Sperry cares for Kenmore

My husband and I are supporting Van Sperry for Kenmore City Council.

After talking with Van about his ties to the community and his dedication to keeping Kenmore safe, affordable and livable for the residents, we know his values line up with ours. We have lived in Kenmore for 46-plus years and we like the idea of someone who knows that our local politics are important to those who live here and doesn’t feel the need to get outside of his lane by taking on national issues. He is not agenda driven.

Van is thoughtful, intelligent, and cares deeply about Kenmore. We need a leader like Van Sperry.

Please join us in voting for him.

Laurie Dykstra

Kenmore

Sperry supports important values and issues

Van Sperry, candidate for Kenmore City Council, supports the values and issues that are important to me and to the future of Kenmore. His priorities are ensuring public safety, promoting affordability and preserving parks and open spaces.

He will focus on the core functions of government and practical solutions to our most pressing problems. He will ensure that our tax dollars are spent wisely.

Because of my nearly 20 years of friendship with Van and his family, I can attest to his compassion for the vulnerable, his concern for the welfare of the citizens of Kenmore, and his desire to protect and enhance the natural environment.

Van’s interest in good government and public policy led him to complete a master’s degree in public policy while working as an registered nurse at Seattle Children’s. And this interest has led him to be involved in our community on various issues.

Van will be a steady, reasonable voice on the city council. He listens to people, he carefully weighs pros and cons, and he works well with others, even those who hold different viewpoints.

Van will be an asset on the council. I urge you to join with me in voting for Van Sperry, Pos. 7.

Karen Olson

Former Kenmore planning commissioner

Greathouse is the real deal

Suzanne Greathouse would make an excellent Kenmore council member. She has demonstrated her love for Kenmore through her actions. I cannot think of any other citizen that has recently committed as much time and energy toward a more diverse slate of commissions, nonprofits and community organizations, than Suzanne.

She is the real deal! Her experience on our planning commission, fire commission, Northshore Senior Center, Kenmore Heritage Society, Kenmore Business Alliance and chamber, as a business owner and as an active volunteer with Mary’s Place, are precisely what you expect from a community leader. She has the necessary business background to effectively analyze city budgets, demonstrated organizational skills to prioritize city functions and the demeanor to work collaboratively with others. While I am not running for re-election, I would love to see Suzanne step into my position on the council. Please join me in your support of Suzanne!

Brent Smith

Outgoing Kenmore City Council, Pos. 1

Greathouse grasps what community is about

I am writing in support of Suzanne Greathouse for Kenmore City Council Pos. 1.

I know Suzanne personally. Why? Because she volunteers for the organizations I care about. Suzanne is involved with the Bothell Kenmore Chamber of Commerce in so many capacities. And, if there is any activity associated with the Northshore Senior Center, Suzanne is there volunteering. She serves Kenmore in many other capacities, as well. In each of these endeavors, Suzanne grasps what community is about.

Her background is solid. She is a business owner, worked for AT&T for 18 years before retiring as the director of information technology and has served in the role of educator at universities and corporations. Suzanne listens and is thoughtful.

Finally, common sense and practicality are just two of Suzanne’s many traits — approaches that all of us should embrace in government. Her perspectives will be invaluable to the city council and, by extension, its citizens.

Please vote for Suzanne, who has demonstrated her passion for her community through her actions

Susan Gardner

Kenmore

Stand behind Leigh

I’ve known Leigh Henderson for over 10 years through the Bothell Kenmore Chamber of Commerce and I am continually impressed with all of the ways she steps up to volunteer and serve.

Leigh is a local business leader I genuinely admire because she always comes from contribution. Leigh shares our values: that our work should be about increasing our standard of giving, not just our standard of living.

As a real estate agent for over 18 years, an issue that’s important to me is the impact our local governments have on businesses. For example, most people don’t realize that up to one third of new construction costs are spent in the permitting process! This excess bureaucracy creates time-consuming hardships for both individual homeowners and commercial builders. I believe we can maintain sensible regulations while streamlining our permitting process to create cost saving efficiencies for local businesses and residents.

As a small business owner, Leigh Henderson has proven that she knows how to get things done efficiently within a budget. She has the experience, integrity and good judgment to guide our city council’s decision making in ways that make it easier to do business in Bothell. She has my vote.

Troy Anderson

Bothell

Bothell needs Henderson’s leadership

I have known Leigh Henderson since 1999 when I moved back to Bothell. I observed early how involved she was with her community. She has always been supportive of other businesses and the progress made on Main Street. I wanted her to be on the city council years ago. Our city needs her leadership. She has proven to be a wise and successful business woman and community leader over the 20 years I have known her. Her only agenda is to help Bothell flourish.

As a business owner myself, Leigh encouraged me to be involved over the years. She was a key member in forming the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, now the Bothell Kenmore Chamber of Commerce. She is still an active member, donating her time, talent and resources to events that enhance the business community.

Leigh understands business more than the average person. She is not a follower but a very strong leader who knows how to listen to other people’s ideas and help those ideas grow into reality.

Bothell needs Leigh Henderson’s leadership.

Gerry Eagle

Bothell

Henderson is invested in community

Bothell’s continuous growth promises a booming economy for the community, but we need experienced and effective leadership at the helm to keep the city’s charm.

Leigh Henderson is a long-time Bothell business owner with nearly 30 years invested into our community. Leigh’s business background and record of advocating for responsible growth ensures that she will help Bothell build itself up, not grow itself out of what it is today.

Throughout my 40 years as a public servant, I have often found that the most effective community leaders are those that make decisions based upon community voices. Leigh’s restaurant, Alexa’s Cafe on Main Street, has been witness to the periods of growth that Bothell has experienced over the decades. As the city grows, Leigh offers a unique perspective that city council leadership needs. Her progressive and collaborative leadership style has enabled her to create consensus between city government, local businesses and service organizations to affect positive change.

As a current city councilmember, I think it is very important to make decisions that are informed by our constituents. Businesses and housing are looking to expand into Bothell, and while we welcome this growth, we as a city must decide how that growth can occur while still retaining the sense of community that attracts many to Bothell in the first place.

Leigh’s experience in the community promises to bring this perspective to the table. Let’s keep Bothell ahead of the curve and let’s elect Leigh Henderson to Bothell City Council. Leadership and experience count!

Rosemary McAuliffe

Bothell City Councilmember

Council should have all citizens’ interests at heart

As Bothell voters consider who to support in this year’s city council elections, it’s worth noting whose interests they have served in the past.

In 2014 the council, under Mayor Josh Freed, placed a $42 million bond issue on the ballot that they called “Parks and Public Spaces.” Yet 67 percent of that amount was to go for roads — which the proponents I guess considered “public spaces.” It’s worth noting two things: 1) Nearly 50 percent was to complete the multi-way boulevard (Bothell Way) that the city had repeatedly claimed the developer’s would pay for; and 2) Nearly $6 million was to “enhance Main Street.”

Leigh Henderson, a Main Street business owner who would have directly benefited, was the chair of the “pro” committee (Bothell Wins). Nearly 80 percent of the $28,225 her committee raised and spent came from developers outside of Bothell — one from as far away as Florida gave $5,000.

A small group of concerned citizens got together and mounted a “con” campaign (Reject Prop 1) to provide the facts to the voters. They spent less than $3,400.

The measure lost in all 43 city precincts and failed overall by over 13 percent. Of course, in the end, the boulevard and Main Street were completed by a new council without burdening the citizens with the bill — which would have cost us $66 million including interest over 25 years at four percent.

We should elect a council that has all of the citizen’s interests at heart not just their own.

Bill Moritz

Bothell

Palermo will give Bothell multi-generational representation

I attended the town hall meeting for the Bothell City Council candidates on Oct. 7 at the Northshore Senior Center. I was surprised by the lack of transparency by candidate, Davina Duerr, who did not reveal that she was recently appointed to the Washington State Legislature, taking Derek Stanford’s position.

This is important information for voters of Bothell to know before casting their votes. The Bothell City Council meets the first three Tuesdays of the month, September through July. The state legislature is in session in Olympia, January through April during even years and for six months during odd years when the budget is being passed. In addition, the governor, if necessary, can call legislators in for a special session for a 30-day period at any time during the year.

How can Davina Duerr attend and give full attention to Bothell during the months when the legislature is in session? In an interview by Ed Ronco of KNKX, Rep. Laurie Jinkins from Tacoma stated, “Under no circumstances is serving in the Washington state Legislature a part-time job.”

I am supporting the well-spoken young candidate, Sean Palermo, who will give Bothell multi-generational representation and full attention to the needs of the city of Bothell.

Megan Bilder

Bothell

Thompson’s support is broad

As someone who worked across the courtroom from Judge Paul Thompson for nearly 13 years, I strongly endorse him as a Superior Court judge.

Judge Paul Thompson has spent his career working in public service. He has done so with an unmatched combination of dignity, intelligence and professionalism, qualities he has taken to the bench.

Prior to being appointed as a Superior Court judge, judge Thompson spent his career working in public service, working with clients struggling with poverty, chemical dependency and mental health issues. While doing so, he has developed a reputation for being compassionate, studious, even tempered and knowledgeable.

Judge Thompson’s reputation as a fair and intelligent lawyer and jurist is consistent across all sides of the legal community — prosecutors, defense lawyers and the civil bar. He has received endorsements from every Snohomish Superior Court judge, every District Court judge, law enforcement and labor groups.

Judge Thompson’s broad support is a testament to his legal knowledge, analytical mind and fundamental fairness. Please join me in voting for judge Paul Thompson when your receive your ballot in the mail.

Elise Deschenes

Bothell