Tag Archives: Klahanie

First candidates emerge for City Council, 45th State Senate seats

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City_of_SammamishWe’re only two months into 2017 and already some names are emerging for the November 7 off-year election.

City and County council races occur this year. A special election for the 45th State Senate seat, which includes the north end of Sammamish roughly along a line of SE 8th St., will also be on the ballot.

Sammamish Comment gave a full rundown of the local elections in January. In Sammamish, two City Council Members upended the dynamics of the election when they announced at the Council retreat in January that they would not run for reelection. First-term Council Member Bob Keller and Mayor Don Gerend, who has been on the Council since the first election in 1999, said they will retire at the end of this year.

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Sammamish electeds have history of using private email accounts

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Special Report: (10 pages when printed.)

  • Council Members routinely used private email accounts for City-related business.
  • Expansive Public Records Request during 2015 Council elections brought issue to fore.
  • One Council Member, acting as a private citizen, demanded emails on private account from another Council Member.
  • The City Attorney, paid for by tax dollars, became de facto attorney for the “private citizen” Council Member.
  • Two Council Members subsequently failed to produce emails from their private accounts.
  • One of the two Council Members failed to produce emails from her private account again in 2016 pursuant to a PRR.

Hillary Clinton’s email was a story that wouldn’t die in the presidential campaign, dogging her right through the Nov. 8 election.

The City of Sammamish has its own problems over emails. Council members routinely used private emails for city business and when it comes to complying with the Washington State law for Public Records Requests (PRR), some members aren’t always forthcoming with documents.

One City Council Member was explicit that a controversial topic should be discussed using private emails to avoid public disclosures through City emails.

The City Attorney’s position on compliance in responding to Public Records Requests appears inconsistent.

The issue is about transparency in government and complying with the law.

Requirements to hand over emails from personal accounts is well established in Washington State. A Bainbridge Island case is illustrative. See here and here.

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ST3 failing 51.69% to 48.31% in Sammamish after first week of vote count

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Analysis of one week’s worth of voting results from Sammamish shows Sound Transit 3 losing here by a 51.69% to 48.30% margin.

Vote counting continues to Nov. 29, when the election results are certified.

Sound Transit 3 is the $54bn mass transit plan that includes $27bn in tax hikes over 25 years.

Sammamish gets reduced bus service out of the plan and a prospective park and ride at the north end.

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Nov. 11 Vote Figures

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Please see this post for the narrative that goes with the figures below.

Darcy Burner late Thursday conceded to Paul Graves.

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Nov. 11 Election Update: Jay Rodne projected to win reelection

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State Rep. Jay Rodne (R-Snolqualmie) will win reelection, Sammamish Comment project.

Vote results posted by King County Elections today show Rodne increasing his lead over Democrat Jason Ritchie to 1,730 votes, twice the lead at the end of yesterday’s tally.

Rodne holds Position 1 in the 5th Legislative District, which includes the greater Klahanie area of Sammamish.

State Sen. Mark Mullet, a Democrat, of the 5th clings to his lead over challenger Chad Magendanz, a Republican. The lead shrank to 1,363 votes from 2,062 Thursday and 2,974 on election night. The lead has been shrinking at a smaller rate than Rodne’s has been gaining.

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