Redmond Candidates Lay Out Priorities at Chamber Luncheon

Economic development and transportation dominated the discussion Wednesday as the Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate discussion panel at its monthly member luncheon.

Each candidate was invited to respond to five questions that they were given ahead of time, as well as summarize his or her qualifications for office and reason for running.

Only two of the five open positions in this year's municipal election are contested. Joel Wright and city planning commissioner are vying for the council seat currently held by Richard Cole, who is retiring at the end of the year. Sue Stewart is challenging incumbent council member David Carson for his seat.

Mayor and incumbent city council members and are running unopposed.

At Wednesday's panel discussion, political newcomer Wright offered some opinions that set him apart from the other candidates, including his support of I-1125, a Tim Eyman-sponsored initiative that would require the state legislature to set highway tolls. Opponents of I-1125 say it would jeopardize the replacement of the State Route 520 bridge.

"I generally have a problem with tolling...I think it stifles mobility; I think it stifles commerce," Wright said. "I also think the (SR 520) tolls...are way too high for average people to go back and forth across the bridge."

Flynn, meanwhile, said he opposes the initiative because it could significantly delay or table the project.

"520 is a very critical piece of transportation infrastructure in the region, and certainly for Redmond," he said. "As the mayor mentioned, with the 80,000 jobs we have in Redmond, there's a lot of people who come over from Seattle to work at Microsoft."

Transportation in general was another hot topic during the discussion. Stewart said the issue is her top priority because of the impact it has on other Redmond's other needs and concerns.

"Transportation is going to be fundamental to growing our economy and also helping our enviornment," she said.

Her opponent, meanwhile, said his top priority if re-elected would be to bring more jobs to Redmond and make it easier for small businesses to thrive.

"To the extent that we can do things to get out of businesses' way, to provide the jobs we want to see in Redmond, I'm going to be there to do that," Carson said.

Several candidates echoed Carson's sentiments, saying they believe it's important for the city to make the permitting process as simple and predictable as possible.

"This is a very difficult, challenging economic time right now," Margeson said. "(We need) consistency with how things go with the city, so that as new businesses come in they're not constantly running into surprises throughout the process. I think that's probably the most important thing we can do moving forward."

RCTV will air the entire panel discussion beginning next week on Comcast 21/Frontier 34 and on its live web stream. You can check the RCTV schedule next week to find out when the discussion will be showing, or visit the city's website to view the taping on demand.

The general election takes place on Nov. 8.