First candidate announces for Nov. 3 City Council election

Christie Malchow

Christie Malchow

Christie Malchow is the first candidate to announce running for Sammamish City Council in the November 3 election.

She hasn’t announced what position she is seeking. Mayor Tom Vance and Council Members Nancy Whitten and Ramiro Valderrama are up for election. None has announced if they will seek reelection, although I’m told by another Council Member that Vance will do so.

Valderrama and Whitten told me about a month ago that they were undecided.

Malchow lives in Chestnut Hills at 212th SE and SE 8th St. She’s lived in Sammamish since 2011.  Continue reading

Barricades: Promises made, promises broken over 10 years; kicking the can down the road another two years

Perhaps the highest profile issue after the East Lake Sammamish Trail to consistently vex the City Council is “barricades.” And most specifically, the “42nd St. barricade” in the Northeast corner of the City that separates the Hidden Ridge and Timberline neighborhoods.

At the March 17 Council meeting, residents from the neighborhoods appeared during the public comment session to support or oppose removing the barricade on 42nd. The public comments sessions begins at the start the meeting, and the testimony is interspersed with comment on other topics.

The Council had some extended discussion toward the end of the meeting, beginning at 1:59 hours into the meeting. Continue reading

Sammamish Initiative/Referendum campaign kicks off amid charges of stolen signs, attempts to ban Citizen group from city facilities

The Yes campaign for Sammamish voters to approve an advisory vote April 28 to give them the right to Initiative and Referendum was kicked off last night (Feb. 23) amid charges that Yes vote road signs are already being stolen.

Citizens for Sammamish, which is behind the Initiative/Referendum movement, also charged that Deputy Mayor Kathy Huckabay, who is opposed to granting the right, attempted to block usage by CFS of the Eastside Fire & Rescue fire station on Sahalee Way, where it usually meets, and the Boys and Girls Club, where last night’s meeting was held, because CFS is now “campaigning” for the the Yes vote.

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Election year for Sammamish: key dates ahead

Update, 9:05pm: The Klahanie annexation decision was ratified on a 6-0 vote, with Whitten absent. The Initiative/Referendum advisory vote was ratified on a 5-1 vote with Odell opposed and Whitten absent.

Original Post:

Feb. 3, 2015: This is an election year for Sammamish. There are three key election dates: April 28, Aug. 4 and Nov. 3.

April 28

At the City Council meeting tonight, officials are expected to ratify action agreed to at the Retreat last month setting April 28 as the special election for: Continue reading

Sammamish to send Initiative/Referendum to citizens for advisory vote-Part 2

Jan. 24, 2015: The Sammamish City Council agreed at its retreat today at the Suncadia Resort in Roslyn (WA) to ask its citizens whether the right to initiative and referendum should be adopted by the City.

The Council will formalize its consensus approval at the Feb. 3 City Council meeting. No formal, legally binding action could be taken at the retreat, including appointments of Council representation to regional committees.

The advocacy group Citizens for Sammamish (CFS) has been pressing the City Council to adopt an ordinance granting the right. Council members have been reluctant to approve the initiative/referendum process because of what they view how the state process became abused by Tim Eyman, who makes a living at filing state initiatives; and the increasing dominance by “big money” interests rather than the original intent of power to the people.

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