October 2007

Once again the citizens of King County will go to the polls on Nov. 6 to cast their vote on the important Medic One six-year levy. The King County Medic One service is a world-renowned medical response system, this year celebrating 30 years of service and support from the voters.

In 2006, the EMS system responded to over 166,000 calls to 9-1-1 (53,000 for advanced life support), an increase of 6.9 percent, and still maintained a steady response time of 7.5 minutes. The cardiac attack survival rate as discharged from the hospital alive was 41 percent..

I wish to express my appreciation for your insightful endorsement of Proposition 1, the Roads and Transit ballot proposal.

If this proposal fails, there is no Plan B. The opponents to the measure have no alternative, and with a projected one million more people expected to live in the region by the year 2025, we jeopardize our economy and our quality of life by not addressing the traffic problem today.

We've spent 40 years debating transportation in this region.

Retaining Bill Gates as our commissioner for South King Fire & Rescue is the right choice. Bill has served our fire department for the last six years with outstanding leadership and we need him to continue.

Commissioner Gates brings sound business and finance skills that have guided our fire department to become the largest and most cost effective in our state. Under his leadership our fire district has obtained the best fire protection rating in the state.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a candidate's forum hosted at the Normandy Park Cove. It was an interesting evening to see local politicians in such a low-key, small-scale atmosphere. While the hotly debated Port of Seattle race dominated the majority of the evening, it was the race for Highline Water Commission that made the largest impression on me.

I know that both Dan Johnson and Scott Hilsen are local guys from Normandy Park. Both are involved in the community in one form or another, and both are currently commissioners.

It has hit the rumor mill that Kathy Keene, who is a candidate for Burien City Council, plans to keep her position on the Board of Water District 20 if elected to the council. With her stand on annexation of North Highline and her position on the water board, does this not seem like a huge conflict of interest?

With so much at stake, does it make sense to have one person with so much influence and who knows how much to gain, if they are elected?

I have worked with Stuart Creighton very closely on key education and environmental issues. I am writing to recommend his re-election.

At one memorable Normandy Park City Council meeting, I was requesting an endorsement for a Highline School District bond. Stuart provided me with some helpful guidance before the meeting. During the meeting, there was a very determined effort to head off the council's endorsement. Stuart worked very effectively with the other council members to get the endorsement.

Two candidates out of the current slate of city council candidates see fit to even bother mentioning annexation in their voter's pamphlet statements. Yet this event would have one of the most profound impacts on the future of Burien. Several candidates mention the small town aspect of Burien and how they would like to keep it that way, but if the council has its way, the city would double in area and population.

The residents of Burien do not seem to care enough one way or the other about annexation to make their opinions known to the council.

Both my husband and I will be voting for Gordon Shaw to retain his seat on the Burien City Council. While we don't always agree with Gordon, we find him to be very thoughtful about his decisions and willing to listen to all sides of an issue.

When his opponent was on the City Council, the Council was always divided into factions and there was a lot of animosity among the members.

I recently mailed a letter to registered voters to expose the record of Stephen Lamphear. This action was not associated with any other party or campaign.

Many people have expressed support for this effort. A few have questioned my motives and have called the letter either negative or dirty politics. I do not believe that straightforward, verifiable reporting is either negative or dirty campaigning. How else can voters know the record of the candidates?

Like some of the writers from last week's Letters to the Editor, I too recently received a vitriolic, hate-filled and inaccurate letter unjustly attacking Stephen Lamphear as he runs for a position on the Burien City Council. The letter writer, Ron Seale, cannot possibly know Stephen Lamphear. I was outraged by the drivel that Mr. Seale attempted to pass off as "fact."

I am a professional who has lived in Burien for over 30 years. I do a significant amount of volunteering in Burien, and I have known Mr. Lamphear for over 10 years.