Tag Archives: Ramiro Valderrama

Publication schedule for candidate responses to issues questionnaire

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Beginning October 13, I will publish candidate responses to a long issues questionnaire I sent the six city council candidates, leading up to the mailing of ballots to voters October 19 for the November 8 election.

Here is the schedule:

Position 2:

October 13: Kathy Richardson

October 14: Nancy Whitten

Position 4:

October 15: Ramiro Valderrama

October 16: Jim Wasnick

Position 6:

October 17: Jesse Bornfreund

October 18: Tom Vance

Other

October 19: A wrap-up view of the election.

October 20: A final comment.

November 8, 8:15pm: The initial returns are in. Based on the history of the past elections since 1999, the election night returns are within one or two percentage points of the final results and the leader on election night has been the winner in the final results. The only exception was in 2001 when Nancy Whitten led incumbent Ken Kilroy by 17 votes but lost the election by fewer than 150 (while remaining within the 1-2 percentage point “rule”). So on election night, I should be able to “call” the elections unless there is a squeaker like the 2001 Whitten-Kilroy race.

Issues questionnaire coming

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I will begin publishing later this week candidate responses to a long list of questions I posed concerning issues relevant to the City of Sammamish.

I sent the questionnaire to all six candidates shortly after the August primary. I’ll publish the returns in advance of October 19, when the first election ballots are mailed to voters–just nine days from this post.

Unlike the newspapers, where space is at a premium, these are much more expansive and the responses will be published verbatim, without edits of any kind.

Who’s supporting whom in the Sammamish City Council Election

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With Labor Day now past, electioneering will pick up in earnest for the City Council races.

A review of the Public Disclose Commission contribution filings gives a sense of the early support for the various candidates.

Position 2

Kathy Richardson vs Nancy Whitten

This is the seat currently held by Michele Petitti, who declined to run for another term. Whitten had held Position 4 but switched to 2.

Neither candidate as yet has reported much in the way of contributions. Whitten reports just $100, from herself. She largely self-funded her 2003 winning election but did bring in contributions from others then and in 2007. So far, there is nothing more to report.

Richardson hasn’t raised much money as yet: just $1,243, including $301 from in-kind contributions. The largest contribution is from Concentric 2 LLC, which according to state records is the business of David Collins of Lake Sammamish Parkway NE. Other contributors: David and Megan Gee, Ursula Geiger and Paul Oostmeyer.

Bob Brady of Sammamish, a commissioner on the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, has publicly endorsed Whitten.

Position 4

Jim Wasnick v Ramiro Valderamma

This is shaping up already to be the bitterest race that the city will see, with a whispering campaign of innuendos underway against Valderamma. One of those whispers is that he is running as a slate with Whitten and Tom Vance (Position 6). However, a review of the campaign contributions so far couldn’t be more representative of opposite ends of the spectrum.

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Wasnick has solid lead, clearly winner in primary

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King County Elections updated results for Friday and Jim Wasnick now has a 202 vote lead over John Galvin. This makes Wasnick a clear winner, and he will face Ramiro Valderrama in November.

As we said in our earlier post in which we declared Wasnick the winner, results won’t be official until Aug. 31.

We now have two candidates for this council position who have a record of positive contribution to the City, and who should engage in civilized debate. Sammamish citizens chose wisely in selecting Wasnick and Valderrama to move to the general election.

75% of voters reject Galvin tactics, “policies”

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Update, Aug. 19: Galvin continues his wild allegations. In another comment in the election story he takes my observation about his ridiculous commentary repeated below and leaps to a series of assertions about my “support” for Valderamma. In fact, there is no place, no where and no how in which I have indicated support for any candidate. I declared Wasnick the victor over Galvin, so by Galvin’s twisted logic it would seem I support Wasnick, too.

Why is Galvin anti-Valderrama? Because, perhaps, Valderrama as a leader of Citizens for Sammamish–a group Galvin tried to exercise a leadership role–shunned his tactics and style.

As for my comments vis-a-vis Valderrama and Galvin, I’m merely exposing Galvin’s continued hypocrisy and distortions.

Update, Aug. 18: Here is Galvin’s graceless comment from the story in the Sammamish Review directed toward the vote for Valderrama:

John Galvin on August 17th, 2011 7:00 pm

A clear message that the paper’s editor is eager to hide is that more people voted against Valderrama than for him.

There is a growing discontent with City leadership, with grandiose plans that are never implemented, with policies that deny the future and cling to the past. Valderrama will need to be more dynamic, more substantive, and more independent if he hopes to get elected.

I invite citizens to compare Valderrama’s campaign website with my campaign website.  Which site is more substantive? I know what the Growth Management Act is. I know the city’s comprehensive plan. . I have attended city meetings and forums since 2000 and know all the players. I’ve studied all the confusing city economic reports. I’ve dared to raise issues the city council was eager to ignore. The first round is over, but the fight has just begun.

Humble in victory, proud in defeat. Relentless!

I am more than happy to support those candidates who will bring new vision and energy to Sammamish.

Hardly “humble in victory.”

Original Post:

It’s all over but the shouting, as they say: 75% of those voting in the Position 4 primary rejected John Galvin and his tactics of intimidation, insults, hypocrisy, cry-babyism and his advocacy of policies that would pave over the Town Center and result in traffic gridlock.

It’s particularly noteworthy that Galvin, who had a high profile following his years of berating everybody he didn’t agree with, his constant whining in letters to the editor and his advocacy of building a “Bellevue Square” in the center of Sammamish without the remotest ability to build roads to accommodate the traffic, was thrashed by two candidates who were unknown to the public, save for some road signs and a couple of articles in the local papers.

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