Tag Archives: Citizens for Sammamish

Know your candidate for Sammamish City Council: Christie Malchow

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  • There will be a candidates forum Wednesday, October 7, at 7pm at the Boys and Girls Club, Inglewood Hill Road and 228th Ave. NE. It is sponsored by the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and the Sammamish Rotary. It will not be videotaped or broadcast on Sammamish TV Channel 21, so this is your only chance to see the candidates and ask questions in a forum.

Beginning today and continuing for five consecutive posts, Sammamish Comment

Christie Malchow

will provide information about the five active candidates for Sammamish City Council running for Positions 2, 4 and 6. There is a sixth candidate, but he dropped out of the race two months after entering, but too late to withdraw his name from the ballot. Sammamish Comment begins with Position 2 and will continue in order. Each profile will be for one candidate. Information will come principally, but not entirely, from the candidate’s website and the Public Disclosure Commission.

Position 2: Christie Malchow

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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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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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Sammamish leadership moves up readings on Initiative and Referendum ordinance

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Sammamish City Council leadership advanced the first and second readings of the enabling ordinance for the Initiative and Referendum from July 21 and September 1 to July 14 and July 21, calling a special meeting of the Sammamish City Council for this Tuesday.

City Manager Ben Yacizi told Sammamish Comment that the Council decided to get the first and second readings completed before the August recess.

The cover page to the Special Meeting, for which the first reading of the ordinance is the only item on the agenda, is below the jump.

The Council meeting was originally scheduled as a Study Session to discussion the Comprehensive Plan updates.

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Initiative/Referendum no sure thing at Sammamish City Council despite 10 pt win at polls

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If anyone thought that the Sammamish City Council will honor voter wishes after a 55%-45% victory at the polls in an April advisory vote, it looks like this faith in government may well be premature.

Even though there was a consensus expressed informally at the Council’s January retreat that they would follow the wishes of voters, and despite the assurances of Mayor Tom Vance to local newspapers on several occasions that he couldn’t see the Council going against voter wishes, Vance has since been walking back these assurances and the June 15 study session did nothing to provide assurances.

Deputy Mayor Kathy Huckabay, a staunch opponent to granting Sammamish citizens the right of initiative and referendum, flatly stated there had been no assurances the Council would follow voter wishes.

She then went on to use an argument often used by opponents to a measure that passes over their objections: voter turnout was low and voters were, essentially, too stupid to understand what they were voting, or not voting, for.

Alarmingly, Council Member Bob Keller, a close ally of Huckabay, Vance and Council Member Tom Odell, each of whom also oppose the initiative, sided with Huckabay on the voting argument.

Twice Keller said during the June 15 Council meeting that the vote was “close,” despite the 10 point margin of victory.

Keller told this column after the results he “planned” to honor the result.

Now it’s not clear what he will do. He is the swing vote, with Council Members Don Gerend, Nancy Whitten and Ramiro Valderrama previously saying they will honor the voter wishes. Keller is a member of what’s become known as the Gang of 4, voting together as a bloc on most issues.

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