Tag Archives: Columbia Athletic Club

Analyzing the Sammamish Community Center

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Websites:

Common Sense Sammamish, a “No” Vote website.

YSoHigh, another “No” Vote website.

YesSammCAC, a “Yes” Vote website.

My Previous Posts:

Risks for the Community Center-YMCA deal

Why the Advisory Vote is a Bad Idea, Part 2

Why the Advisory Vote is a Bad Idea, part 1

Two Hour Long Community Forum.

Ballots arrived last week for the Nov. 6 election and one of the issues is Sammamish Proposition 1, an advisory vote on the proposed public-private partnership between Sammamish and the YMCA for a 40,000+ sf community center with aquatic features.

I’ve previously written that I think an advisory vote is a dumb idea and detailed why in two posts (see above). I still think it’s dumb, but you can’t un-ring this bell, so it’s time to get down and really analyze the issues.

I met Friday and Monday with opponents and supporters of the Proposition. I’ve read the web sites, the newspaper articles and I’ve followed the debate. I participated in one of the public meetings. When it is all said and done, here are the issues as I see them. Continue reading →

Pine Lake Club, Columbia Fitness CEO gives $45,000 to “Common Sense Sammamish”

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The CEO of the Pine Lake Club and Columbia Athletic Club, Cy Oskoui, has given a total of $45,000 to the Political Action Committee Common Sense Sammamish, according to the latest filing with the Public Disclosure Commission. Columbia has given $900 in-kind for designing the mail piece.

Another $40 was reported contributed from Jim Aries.

This essentially makes Oskoui a one-man PAC opposing the Community Center, though several other citizens have spoken out against it at the City Council meetings and in letters to the newspaper.

Voters have a right to know who is behind Common Sense Sammamish and the vested interest involved. I’m not at all suggesting this is wrong–just saying full disclosure is warranted, just as the undisclosed risk factors in the public-private partnership between the City and the YMCA should be revealed by the City.