectively address Sammamish’s emerging fiscal challenges. Community leaders and citizens have encouraged me to run for Council to help the city navigate through this critical period. I am answering a call for action to achieve our community goals while protecting the citizens from unnecessary tax burdens due to poor planning.
Sammamish Comment 