Council Candidate Forum Tonight
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | No Comments Yet!
Heads up, according to Laurie Sperry’s Kenmore Blog, there’s a Kenmore City Council Candidates Forum from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM tonight at the Aqua Club: 18512 58th Ave NE
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Also of interest in the local election: Kenmore City Council/Van Ness, O’Brien spar over Kenmore Council seat
Kenmore’s new city hall was another target O’Brien mentioned early in his conversation. He said the issue should have been put to a public vote, and that at one point Van Ness promised it would go on the ballot.
“It (a new city hall) certainly isn’t the priority of the majority of the people I talk to,” O’Brien said.
Van Ness countered that he did not initially support the city hall project, calling for, as it did, a building five times the size of Kenmore’s current City Hall. He also railed against a $2 million underground parking garage, but said he was unable to convince the rest of council to abandon those plans.
In the end, Van Ness said he began to change his mind after the city hall project was essentially rebid.
Patrick O’Brien remains the only council candidate that has not responded to our questions. Here are Allan Van Ness’ responses.
Tags: Aqua Club, city council, city hall, Politics
City Councilmember Laurie Sperry Responds to Our Questions
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | No Comments Yet!
After earlier declining our invitation, Laurie Sperry, current councilmember running for reelection to Kenmore City Council position #2 (campaign website), has a change of heart and sent over answers to our questionnaire after all. Following are her unedited answers.
- Why are you running for Kenmore City Council?
I am seeking re-election because I feel that we as a city are in the midst of a wonderful revitalization, and I would like to continue to use the experience I have gained as a councilwoman to help guide the city through this important time of transition.
- What will be your top priority should you be elected to this position?
I will continue to focus my efforts on revitalizing “downtown” Kenmore in an affordable, environmentally friendly manner. I also am committed to preserving parks, trails and open space in Kenmore and protecting the character of our single family neighborhoods.
- What is your favorite thing about Kenmore?
My favorite thing about Kenmore is our location near Lake Washington. We are so fortunate to have parks and trails to enjoy the natural beauty around us.
- What is your least favorite thing about Kenmore?
My least favorite thing about Kenmore is the traffic during the SR522 improvements.
- Arrange these nearby cities in order from your favorite to your least favorite: Woodinville, Shoreline, Bothell, Kirkland, Brier.
Kenmore’s elected officials work together with our neighboring cities on regional issues. Kenmore also shares a public works crew with Lake Forest Park. I will leave the rating of neighboring cities to others.
- What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing Kenmore in the next 5 years?
The biggest challenge in the next 5 years will be balancing the needs, wants and desires of the community with the financial resources available.
- What’s your favorite restaurant in Kenmore?
I do not have a particular favorite restaurant in Kenmore. I am excited to see new eateries like the Butcher Shop Café open on Juanita drive.
- Why should voters select you over your opponent?
I have almost four years of experience on the Kenmore City Council. I have a proven record of accomplishments as a councilmember.
On the council, I’ve worked hard to preserve Kenmore’s environment and quality of life by improving parks, trails and open space and protecting the character of our single family neighborhoods through height and infill restrictions. I’ve encouraged citizen communication through a new city website, publishing Kenmore Blog.net and meeting with citizens. I’m committed to Kenmore’s continued economic health and prosperity by being fiscally responsible and attracting new stores and businesses to the city. I serve as Kenmore’s representative on the WRI8 Salmon Recovery Council, Northshore Parks and Recreation Service Area, and Kenmore Library Advisory Board.
Please visit my campaign website: http://lauriesperry.com/ If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me by email at laurie@lauriesperry.com or by phone: (206) 817-2260. I look forward to hearing from you.
We appreciate Laurie’s reconsideration. Thanks for joining us, Laurie.
Patrick O’Brien is now the only candidate I have not yet gotten any response from. Hopefully he sends us something soon, so our collection can be a complete guide to Kenmore’s upcoming City Council elections.
Tags: city council, election, Laurie Sperry, Politics
City Council Candidate Bob Hensel Responds to Our Questions
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | No Comments Yet!
Bob Hensel, candidate for Kenmore City Council (email: hen5599@comcast.net), has responded to our questionnaire. Following are his unedited answers. Bob is running unopposed for position #4, which is being vacated by Councilmember Randy Eastwood.
- Why are you running for Kenmore City Council?
I am running for Kenmore City Council because I believe in public service and giving back to the community in which you live. In the past I have given back to my community as a soccer coach, leader of the YMCA Indian guides, treasurer of the PTA, auctioneer (pro bono) for local charity events, head of an ad-hoc citizens group, Kenmore city council member, and most recently Chair of the City of Kenmore Economic Development Advisory Committee.
- What will be your top priority should you be elected to this position?
My top priority if elected will be economic development. The economic development advisory committee recently presented an action plan with goals and strategies to the city council. The plan includes both short term and long term goals and strategies and was accepted unanimously by the city council. Current economic conditions are difficult at best but by planing now we will be ready to take advantage of the recovery when it happens and I wish to be part of that effort.
- What is your favorite thing about Kenmore?
My favorite thing about Kenmore is its people. Their diversity, knowledge, and passion for their causes and the city make Kenmore a truly wonderful place to live.
- What is your least favorite thing about Kenmore?
Right now my least favorite thing about Kenmore is the construction on 522. I just keep telling myself be patient because when it is finished traffic will improve access to local businesses will improve and Kenmore will look a lot better.
- Arrange these nearby cities in order from your favorite to your least favorite: Woodinville, Shoreline, Bothell, Kirkland, Brier.
Rather than rate these cities because they are all good, if elected I would like to talk with the elected officials from these cities and ask them what they think is the best part of their city, Then I would like to ask them what policies and procedures they put in place to make their city better. We can learn from their experiences to help make our city better.
- What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing Kenmore in the next 5 years?
The biggest challenge facing Kenmore is the economic down turn and how we handle it as a city. The down turn is effecting our ability to complete the downtown plan, construct local infrastructure improvements, and obtain funding from other government agencies to improve our city.
- What’s your favorite restaurant in Kenmore?
I do not have a favorite restaurant in Kenmore. Our family visits as many restaurants in Kenmore as we can because it is important to support all the businesses in Kenmore.
- Why should voters select you over your opponents?
Currently I have no opponent. However, as previously stated I believe in public service and the idea that a job worth doing is worth doing well. The learning curve for a council member is steep but I will study and do my best to learn the issues that affect our city. I will listen to everyone in our community to learn and understand their concerns. However, listening does not mean I may come to the same conclusion on the issues at hand. I will commit myself to making Kenmore a better community for everyone now and into the future.
I’d like to thank Bob for participating even though he does not have an opponent in November. Kenmore voters have no practical choice but to elect him, and yet he was still happy to reach out to the community in this online public forum. Kudos.
I have now received some a response from all but one of the folks running for Kenmore City Council in the upcoming election. This includes a change of heart from Laurie Sperry, who decided to participate after all. I will post her responses on Thursday, and will attempt to send another email to Patrick O’Brien this week in case my first message did not go through.
Tags: Bob Hensel, city council, election, Politics
City Councilmember Allan Van Ness Responds to Our Questions
Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Politics | 2 Comments
Allan Van Ness, current councilmember running for reelection to Kenmore City Council position #6 (campaign website), has responded to our questionnaire. Following are his unedited answers.
- Why are you running for Kenmore City Council?
It has been an honor to serve the Citizens of Kenmore on the City Council. After years of planning, improvements are being implemented. We are completing the first phases of SR522 improvements, and our new City Hall is underway. We need more park improvements, more sidewalks and better flood control. The downtown revitalization is on hold due to the national economic problems, but ready to go once things turn around. We’ve just begun. I hope to continue being a part of the civic process and seeing to completion the many plans that are underway.
- What will be your top priority should you be elected to this position?
My top priorities in Kenmore: continuing to improve our parks, improve the traffic flow, citizen access to a green waterfront, revitalization of downtown, etc.
- What is your favorite thing about Kenmore?
My favorite “thing” about Kenmore is the citizens who make our city one of the “Ten Best Towns for Families” in the country. Kenmore is a great city in which to live, play, raise a family and to retire, and it is getting better.
- What is your least favorite thing about Kenmore?
The industrial waterfront, except for the marinas and air harbor.
- Arrange these nearby cities in order from your favorite to your least favorite: Woodinville, Shoreline, Bothell, Kirkland, Brier.
I’d add Lake Forest Park to the list. I don’t think it is appropriate to rank them. They all have their assets and all six are great neighbors.
- What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing Kenmore in the next 5 years?
The biggest challenge will be to obtain funding for all the projects we would like to complete. Hopefully we can continue to progress without an increase in property taxes. The City has not raised property taxes for the last five years.
- What’s your favorite restaurant in Kenmore?
They are all my favorites. We have a good selection of the Asian restaurants and Teos and Mazatlan are good. However, I would like to see some additional moderately priced restaurants like Anthony’s, Olive Garden, Marie Callender’s, etc.
- Why should voters select you over your opponents?
As your Councilmember, I’ve worked to upgrade our parks, pass a critical areas ordinance, establish infill and height regulations, improve safety and traffic on SR-522, and ensure that the new City Hall is environmentally friendly and affordable.
I’m running for reelection to see to completion the revitalization of Kenmore. I envision a vibrant mixed-use community that’s easy to access and pedestrian friendly while maintaining single-family neighborhoods. As development proceeds, we must safeguard our environmental resources. Our parks are a rich asset that we must improve for all ages and interests.
City projects must be accomplished with fiscal responsibility, transparency, and citizen participation. My goal is for Kenmore to remain affordable without increasing the tax burden.
With four years experience on the Council and regional committees, I’ve gained the skills and knowledge to best serve our city. I’m excited about Kenmore’s future and humbly request your continued trust, support and vote.
For more detailed information on the above and other subjects please go to: www.vannessforcouncil.com, and/or contact me by email or phone: allan@vannessforcouncil.com, (425) 398-1040
Thanks for joining in the discussion, Allan. I requested short answers from the candidates to my questions in order to keep these posts from being too long, but if you would like to read more about where Allan stands on local issues, be sure to check out his campaign website, where he has written up his thoughts on just about any local issue you can think of.
FYI, I have also sent a request to Patrick O’Brien, Allan’s November opponent for position #6, but have not yet received a reply (however, he has responded to a similar request over at James Lupori’s “Kenmore Undressed”).
P.S. – Allan had one more issue that he wanted to speak on: council / citizen communications. Here are his thoughts on this.
The Council has recently added a town hall meeting format to the first regular council meeting of each quarter. This is a big step toward better communication with the citizens, however I think we can do a better job publicizing these meetings. I’d like to see more opportunities for two way discussions between the Council and the citizens. To that end I have proposed additional meetings dedicated to the town hall meeting format that are well publicized and hopefully better attended.
Tags: Allan Van Ness, city council, election, Politics
Corner Comics and the Loss of Small Business in Kenmore
Posted by John Reiher | Filed under Business | 14 Comments
A brief note from the Kenmore Crow: The following is a guest post from John Reiher, who pens the local blog Living Sustainably. The views expressed below are John’s. Thanks for participating, John!
Kenmore is losing small, mom and pop businesses one by one thanks to a city council that either doesn’t care or isn’t willing to help keep these small businesses here in Kenmore, or even to assist them in any way with relocation.
Case in point: Corner Comics
http://www.cornercomics.com/
6575 NE 181st
Kenmore, WA 98028
(425) 486-XMEN (9636)
Corner Comics is moving to a new location thanks to the imminent shuffle of public buildings that will eventually relocate the Kenmore library to their current building. Corner Comics’ last business day at their Kenmore location is coming up quick: Saturday, August 29th, 2009. They are moving to Kirkland, into a rental space they can afford.
I talked to the owner, Paige Gifford, while she was closing up shop. I asked her if it was her choice to move out of the current location. “No,” she replied, “we were told to move by the end of August.”
I then asked her if the City of Kenmore offered her any assistance. “Not one bit,” she said, sounding a little angry. “They never offered any relocation money or any other kinds of assistance.”
She pointed out that the available rental space in the current Kenmore Village is priced far too high, around $40 per square foot. This is nearly double the $20 per square foot that she had been paying at the store’s current location. “None of the local businesses can afford that kind of rent, nobody makes that much money,” she explained.
In Gifford’s opinion, the City Council only wants big box stores and major franchises. She believes that there is no room in the council’s plans for local small businesses.
And she’s not too far off. Ostrom’s went so far as to buy their current location so that they have some control over it. The construction of Kenmore Village by the Lake is stalled indefinitely because the developer, Urban Partners, has been unable to find an anchor store and keeps begging for more time in their search.
Of course it now turns out that even many citizens’ favorite store, Trader Joe’s, was seemingly never invited or courted by local government in any way. It took the initiative of local citizens to get the franchise’s attention, as well as City Council member Laurie Sperry.
She recently sent an email out to subscribers to her blog, KenmoreBlog.net, on August 21st, asking readers if they wanted a Trader Joe’s in Kenmore. If you did, please click a link and voice your opinion. (I do have to note that she misspelled “Trader Joe’s” as “Trader Joes.” One would think she’d get that right.)
Of course I clicked the link and voiced my opinion. But I also think that we need a PCC or a better grocery store in our neighborhood than Safeway or Grocery Outlet.
It would be even better if we had our own Farmers Market. I dearly love the Yakima Fruit Market in Bothell for its variety and types of fresh vegetables. It would be great if we had something like that right here in Kenmore. A grocery store that dealt in locally grown or raised food.
One way we could encourage and support local small businesses such as Corner Comics or a fruit market rather than chasing them away would be to create a business incubator here in Kenmore. It would be a way to encourage and nurture new local businesses in Kenmore, founded by its citizens for its citizens. That’s something our City Council could do, if they could see past Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand of the Market.
Sometimes the Invisible Hand works and sometimes it gives you the invisible finger.
[August 28 update from the Kenmore Crow]
Mayor David Baker responds to some of John’s criticisms in a comment below, which I will duplicate here in the post in order to provide better visibility.
Mayor Baker’s response:
In order to provide accurate information in response to the matter raised by Mr. Reiher. Corner Comics rents on a month by month basis from King County Library System, NOT the City of Kenmore. The library wants to demolish the building in November and is asking all tenants to vacate that are on a month by month basis. If Corner Comics wants relocation expenses then they should contact the King County Library System
The City is not responsible for property owned by the King County Library system. It is not the City of Kenmore’s, responsibility pay for relocation expenses for another governmental agencies action. The only time the City could legally consider relocation expenses is when the city is acquiring the property under state and federal regulations.
The current Kenmore Village rental rates are NOT $40.00 square foot, but range between $5.00 to $17.00 per square foot with several in the $10.00 to 11.00 per square foot range.
The Kenmore City Council, years ago, decided that big box stores did not fit in Kenmore’s long range plans and preferred small local businesses. That is written in to the Cities Comprehensive Plan, Downtown Plan and elsewhere.
The last point is that Ostrom’s Drug and Gift store did NOT buy their current location, they are leasing.
Tags: central-kenmore, city council, Corner Comics, fruit market, Kenmore Village, Laurie Sperry, small business, Trader Joe's, Urban Partners
