The choice on Nov 8th

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As the days of the campaign draw to an end, some may be wondering what are the differences between Sue Stewart and my opponent. Is the incumbent a safe bet or is Sue Stewart the better candidate for Redmond?

For 15 years I have served the community of Redmond, often in partnership with representatives of our business community. My opponent, through his endorsements, would have you believe that he is the only pro-business candidate in this race. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that I understand and value the role of business in our city and the benefits these entities bring to our community. In recent discussions about the neighborhood commercial process, my opponent resisted the additional requirements for community input. Neighborhood Commercial has great potential for bringing small businesses to the edge of our neighborhoods but I believe that the size, scope, and esthetics of these establishments have to be thoroughly vetted with the neighbors.

I understand and support our budget by priorities process. I was a citizen representative in 2008 that developed budget proposals to Council after carefully evaluating each proposal and weighing how they fulfilled that priority. My priority was Public Safety. For example, the Resource Officer was restored at our schools by listening and responding to the community’s concerns.

As a neighborhood advocate and community volunteer, I bring a needed set of skills and knowledge to position #7. I will represent the entire community of Redmond and will never support an action that diminishes the voices of those who live here.

Join my campaign for Redmond City Council

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Hello, my name is Sue Stewart and I am running for Redmond City Council, position number seven. I have lived in Redmond over 30 years and during that time I have seen Redmond grow into a thriving city for shopping and employment, with strong neighborhoods and schools. I want to stay true to Redmond’s values as we continue to grow in the coming years to preserve the things we all love about our city.

I am committed to bringing residents closer to the decision making of the city, tackling Redmond’s transportation issues, and helping Redmond smartly grow into the next decade. Grow in a way that respects our neighborhood culture and doesn’t overwhelm our infrastructure.

I am an active participant in Redmond City government, and that gives me a great foundation to serve you on Redmond City Council position number seven.

  • I began as a member of the Business Tax, Transportation Improvement Committee (BTTI) representing the interests of the residents of Redmond in recommending how best to spend our transportation dollars.
  • I later joined the Parks and Trails Commission where I served for seven years, acting as chair during my last two years.
  • Over the last couple years, our city government has started a new budget process, Budget by Priorities. I was fortunate to serve as a resident representative on the Safety Priority.
  • I also just completed a nearly two year term on the Code Rewrite Commission as co-chair and am proud to be a graduate of Redmond’s latest Citizen Academy.

I have gained a number endorsements from Redmond residents and local local leaders, please visit my endorsements page to learn more.

I know how our government works and I have some great ideas to move us forward as we tackle Redmond’s big issues of today and tomorrow. I would appreciate your vote, I will work hard to keep Redmond great.

Thanks for your support,

Sue

Chamber question: What is the most important transportation issue facing Redmond?

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This is third post in a series covering the four questions from the recent City of Redmond Chamber of Commerce candidate forum.

Question: What is the most important transportation issue facing Redmond and how would you address it?

Having an effective and efficient transportation system is vital to our entire community. We need to have the ability to move goods and services to our businesses and then residents to these businesses. We will need to connect our urban centers and then outward to the region. How do we accomplish this? We will need a network of complete streets, parking management, and improved transit services.

To improve transit, we will need to continue to assert ourselves with Metro and Sound Transit to insure we get our fair share of transit. As someone with 30 years of transit experience, I bring a depth of knowledge to the table that Redmond can use to fight to make sure we have the right service at the right time. I also know what a network of complete streets should look like to enable efficient movement about town both for our residents and for future transit. Parking management means having ample spots for people to park once and then be able to walk about the community from place to place.

Chamber question: What role should the city have in economic development?

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This is the second post in a series covering the four questions from the recent City of Redmond Chamber of Commerce candidate forum.

Question: What role should the city have in the economic development?

The City must continue to provide ample infrastructure such as accomodations for transit, utilities and completing and enhancing its network of roads and sidewalks. The changes coming to downtown have started in earnest, like the connection of 161st NE between Redmond Way and Cleveland Street. The next step will include returning Redmond Way and Cleveland to two-way. Combine these improvements with replacing missing sidewalks and working with METRO to bring about the service that connects us both inside and outside our community, and we will maintain our role as an Eastside transportation hub. Access to our local businesses, by car, bus, train, bike and foot is an important aspect to a healthy and producitve local economy.

Businesses also seek communities they see as “complete”. A place where they see an opportunity to run a successful business, and attract employees who want to live in a community that will enrich their lives with great neighborhoods, schools, and parks. Being complete also means have attractions like shopping, restaurants and entertainment that will help Redmond residents shop local, and encourage people from other nearby cities to shop in Redmond.

I believe the city can help by educating and encouraging its residents to buy local and continue to incentivize local shopping with a reward program. Something I would like to explore is the potential for a public/private partnership with the city’s magazine so businesses can reach out to the residents. As a member of Council, I will also continue the efforts to make business and building regulations and fees are fair and reasonable.

Candidate profile video is live

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Candidates running for Redmond council and mayor are invited to make a short video as an opportunity to share our goals and visions for Redmond. These recently were posted, and you can find my video here on the City of Redmond website. I hope you enjoy the quick snapshot, and will join me in my bid for Redmond City Council position seven.

Chamber question: A livelier Redmond?

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I recently participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Redmond Chamber of Commerce. We were asked to respond to four questions, and I wanted to share the questions, and my answers with you over the next week here as well.

How would you help make Redmond a livelier place?

Redmond is a great place to live, work, and play – we know that, but we can do better. The City of Redmond can help to promote places and activities that the community wants, like more dining choices, recreation, and entertainment. This is something that I have heard from my neighbors and friends who have suggested places like an indoor miniature golf as a destination for families and our teens. A possible location could be the old Larry’s Market space. Our Central Connector Park along the railroad right-of-way and the new downtown park between Redmond Way and Cleveland could also provide wonderful opportunities for new businesses. To help this however, we will also need to consider things like downtown parking capacity, and business and building regulations. As Redmond continues to grow, we also need to stay focused on building a pedestrian and bike friendly community, with a complete network of pathways and trails.

Another aspect of creating a livelier Redmond will be working with the community to attract new business opportunities. One idea being looked at today that I support, is the model of “ONE REDMOND”. This program aims to bring about a single point of contact; so new businesses looking to locate in Redmond can easily learn about the values of our community, the city’s regulations, and the possible inventory of available property. A livelier Redmond doesn’t mean creating a 24-hour city such as New York City, but rather creating a vibrant and thriving city based on community input that the residents enjoy and share. Creating a sustainable economy and business community will help support the things that make this a great community for families.

Connecting people to downtown Redmond

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I was out and about shopping at the Redmond Saturday Market and just wanted to say out loud, what a wonderful asset this place is to our community! A time and place where our neighbors come to shop and gather – to meet up, select the bounty of our local farmers, enjoy a meal, and grace our homes with crafts or flowers. It is a wonderful gathering spot, where we catch up with family and friends, walk our dogs and snack on popcorn.

Work has started on the Redmond Central Connector with train tracks and ties being removed in preparation for a new linear park through downtown. It will provide a pedestrian path adjacent to Redmond Town Center, connecting our historic downtown with shopping and attractions all the way down to 170th Ave NE. The new extension of 161st to the Parkway will be open on Aug 17th and you’ll see the potential of the city’s new Central Park.

It is in preserving our open spaces or forging out new green spaces in our city that provides us the quality of life we all so enjoy and cherish here in Redmond – spaces that I will always fight to keep.