Growth is a regional issue, not just Redmond’s problem, and requires regional solutions. Redmond, especially, needs to be a regional player, not just because our city has one of the largest daytime population surges in the country, our resident population is growing, too.
Mayor John Marchione is active on regional boards and commissions, effectively representing Redmond. He serves on the Sound Transit Board, making sure that light rail comes to Overlake and working to bring light rail to downtown. He’s also on the King County Metro Services Guideline Task Force. Whether or not you use it, every rider of public transit is one less driver on the road. Housing, too, is a regional issue with explosive growth in the younger population in the region. The trend is to go to a different housing model that takes into account as much affordability as we can build into it. Mayor Marchione has the experience and the ability to balance the different needs. And still keep the city a place we would love living in. Having been on the Planning Commission for several years, I have seen the mayor at close range working on these two important issues, amongst others.
Mayor Marchione was the founder of the Washington Tech Cities Coalition, which brought together 15 cities to advocate for the needs of those cities in the legislature, amplifying Redmond’s voice in the legislature. A voice at the state level is critical and Mayor Marchione has made the connections to improve our opportunities there too.
While growth is a good thing, the pressures put on transportation infrastructure and housing are enormous. We need to look at ourselves as part of a region, not an isolated community. We need someone with not just experience, but also a voice in regional planning to deal with problems on that scale. We need a mayor who has the proven capability and credibility to accomplish regional objectives.
We need Marchione.
Vibhas Chandorkar
Redmond
