A recent letter from City Council president Nancy McCormick, who will retire at the end of the year, in the Oct. 16 Redmond Reporter supported Kim Allen but let’s look at some key facts.

Challenger, Sally Chen, is endorsed by as many city councilmembers as Allen. That’s very unusual and raises real questions about Allen. On Allen’s Web site, she claimed to have been named Redmond Chamber of Commerce’s Person of the Year.”

That was a real stretch (the city council and mayor were named as a group) and since attention has been called to it, the claim is now gone. Allen, a former trial lawyer, can parse words with the best, no question.

The Chamber’s political arm, the EBA, has not endorsed Allen nor have our Firefighters, the Realtors and many, many community leaders. Allen ran Jim Robinson’s anti-business campaign for mayor; a divisive campaign that was soundly defeated. Redmond has a new, positive atmosphere, with residents, businesses and other stakeholders working together under Mayor John Marchione. We need more of that.

After considering the choices for city council position 4, many community leaders have chosen to endorse challenger Sally Chen. One need only look at Allen’s record on the council and as a hearing examiner to understand why. Chen is smart, hard working and passionate about community service. Sally Chen will also bring the much-needed perspective of a new generation of Redmond voters to the council.

For many years, I have worked in our community to advance the interests of Redmond; in particular responsible budgeting, taxation and support for public safety. After considering all the issues, I am supporting Sally Chen for Redmond City Council.

Warren McKenzie, Redmond