Tag Archives: Kathy Huckabay

Keller for mayor, Malchow for deputy mayor

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Bob Keller

With Don Gerend planning to step down in July as Sammamish mayor, due to personal business reasons, the City Council must select a new mayor the next meeting.

Gerend will remain on the Council as a member retaining a vote for his successor.

Bob Keller is deputy mayor, but under Council rules, he does not automatically succeed Gerend. A Council vote makes this decision.

(The mayor is selected by the Council, not the public, under the state laws governing Sammamish’s council-manager form of government., unlike Redmond and Issaquah in which the public directly votes for the mayor.)

Sammamish Comment supports elevating Keller to mayor for the rest of this year, the unexpired mayoral term for Gerend. Gerend and Keller decided not to seek reelection in November and each goes off the Council Dec. 31.

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This Gang of 4 deserves thanks

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Commentary

Four long-time civic leaders in Sammamish decided not to seek reelection the City Council. They deserve the thanks for their community service here, and in the case of one member, her service pre-dating Sammamish.

Don Gerend, Bob Keller, Kathy Huckabay and Tom Odell will go off the Council Dec. 31. Each has put in years of public service doing what they think is best and working toward a goal of a better Sammamish.

Certainly, many will disagree with many of their decisions, tactics and in some cases, demeanor. But everyone should understand that there was no nefarious agenda, only what they thought was best for the City.

To be sure, I have had my political and personal differences with each. I’ve supported, and wound up opposing, each as I disagreed with policies pursued and tactics undertaken.

But none of this diminishes the debt of gratitude owed to public servants whose only thanks, all too often, is complaint and criticism.

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Power shift now certain at Sammamish City Council

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Analysis

With Saturday’s declaration by Sammamish City Council Member Tom Odell that he will not seek reelection in November, this assures a major power shift is coming.

Three other incumbents previously said they aren’t running again. They are Mayor Don Gerend, Deputy Mayor Bob Keller and Member Kathy Huckabay.

Figure 1.

Five candidates already announced candidacies to run this fall (Figure 1). At the moment, one—John Robinson—hasn’t identified which seat he will seat, but with Odell dropping out, no candidate is identified with Odell’s Position 7. Robinson is likely to go for this open seat.

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Odell won’t seek a third term

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Tom Odell

Sammamish City Council Member Tom Odell won’t seek a third term this fall, he announced Saturday.

In an email Odell sent to The Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter and to Sammamish Comment, Odell prefaced his announcement with, “Despite the fact this is April 1st this is for real and is not an April Fools item.”

Odell, who holds Position 7, is the fourth Council Member to announce a decision to end their current term this year. Previously, May Don Gerend, Deputy Mayor Bob Keller and Member Kathy Huckabay announced decisions not to run again.

Gerend has been on the Council since 1999. Huckabay, like Gerend, was an original Council member but took a two-year hiatus. Keller is in his first term.

Except for Keller, who is in his 60s, all are in their 70s.

This means the next City Council will be decidedly younger and closer to the demographics of Sammamish.

Odell’s statement is below.

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Fifth candidate for City Council emerges

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Chris Ross, the fourth declared candidate for Sammamish City Council. Photo via Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter.

A fifth candidate for Sammamish City Council emerged, becoming the fourth to officially announce: Chris Ross.

The Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter has the story here.

No position was declared, apparently.

The three other declared candidates are Jason Ritchie, who updated his filing with the state that he is seeking Position 1, the seat now held by retiring Kathy Huckabay; Minal Kode Ghassemieh; and John Robinson. Neither Ghassemieh nor Robinson revealed which position they will seek.

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