In the state senate, Cheryl Pflug, Andy Hill and Steve Litzow each supported the measure to allow a basic civil right to be extended to all of Washington’s citizens.

Pflug and Hill represent Sammamish right now. In the fall, after redistricting, Hill and Litzow will speak for Sammamish in the senate.

The three Republicans bucked their party to support the measure, showing a much-needed independent streak that matches their constituency.

The state house is likely to vote on the bill this week and it is expected to pass.

We have every reason to believe Sammamish house representatives will follow suit in support of equal rights for all.

The outpouring of grief in the wake of Chapin’s death is heartfelt and true. Within days of his death, thousands had signed up on a Facebook page dedicated to him.

The notes and remembrances left on that page were poignant, emotional and beautiful.

Chapin instinctively knew how to work with adolescents. He knew when to joke with them and when to be serious.

Even though he was wearing a police uniform, his antics and personality made him approachable, even by teens.

His death will be felt not only by Eastlake and Inglewood students, but by everyone in the community — even if they don’t know it yet.

As a resident of the Cheswick Lane Condominium community, I’d like to thank the Sammamish Review for reporting on the proposed extension of 233rd Ave. Northeast.

What I would like to understand is why this article was the first I had heard of the project.

The city has not posted any signage in the area as they do with other infrastructure projects.

This project does not appear in the city’s 2012-2017 six-year transportation improvement program document.

Sammamish’s website also has a list of projects that fly out of a menu along the left hand side. This fails to mention 233rd Ave. Northeast In fact, that flyout still lists the East Lake Sammamish Parkway and 244th Ave. Northeast bridge projects prominently, both of which were completed over a year ago.

I understand the need for this project and I am not opposed to it in principle even though as an adjacent property owner with no children, I will have to learn to live with the increased traffic along Northeast Eighth Street while receiving little to no tangible benefit.

However, I find the city’s mechanisms for informing affected residents and gathering their feedback to be woefully inadequate.

Michael Sullivan

Sammamish

Good job planners

I attended my first meeting of the Sammamish Planning Commission last night to voice my concerns about the regulations for home businesses.

I have run a business from my home for 26 years now and have concerns about how the new regulations will affect me.

I would like to express a thank you to the members of the commission for their willingness to listen to the home business community, while setting forth regulations that will encourage home businesses and protect the effect of home businesses on their neighbors.

I would like to say thank you especially to Evan Maxim for the work he has done and his assistance and communication to keep me informed of not only the meeting but also the regulation changes.

It is always easy for the community to voice their complaints when they feel the commission or the City Council are not doing what they feel they should.

I feel it is important to voice our appreciation for their hard work and time they spend looking out for interests of the community even if we don’t always agree.

I am now looking forward to attending the City Council meeting when they are making their final decisions in regards to the regulations.

I am expecting that the home business community will once again be allowed to voice any concerns they may have in regards to any changes.

Claudia Haunreiter

Sammamish

Yes, she was right

Kudos to Christine Huff for her suggestion that our political discourse could use more civility and a focus on constructive solutions to the challenges we face, rather than childish and counter-productive name-calling.

Rob Gunther

Sammamish

Thank you,

Mary Pigott

After a taking my 4-year-old daughter with me for boring errands, I decided to take a quick stop to see where the new City of Sammamish park was located.

After seeing an inviting trail, we couldn’t help but get out to see where the trail led us.

What a wonderful surprise to find such an enchanting piece of property.

We encountered a meandering creek, zig zag forest trails, little bridges, picnic tables and a giant rock to climb.

My daughter was in her own happy forest fairy-tale land. What a wonderful place to go for kids of all ages.

I know we will be spending many afternoons playing in that forest and running on the trails.

How refreshing and generous for Mary Pigott to donate this piece of land to be enjoyed by all instead of selling off acres and creating the endless row of houses.

Melissa Heye

Sammmamish

I’m not compelled

In response to Michael J. O’Connell, I don’t see how religious groups can “force their will on others via the political process.”

No group, religious or otherwise, makes me vote for a particular person or issue but they are free according to the Constitution to try to influence my vote.

Just because ideas have religious roots does not mean they should be excluded from the political discussion.

Marilyn Wilke

Sammamish

The bills are bad ones, and should be stopped.

When a juvenile commits a serious crime, nobody involved takes the matter lightly.

From the prosecutors to the courts, to the media that reports on crime, everyone weighs the value of punishing an individual against the needs of society.

The policy at Sammamish Review is to report the names of juveniles only when they are charged with a felony.

We did not arrive at this policy lightly. We’re glad to say it is infrequent that we come across minors charged with felonies. We do understand the implications when we choose to publish the name of a minor. But we stand by the public’s right to know.

If you were a victim in a string of home burglaries or neighborhood arsons, you’d want to know who did it. We believe you’d want to know regardless of whether it was an adult or a teen — especially if the suspect lived next door.

It is just as important to ensure that the wrong people are not accused of the crime.

Too frequently, the school-based gossip mill implicates an innocent person. Reporting in the media can make clear who is actually the suspected criminal.

Juvenile defense attorneys are asking the Legislature to rewrite the law because the publicity can have a negative impact on the lives of these children once they reach adulthood.

Certainly, a person should not have to suffer their entire life for a crime he committed when he was still a minor. But this proposal (SB 6292 and HB 2542) to restrict access to court records goes too far.

The public needs to understand what is happening in their community and who is doing it. Restricting access to juvenile court records goes too far toward protecting the individual over the community as a whole.

I am moved to respond to John Burg’s Jan. 18 letter.

Can we at least agree that both liberals and conservatives want a strong and healthy America, of which we can be proud, but may disagree on how to do it?

Demonizing our president as evil and “bent on destroying the foundations of our country, our Constitution, our moral values and our economic system” is ridiculous.

Do you seriously believe that President Obama starts each day in the oval office by asking “How can we destroy the constitution today?” Let’s have a little more respect in our discourse and a little less slander.

Christine Huff

Sammamish

Environmental concerns

The Sammamish Review recently ran a piece lauding the increase in building permits of late.

While that may be good for city coffers, some of that new construction is taking its toll on the local environment.

In the last four to six months, many of the undeveloped lots in the area of Inglewood Hill Road have been clear cut and high density housing is being erected.

One builder actually advertised sunny lots in the heart of Sammamish!

Unfortunately for those of us already living in the area, the removal of that many 60- to 80-year-old hemlocks and cedars has opened our homes to the full force of winds that sweep across Lake Sammamish from the southwest.

Our once shaded properties now get morning and/or afternoon sun —shade-loving landscaping may not survive a hot, dry August.

There are no curbs or gutters or rainwater drainage systems in the area so the rain and melting snow (and the oil and grease from all the new cars in the area) run right off the roads and down the hillsides towards Inglewood Hill Road and Lake Sammamish (a known problem area for runoff).

While I realize I can’t stop development in this city, I do wish our city government and elected officials would expand their sights beyond revenues and budgets and take a look at the cumulative, destructive impact that development may be having on other aspects of life in Sammamish.

Kathleen Saul

Sammamish

It used to be worse

Regarding a recent email after the snow storm by Ms. Halbhuber concerning not having walkways cleared quick enough, I would suggest that she be thankful for the quick response to the real emergencies during the storms and be thankful for a flat area to be able to walk at all.

I have lived in Sammamish since long before it was Sammamish (41 years). We had no sidewalks, no flat walking areas, no parks.

My children walking up the hill to Margaret Mead Elementary, after it was finally built, had to contend with 4-foot ditches on both sides of 216th with cars racing down that hill to get to wherever they were going.

We had a government (King County to be exact) who didn’t care that we were without power for days (or weeks) on end after every little windstorm.

I am very glad for what the city does for us and wish to thank them all for their help during the storm.

Judy Klep

Sammamish

Free speech applies to all

In response to Michael J. O’Connell’s letter on Jan. 25, 2012:

NPR recently reported that only 3.8 percent of the U.S. population is lesbian, gay, or bisexual. However, this community uses intimidation and false reporting to define this number as much higher.

Additionally, advocates of this lifestyle would lead the general population to believe that a majority of citizens are sympathetic to, and in support of, gay marriage.

In the state of Washington a state-wide survey conducted by the National Organization for Marriage was released on Jan. 26 finding that 57 percent of voters say it is not necessary to redefine marriage, 72 percent of voters think state lawmakers should work on other issues rather than same-sex marriage.

A nearly identical number – 71 percent of voters—believe the people should decide the marriage issue; only 9 percent think legislators should decide the matter.

Common sense says let the voters decide by state and let free speech dictate the dissemination of accurate information without the silencing of opposing views, and without one group mischaracterizing the beliefs and opinions of the people in our state.

Ironically, people like Michael J. O’Connell claim to be proponents of free speech, so long as his viewpoint is heard and others are silenced.

All individuals and private organizations, including religious organizations, have a voice.

The Mormon Church and any other pro-family organization can and should have the right to advertise a contrary view to the gay, lesbian and bisexual community. Exercising freedom of speech is not bullying. Is it bullying for proponents of gay marriage to advertise as well? By O’Connell’s own definition the answer is yes.

Our society is based upon not only freedom of speech but also freedom of religion. The outright antagonism toward certain religious groups should not be tolerated. Any advocate of such silencing of free speech, particularly in the case of real or perceived minority viewpoints, is contrary to the founding beliefs of our great nation.

Melanie Kennedy

Sammamish

While homeowners were struggling to stay warm without power, business owners were wringing their hands over the lost business. Some managed to use generator power to stay open, providing homebound residents with necessities — a true community service.

Restaurants were particularly hard hit as food went to waste without refrigeration. Employees, too, suffered the loss of wages. It was life interrupted, not a fun week.

This week we can try to make it a bit better for each other.

Tip your waiter or other service provider just a little extra. Be sure any purchases you make are done locally to help businesses recoup the lost revenue, and to thank them and their workers for braving the storm to help.

Don’t forget to say thank you to those who are helping out. Offer a cup of coffee to the utility workers repairing lines or clearing trees. Let them know they are appreciated.

This is Sammamish, where neighbors help neighbors. With the usual thoughtfulness for the other guy, we’ll be just fine.

Officials opened City Hall during the worst of it, offering residents a warm place to relax — and charge their phones — when almost the entire plateau went dark from power outages.

Then, anticipating the need, generated by high winds, they quickly put together a yard debris drop off this weekend.

Good job, Sammamish, for keeping people safe during the storm, and helping residents deal with the aftermath.

As I rode the bus in to work this week (leaving my car safely ensconced in my driveway), I was pleased to hear the bus driver praise the city of Sammamish for its snow response.

According to the driver, Sammamish is one of the best communities in the area for keeping the roads driveable during winter weather.

However, when my husband and I ventured out on foot Wednesday morning, we found pedestrian travel to be quite a different story.

Most sidewalks, even those in and around the Highlands Shopping Center area, had not been cleared.

Travel was difficult, especially for me. I have advanced arthritis in both hips, which can make walking painful under the best of circumstances. On uneven ground, the pain can be excruciating.

Even in good weather, Sammamish doesn’t really encourage walking. Sidewalks around my neighborhood are ill-tended. Landscaping intrudes, and cars and RVs can often be found parked on them.

Yards are allowed to drain onto them, creating wet patches that are moss-covered in summer and become treacherous ice slicks when temperatures drop below freezing. That is, where sidewalks exist at all. On my street, which leads down to a supposed “walking school” (Margaret Mead), there is no sidewalk — only a striped shoulder which usually serves as a parking strip.

Walking is great exercise, even for those of us with disabilities. The more I walk, the better I feel.

But when I have to dodge around vehicles, under low-hanging branches, and even around garbage and recycling bins (on garbage days, the sidewalks become a slalom course of bins), I get angry and discouraged.

Sammamish should be doing more to encourage people to walk, not shoveling the snow off driveways and streets onto the sidewalks.

Catherine Rollosson Halbhuber

Sammamish

Religious

political bullying

Recently John Berg challenged me to provide specifics on my political positions. Though nothing I say will likely sway him, the dialogue provides a launching point for healthy, public conversation.

Here is a position for your consideration … Religious organizations should not bully or intimidate politicians and mislead voters into supporting their worldview. This behavior should be condemned in no uncertain terms. I am speaking about the organizations themselves and not their members’ rights as citizens to vote their consciences and to contribute to the candidates of their choice.

The Washington State Legislature is considering a gay marriage bill this session. A majority of citizens both here and in the nation support marriage equality. Loving, dedicated couples should be able to marry regardless of their genetically determined sexual orientation.

The Mormon Church does not want this to happen. Their front group, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) will be running a $250,000 campaign in our state to defeat re-election of any Republican legislator who votes for marriage equality.

No religious group should force their will on others via the political process — we do not live in a theocracy. The proposed legislation would not require any religious group to perform these marriages and it will have no effect on their ability to worship as they see fit.

The Mormon Church is particularly egregious because they felt very similar pressure from others during their ‘polygamy’ period through the turn of the 20th century – ‘do unto others’ comes to mind. Also, Mormons believe in polygamy in heaven, and have made it clear that gays cannot participate in these eternal marriages — hence another reason for their objection to marriage equality.

I urge you to stand up to political bullying and intimidation by the Mormon Church and NOM. Active Mormons represent 1.8 percent of our population – a tiny fraction. As good a people as many of them are, I don’t want this Utah church dictating how we in Washington State live. Please join me in exposing their tactics and in supporting our fair-minded legislative body. Learn more at http://hrc.org/nomexposed/section/religious-ties.

Michael J. O’Connell

Sammamish

We should choose

A recent letter writer (John Burg) derided Michael O’Connell’s sound statement that, “We should decide who we want to be as a people.”

At the time the Constitution was written, slavery was allowed, women could not vote, men had to own property to vote and the list goes on and on of changes that have been made by Americans deciding who we want to be as a people.

Today, we continue making these important decisions, with the ability to do so coming from the Constitution. So, yes, we should decide who we want to be as a people.

Mary Caditz

Sammamish

It has been nearly 20 years since the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the restriction of marriage to opposite-sex couples would be presumed unconstitutional. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court held that same-sex couples must receive the same benefits as married couples. Subsequent court decisions have held that “civil union” laws would not suffice, calling instead for marriage equality.

Many countries — including all of the Canadian provinces — now allow gay marriage. In the United States, six states and the District of Columbia now accept gay marriages.

In 2009, the Washington legislature approved a bill granting domestic partners the same rights as married couples, so long as those rights did not conflict with federal law. Voters approved the measure in a referendum later in the year.

The time is right to put the gay marriage law on the table. It will already be in the forefront as a topic of the presidential race. Washington will further the discussion as Gregoire’s bill is debated in the legislature. While there is no guarantee the bill will pass, we believe it is a natural next step — from equality in benefits to a legitimate view in the eyes of the law.

While many citizens do believe the sanctity of marriage should be limited by law to the union of a man and woman, we also believe the populous has become more accepting of same-sex partnerships. What real difference does it make to anyone outside of the marriage partners whether or not the marriage is legitimized through state law?

We understand that there will be churches that will not accept a same-sex marriage, no matter what the law says. Religion comes with the freedom of belief. Church leaders should be able to choose whether or not to perform a same-sex marriage. That is their right.

Even if the governor’s bill is passed, we expect it will be challenged. It’s healthy discussion that will eventually get us where we want to be — an accepting community that welcomes diversity.

Did you know that a 38-lot subdivision is going in on Inglewood Hill Road between the traffic circle at 216th Avenue Northeast and 212th Avenue Northeast?

Four lots, a detention pond and small stream will be located on the south side of Inglewood Hill and the remaining lots on the north side.

Get ready for a traffic nightmare on one of the main arteries in and out of Sammamish.

Not only will there be traffic tie-ups during the construction period, but also think about the traffic entering and leaving the completed development, on a curve, on both the north and south sides of Inglewood Hill Road.

Not only will the developer be cutting down many, many trees in this area (even though they claim they’ll keep what they can – yeah right), but they will also be cutting off a major wildlife corridor through this part of Sammamish.

Honestly, do we really need a housing development in this area?

Please show your concern. Get involved. Contact Emily Arteche, Senior Planner: 425-295-0522 or email: earteche@ci.sammamish.wa.us.

Public Comment Period is now through Jan. 11, 2012.

I don’t know about you, but I moved to this area because of the beauty of Sammamish. Enough with cutting down all the trees to put up the same old cookie cutter houses. Keep Sammamish beautiful!

Cynthia Dwyer

Sammamish

End the wars

I thought war and conflict was a very bad topic to study. Why study people in camouflage outfits trekking around holding guns? But being in Mrs. Dull’s Part-Time Quest at Blackwell Elementary School has changed my view.

War needs to be stopped now. Statistics show that around the world, $2 million is being spent on military purposes in merely two minutes! With that sort of money, there could have not been tolls on the 520 bridge.

Thousands of hungry people could have food in their stomachs. We all could be that much richer, for heaven’s sake!

Also, hundreds of soldiers are being torn away from their families.

There are many heartbroken people in the world that mourn for a husband, father, daughter, cousin, and even complete stranger.

So I agree with Occupy Sammamish: Stop the wars and bring our troops home.

Jenna Yuan

Sammamish

Town Center plan should change

In last week’s editorial, reflecting on the Town Center, The Review writes: “… be cautious.” If caution means a lack of motivation, a lack of commitment, a lack of decisiveness, the City Council has been extremely cautious.

The Review encourages the City Council to “Stick with the vision; resist giving in to the whims of a developer just to get something started.” Is the Review talking about Ace Hardware’s search for a commercial opportunity in a 240 acre town center?

Really, the Review should know that since completing a town center plan in 2008 and finalizing town center ordinances in 2010, no developer has shown any interest in the City Council’s town center plan.

The Sammamish Town Center is off the developers’ radar screen. The town center is dead in the water. No developers, no whims. No need for concern.

The Review advises; “Be patient and wait for the market to come to the community.” In 2008, our local business community begged the City Council to provide more commercial development opportunities.

Ace Hardware, a successful local company, is desperately looking for commercial space. Businesses constantly inquire about retail space in Sammamish.

The market is here, but the town center plan and regulations block development in the designated town center.

In 2009, a group of town center landowners along 228th Avenue petitioned the city to work with them to develop a workable plan that would attract investment and a developer.

The City Council slammed the door in their faces. The City Council wanted “time” to implement their plan. Well, years have passed and nothing is happening.

Time to wake up and see the town center plan for what it is, a roadblock to development. My prediction for 2012 and beyond, more local businesses and services will be driven out of business or driven off the plateau.

The City Council will talk but do nothing to change a flawed Town Center plan.

Meanwhile, lets re-name streets and build community. How about re-naming the town center “Ghost Town?”

John Galvin

The writer is a property owner in the town center development plan he references.