Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama sprung a surprise on the Sammamish City Council Sept. 13 when he suggested a study over 60 days for a building moratorium, starting with the Town Center.
The idea may have some merit; only a thorough discussion and perhaps some study will make this determination.
Tactically, Valderrama’s timing and forum was a bad idea.
The 2003 Sammamish election presented an opportunity to shift the balance of power from a Republican-conservative leaning City Council to a Democratic-left-of-center membership.
As the election season approached, the Council was generally, though not reliably, split 4-3. Ken Kilroy, Ron Haworth, Troy Romero and Jack Barry were reliably a voting bloc. The minority three were Michele Petitti, Kathy Huckabay and often, but not always, Don Gerend.
Petitti won her seat in 2001. The others were all original council members from 1999.
Click once on image to enlarge, then click on the image a second time. Write in votes are excluded from the data analysis.
Roger Goodman, the Democrat seeking a sixth term in the State House of Representatives for the 45th Legislative District, defeated Sammamish Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama in his home city in the Aug. 2 primary.
Goodman receive 56.5% of the vote. He carried 21 of 24 precincts and tied in one more.
For Valderrama, who carried every precinct in the city-wide City Council November election in 2015, this is a stunning reversal of fortune.
It’s a clear message from Sammamish voters that they want Valderrama to stay in Sammamish to serve more than a year of his four year term to which he was reelected just 10 months ago.
District-wide, Valderrama received only 38% of the vote in the primary. The primary result historically is a predictor of the final result in the November general election. This is Nov. 8 this year.
A color-coded map and more analysis is after the jump.
Ramiro Valderrama still ducks the question of whether he supports Donald Trump for president.
Update, Aug. 13: Valderrama emailed that in addition to denouncing Donald Trump’s comments, not does not support Trump, either. Valderrama’s original email is below the jump.
Ramiro Valderrama, candidate for the 45th District State House of Representatives and current deputy mayor of Sammamish, still won’t take a position on whether he supports, endorses or disowns Donald Trump.
He denounces Trump, the Republican nominee for President, for things Trump says. But that’s as far as he goes.
This is the position Valderrama took when Sammamish Comment first asked his position in May.
Personal message from Scott Hamilton, Editor of Sammamish Comment.
Scott Hamilton
After 20 years, two months and 10 days, I have moved from Sammamish.
For my wife, Gail Twelves, it’s been one month short of 16 years.
We’ve moved to Bainbridge Island, where we will build a home. For the first time in decades, we’re renters—for the time being.
Sammamish Comment will continue through next year, at which time this community service to Sammamish will close. The Comment was formed in 2003, so at the end of next year, this will have been a 14 year run.
Sammamish Comment 