Tiliacos, James run for open seat
September 22, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
By J.B. Wogan
Erica Tiliacos, 53, has cast herself as the experienced candidate prepared to ask the appropriate questions about a range of city issues on day one.
John James, 46, highlights his business background, especially in real estate, and says he understands how to make Sammamish a more attractive place to live: adding more local amenities.
They are vying for Position 1 on the Sammamish City Council Nov. 3. Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay is vacating the seat after 10 years.
While neither candidate is an incumbent, they both tout their experience in civic involvement.
Tiliacos has sat on citizen advisory committees for the City Council since the summer of 2004. Her resume includes sitting on a Town Center citizen task force, a citizen group studying the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance, and currently she is part of the Planning Commission.
James, who lost in the 2007 election to current City Council-woman Nancy Whitten, touts his experience in co-chairing a citizen committee that researched and proposed features for the 2008 parks bond. He said he thinks he understands why the bond failed and what elements of the bond were popular enough to warrant a revisit.
The community center
Both candidates were supportive of the council’s decision to buy the current Sammamish Public Library building — scheduled to be vacated by the King County Library System in early 2010 — but they have different ideas of how to use the building.
The council voted to purchase the building under the assumption that it would become a teen-focused recreation center. Tiliacos questions that decision.
“It’s not very safe for children and teens to be approaching the busiest intersection in the city,” Tiliacos said.
Instead, Tiliacos proposed that the current City Hall become the recreation center, while the library building could become a new city operations and maintenance facility.
“The advantage to that is that we’ve already paid for City Hall and it’s in the heart of the community,” she said.
In that scenario, the city would need to find or build a new office space for City Hall, Tiliacos added.
Tiliacos’ recreation center solution also derails the city’s current plan for an operations and maintenance facility on 244th Avenue. The city has already spent $350,000 in designing the building. It has budgeted $5.3 million for the total project, in addition to the $1.1 million it spent purchasing the land. The city has a construction start date for the maintenance facility in February 2010.
James differs from Tiliacos in that he does support using the library building for a recreation center, though he admits there are limitations to the site, including the single access point from 228th Avenue.
“I see that as an interim situation,” he said.
James said he would still like to see a more comprehensive recreation center built in a more central location, perhaps in the Town Center. But since such a facility wouldn’t become a reality for several years, the library building is a good temporary fix, he said.
James’ plans for a bigger recreation center dovetail into his larger vision of revisiting elements of the failed parks bond. He said he still believes the city needs the waterfront park at the north end of East Lake Sammamish Parkway, more open spaces, more trails and a lighted synthetic athletic field at Pine Lake Middle School.
He said he would also support researching ways to establish an aquatic center, perhaps attached to the recreation center, and another lighted synthetic athletic field at Inglewood Hill Junior High School.
Show me the money
Lyman Howard, city finance director, has warned that under the current funding model, the city’s expenses would outstrip revenues by 2015, if not before.
The city relies heavily on property taxes, impact fees from new construction, plus a real estate excise tax.
In terms of city finances, James is a strong proponent of adding more retail space on the plateau because added retail would translate into more sales tax revenue.
He was not in support of looking at other taxing options.
“I don’t think raising taxes is necessarily a good thing in a depressed economy when people are just trying to make ends meet,” James said.
Tiliacos said she isn’t convinced that more retail would be enough of a solution.
She would like to see the council set up a citizen committee that would collect ideas from the public and from municipal finance professionals on how to resolve the future funding problem.
She added that the committee should not become a scapegoat for the council: “The council does have to lead in this.”
Both candidates say they want the city to explore new ways of connecting to the public. James said he would like to see all City Council meetings broadcast on the city Web site.
In a similar vein, Tiliacos said the city needs to work harder at educating the public, especially when issues might affect private property.
“It would be good for people to understand what the total background is and what could change in the regulation,” she said.
Tiliacos said better public education would have helped smooth council-public relations during the council review of its Critical Areas Ordinance and its Shoreline Master Plan update. She said it also would have helped with the controversial 2.5-mile East Lake Sammamish Parkway project concept design, approved in January 2008 with a cost estimate (at the time) of $44.5 million.
The parkway
Tiliacos said she has had repeated conversations with residents while door knocking about the rationale for not adding more all-purpose lanes to the East Lake Sammamish Parkway. Residents tell her the added sidewalk, commuter bike lanes and turn-lane aren’t adding traffic capacity, she said.
But Tiliacos said that in discussions with traffic engineers, she learned that part of the thinking is to remove pedestrians and bicyclists from the parkway car lanes, thus improving the average speed and traffic flow.
“It’s not intuitive and people don’t understand it that way,” she said.
Not that Tiliacos is sold on the total parkway as it’s currently designed.
“I’m kind of reserving judgment to see how this particular phase turns out,” she said.
James also supports better public outreach, although he is more emphatic in his disapproval of the parkway.
“I would put a hold on doing more work on the project,” James said. He said he would go back to the public for ideas on how to improve the parkway. “I think there’s a disconnect between what the council has proposed and what the community wants and needs.”
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
Erica Tiliacos, 53, has cast herself as the experienced candidate prepared to ask the appropriate questions about a range of city issues on day one.
John James, 46, highlights his business background, especially in real estate, and says he understands how to make Sammamish a more attractive place to live: adding more local amenities.
They are vying for Position 1 on the Sammamish City Council Nov. 3. Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay is vacating the seat after 10 years.
While neither candidate is an incumbent, they both tout their experience in civic involvement.
Tiliacos has sat on citizen advisory committees for the City Council since the summer of 2004. Her resume includes sitting on a Town Center citizen task force, a citizen group studying the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance, and currently she is part of the Planning Commission.
James, who lost in the 2007 election to current City Council-woman Nancy Whitten, touts his experience in co-chairing a citizen committee that researched and proposed features for the 2008 parks bond. He said he thinks he understands why the bond failed and what elements of the bond were popular enough to warrant a revisit.
The community center
Both candidates were supportive of the council’s decision to buy the current Sammamish Public Library building — scheduled to be vacated by the King County Library System in early 2010 — but they have different ideas of how to use the building.
The council voted to purchase the building under the assumption that it would become a teen-focused recreation center. Tiliacos questions that decision.
“It’s not very safe for children and teens to be approaching the busiest intersection in the city,” Tiliacos said.
Erica Tiliacos
Instead, Tiliacos proposed that the current City Hall become the recreation center, while the library building could become a new city operations and maintenance facility.
“The advantage to that is that we’ve already paid for City Hall and it’s in the heart of the community,” she said.
In that scenario, the city would need to find or build a new office space for City Hall, Tiliacos added.
Tiliacos’ recreation center solution also derails the city’s current plan for an operations and maintenance facility on 244th Avenue. The city has already spent $350,000 in designing the building. It has budgeted $5.3 million for the total project, in addition to the $1.1 million it spent purchasing the land. The city has a construction start date for the maintenance facility in February 2010.
James differs from Tiliacos in that he does support using the library building for a recreation center, though he admits there are limitations to the site, including the single access point from 228th Avenue.
“I see that as an interim situation,” he said.
James said he would still like to see a more comprehensive recreation center built in a more central location, perhaps in the Town Center. But since such a facility wouldn’t become a reality for several years, the library building is a good temporary fix, he said.
James’ plans for a bigger recreation center dovetail into his larger vision of revisiting elements of the failed parks bond. He said he still believes the city needs the waterfront park at the north end of East Lake Sammamish Parkway, more open spaces, more trails and a lighted synthetic athletic field at Pine Lake Middle School.
He said he would also support researching ways to establish an aquatic center, perhaps attached to the recreation center, and another lighted synthetic athletic field at Inglewood Hill Junior High School.
Show me the money
Lyman Howard, city finance director, has warned that under the current funding model, the city’s expenses would outstrip revenues by 2015, if not before.
The city relies heavily on property taxes, impact fees from new construction, plus a real estate excise tax.
In terms of city finances, James is a strong proponent of adding more retail space on the plateau because added retail would translate into more sales tax revenue.
He was not in support of looking at other taxing options.
“I don’t think raising taxes is necessarily a good thing in a depressed economy when people are just trying to make ends meet,” James said.
Tiliacos said she isn’t convinced that more retail would be enough of a solution.
She would like to see the council set up a citizen committee that would collect ideas from the public and from municipal finance professionals on how to resolve the future funding problem.
She added that the committee should not become a scapegoat for the council: “The council does have to lead in this.”
Both candidates say they want the city to explore new ways of connecting to the public. James said he would like to see all City Council meetings broadcast on the city Web site.
In a similar vein, Tiliacos said the city needs to work harder at educating the public, especially when issues might affect private property.
“It would be good for people to understand what the total background is and what could change in the regulation,” she said.
John James
Tiliacos said better public education would have helped smooth council-public relations during the council review of its Critical Areas Ordinance and its Shoreline Master Plan update. She said it also would have helped with the controversial 2.5-mile East Lake Sammamish Parkway project concept design, approved in January 2008 with a cost estimate (at the time) of $44.5 million.
The parkway
Tiliacos said she has had repeated conversations with residents while door knocking about the rationale for not adding more all-purpose lanes to the East Lake Sammamish Parkway. Residents tell her the added sidewalk, commuter bike lanes and turn-lane aren’t adding traffic capacity, she said.
But Tiliacos said that in discussions with traffic engineers, she learned that part of the thinking is to remove pedestrians and bicyclists from the parkway car lanes, thus improving the average speed and traffic flow.
“It’s not intuitive and people don’t understand it that way,” she said.
Not that Tiliacos is sold on the total parkway as it’s currently designed.
“I’m kind of reserving judgment to see how this particular phase turns out,” she said.
James also supports better public outreach, although he is more emphatic in his disapproval of the parkway.
“I would put a hold on doing more work on the project,” James said. He said he would go back to the public for ideas on how to improve the parkway. “I think there’s a disconnect between what the council has proposed and what the community wants and needs.”
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
Other Stories of Interest: Election 2009
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One Response to “Tiliacos, James run for open seat”
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Here are a few questions for Erica Tiliacos. Will residents near the current library appreciate living next to a maintenance facility and would Saffron businesses see city trucks and equipment as adding to the local ambiance.
As a member of the Planning Commission proposing uses for the town center candidate Tiliacos should know that maintenance facilities are not permitted in the town center. However, she wants to place such a facility near the Sammamish Highlands.
How will the city pay for a new office building for City Staff? Where would money come from to upgrade City Hall? Erica Tiliacos should know that the second floor of city hall is unfinished and would need an additional entrance and exit to accommodate public use. There is also a problem of parking and traffic circulation. How about money for a new city staff office or should city staff go back to the rented storefront in the Sammamish Highlands?
As a member of the Town Center Committee and Planning Commission Tiliacos voted for a plan that was impractical and needed significant revisions. She also voted to restrict town center development to an area where no infrastructure exists and development would be delayed for decades. She wasn’t thinking of our business community and the health of our city economy when she voted for this plan.
Sammamish needs city leaders who can grasp issues in their complexity, think things through in depth, and propose realistic alternatives. We need independent thinkers who when necessary can engage colleagues in healthy debate not just vote the party line. Lets see if Erica Tiliacos can demonstrate a better grasp of the issues in future public statements.