I have known Dave Pilgrim for many years and worked with him on the Maple Valley City Council. Dave has continuously volunteered his time to our community and Washington state. He has served on several Tahoma School District committees and is an active member of the Association of Washington Generals.
There were many reasons why Jim Flynn was voted out of office two years ago by the citizens of Maple Valley. He owns individually or through partnerships many commercial property investment holdings within Maple Valley.
Some recent letters to the editor have been on the very negative side with regard to Jim Flynn, a candidate running for a City Council seat in Maple Valley.
In 2006 over 94 percent of Maple Valley voters chose “no” during the infamous attempt by Valley Medical to annex Maple Valley into their taxing district. If that vote had passed it would have increased local homeowner’s taxes by approximately $250 per home. I and most others in the community worked to stop that unasked-for expansion of Valley Medical into Maple Valley.
Tami Henkel is running for re-election to the Tahoma School Board. I have served with Tami since she was appointed in 2003 and, subsequently, elected to the School Board. She is a passionate advocate for what’s best for students. She doesn’t just talk the talk; but, she walks the walk.
I had the distinct honor of living all over this world while serving our nation for a couple decades. Living under other governments gave me a true appreciation for the privileges and freedoms we have here. Voting for me is a very serious issue entailing many hours of sober research before making a decision.
As a citizen of Maple Valley as well as the former Fire Marshal, I continue to be concerned about the direction that Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety is taking.
Tami Henkel is a dedicated public servant who has a passion for schools and children in the Tahoma School District.
Apparently Andy and Katie (Gillespie) have not been involved or informed about what has transpired over the last 12 years of us as a city. While your comments are true about Erin (Weaver), and I think highly of her, Dave (Pilgrim) has voted with the people progressively and is voting his beliefs, not his relationships. Anyone that knows Dave, knows this. The subarea plan that was put out by the Planning Commission, was in part, unrealistic and could actually do damage by creating commercial areas that are not viable. It scares me to think we could make such mistakes, alienate the businesses that make up our commercial base and then support their bid to an elected position. (I personally believe that Erin just got bad advice from consultants, as she is very smart.) Precisely what is wrong with politics today. By the way, both Dave and (mayor) Laure (Iddings) were in support of the existing businesses in the northwest quadrant and stopped the process to review it more carefully.
We want to thank the members of the Kent School District community for sharing their valued input through emails, letters and phone calls.
I urge you to vote for Erin Weaver who is running as a candidate for the Maple Valley City Council.
My family has owned property in Maple Valley since the 1920ʼs. I spent summers in Maple Valley until 1998 when I became a permanent resident. Erin Weaverʼs family has been in Maple Valley for more than half a century.
We believe its time for a change of direction in Maple Valley and that is why we support Bill Allison, Victoria Jonas and Erin Weaver for City Council. We have had the same leaders for the past 12 years, Laure Iddings as mayor and until the last election, Jim Flynn as deputy mayor. They seem more interested in maintaining the status quo and resistant to the growth needed to keep up with our community.
The council leadership has relied on the new housing development tax and property taxes as its main sources of revenue since the city was founded in 1997. The city is nearly completely developed, so the new housing portion of that revenue has dramatically diminished and leadership has been slow to respond to these changes. The only recent action of note was when the leadership decided to purchase the financially failing Lake Wilderness Golf Course, which is now a major financial drain on the city and hinders growth of new community developments like the 54-acre Legacy site.
During many years of public involvement, I’ve been hesitant to endorse candidates, especially those in hometown elections. However, in the case of Victoria Jonas I am pleased to have the opportunity to endorse her for re-election to the Maple Valley City Council.
Maple Valley has been my home for eight years. Two years ago, I decided to get involved with City government and joined the Planning Commission and Economic Development Committee.
I live on 262nd Place in Covington, just down from Covington Christian Church. At approximately 8:15 p.m. our neighbor's guests were leaving and were being shown out the door by the family. One of their dogs pulled loose of his collar and slipped through the fence.
As a member of the Valley Medical Center Medical Staff and Southlake Clinic, also known as Valley Internal Medicine, since 1982, I have generally not… Continue reading
Kent School teachers are on strike and defying a court order. They say it’s for the kids. Yeah, right! We are paying among the highest per student cost, if not the highest, in the world and yet our kids are falling behind other nations. More funding is not the answer as we cannot sustain the current education model without bankrupting the taxpayers. I hope the superintendent will look at a new model to take us into the future.
My two daughters attended Crestwood Elementary, Mattson Junior High, Kentwood High School and graduated from Western Washington University and the University of Washington. Our older daughter teaches math at Auburn High School and my wife, Sandy, has both taught and substituted at Auburn.
My children attend Cedar Valley Elementary and Kentlake High School. My children have also attended Grass Lake Elementary and Cedar Heights Junior High School. As a parent with very strong ties to this district, I regret not sending you a welcoming e-mail earlier. I fear you have been placed into an untenable situation. Perhaps I should further introduce myself to you before I touch on a few subjects.
Kent School District is misleading the public with class numbers.
The problem with this list is that it shows the number of students in their classes at its lowest point in the first semester. No where can you find our highest number.
