City Council Special Meeting · Tuesday, April 7, 2026 · City Council Digest

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

City Council Vacancy, Position No. Hear Presentations AB 9171

packet pp.3–89

Topics: Boards & Commissions

Open packet at p.3 ↗

Staff report:

The Administration recommends that the City Council fill the City Council Position No. 3 vacancy .

Executive (Closed) Session: Discuss qualifications of appointment per RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) ID 2009

packet pp.3

Topics: Boards & Commissions

Open packet at p.3 ↗

Staff report:

The Administration recommends that the City Council fill the City Council Position No. 3 vacancy .

Potential Narrowing of Applicants

1558 segments .txt ↗

0:01 ↗ looking for a magic lighty,

0:06 ↗ we are ready when you are.

0:10 ↗ Aha.

0:12 ↗ Welcome everyone. We're going to call

0:13 ↗ the April 7th special city council

0:15 ↗ meeting to order. The purpose of meeting

0:16 ↗ your presentations for the applicants to

0:18 ↗ the city council vacancy. Uh the first

0:21 ↗ item on the agenda is public comment. a

0:24 ↗ lot of times we do not get a lot of

0:25 ↗ public comment at these meetings. But

0:28 ↗ madam clerk, is there anyone signed up

0:30 ↗ for public comment?

0:32 ↗ >> I don't believe so.

0:33 ↗ >> I don't see anybody. I'm assuming I

0:34 ↗ don't see anyone in the room who looks

0:36 ↗ like they want public comment. If there

0:37 ↗ is anyone online or on the phone who

0:39 ↗ wants public comment,

0:41 ↗ audience comments are now closed. Uh so

0:45 ↗ we will now go to the city council

0:46 ↗ vacancy agenda bill 9171.

0:49 ↗ City council currently has vacancy in

0:50 ↗ position number three. The position was

0:52 ↗ held by council member Barb D. Michelle

0:53 ↗ resigned due to health reasons. The city

0:55 ↗ council has 90 days from March 2nd to

0:57 ↗ make an appointment to the vacancy. The

0:59 ↗ city received well eight applications

1:01 ↗ fill the vacancy or nine applications,

1:03 ↗ one withdrew. So the city council will

1:05 ↗ hear presentations remaining eight

1:06 ↗ applicants this evening. After the

1:08 ↗ presentations occur, the city council

1:09 ↗ will go into an executive session which

1:11 ↗ is a closed session where they can

1:12 ↗ discuss the qualifications of the

1:14 ↗ applicants. After the closed session,

1:15 ↗ we'll reopen the public meeting. the

1:17 ↗ city council's expectation to to move

1:19 ↗ some of the applicants forward to the

1:20 ↗ next round of interviews which will be

1:21 ↗ April 20th. I think the rough goal is

1:24 ↗ try to narrow it down to to two or three

1:27 ↗ finalists and the presentations you will

1:29 ↗ have 5 to 7 minutes. You don't have to

1:31 ↗ use that entire time. Uh there I'm not

1:34 ↗ saying there's brevity bonus points but

1:36 ↗ I'm just saying it's not a requirement

1:37 ↗ to use whole time. And when your name is

1:39 ↗ called, please come to the lect turn and

1:42 ↗ turn on the microphone and we will start

1:45 ↗ the timer. Now the list of how people

1:48 ↗ present is completely random and Landon

1:52 ↗ you are number one.

2:06 ↗ Thank you members of council. Thank you

2:08 ↗ uh Mayor Mullet uh thank you for for

2:11 ↗ holding this forum tonight for and for

2:13 ↗ giving us the opportunity uh to present

2:15 ↗ and share uh why we believe uh we should

2:18 ↗ be on the Isiqua City Council. Uh I am

2:21 ↗ seeking appointment to the Isiqua City

2:22 ↗ Council because I care deeply about this

2:24 ↗ community. I care deeply about its

2:26 ↗ residents and I care deeply about its

2:28 ↗ future and I want to be a part of the

2:30 ↗ conversations that impact all of us. By

2:32 ↗ day I'm a regional account manager with

2:34 ↗ a group called Lehi. Uh we're a

2:36 ↗ subsidiary of Rocky Brands. Uh we

2:38 ↗ specialize in safety footwear,

2:39 ↗ prescription eyewear, and managed PPE

2:41 ↗ solutions. Uh in my job, I'm working

2:44 ↗ with safety managers, safety engineers,

2:46 ↗ uh and others all day, helping them to

2:48 ↗ streamline their programs, helping them

2:49 ↗ to identify efficiency gaps, uh

2:51 ↗ potential cost savings, all while

2:53 ↗ ensuring they're still uh maintaining

2:55 ↗ OSHA's regulatory framework. Uh so I

2:57 ↗ think that these skills are transferable

2:58 ↗ to council um both from finding

3:01 ↗ efficiency gaps uh to maintaining

3:03 ↗ general um regulatory structure. Um in

3:07 ↗ terms of the city, my commitment runs

3:08 ↗ steep. Over the past several years, I've

3:10 ↗ had the opportunity to serve in a

3:12 ↗ variety of capacities. Uh I've served as

3:14 ↗ a volunteer in multiple organizations

3:15 ↗ across our city, including the Isqua

3:17 ↗ Food Bank, the Isqua Downtown

3:19 ↗ Association, and other groups. I've had

3:20 ↗ the opportunity to be part of boards and

3:22 ↗ commissions such as the Isqua Economic

3:23 ↗ Vitality Commission, an experience I'm

3:25 ↗ very thankful for. Uh, and I've even had

3:27 ↗ the opportunity to run for uh, council

3:29 ↗ myself. I did these uh, experiences or

3:32 ↗ had these experiences because I care

3:34 ↗ deeply uh, about the future of our city

3:36 ↗ and again want to be part of the

3:38 ↗ conversations that impact all of us.

3:41 ↗ uh it in also now uh in regards to what

3:45 ↗ I am doing currently uh I am a member of

3:48 ↗ the isqua philill harmonic orchestra uh

3:50 ↗ I have play the violin I consider it an

3:52 ↗ absolute blessing to be able to make

3:53 ↗ music in our community every week but

3:55 ↗ more than that I am thankful uh that

3:57 ↗ we're able to offer full symphony length

3:59 ↗ concerts uh to folks throughout the year

4:01 ↗ a lot of work to learn that amount of

4:03 ↗ music and continue to turn it out for

4:04 ↗ folks uh but it's something we do uh and

4:06 ↗ have a lot of fun doing it uh I'm also

4:09 ↗ part of a group called Livable Isiziqua

4:10 ↗ we advocate for policies regarding

4:12 ↗ walkability, multimodal infrastructure,

4:14 ↗ uh, and other things like that. U, we we

4:17 ↗ advocate for broad policies, but we've

4:19 ↗ also undertaken specific goals. One of

4:20 ↗ the things that I'm working on currently

4:22 ↗ in conjunction with a few other folks,

4:24 ↗ uh, in the city is potentially

4:25 ↗ establishing a bike valet for salmon

4:27 ↗ days. Uh, that's something that we've

4:29 ↗ been talking about now for about a month

4:31 ↗ uh, and are working on that. And we've

4:32 ↗ also had discussions about how we can

4:34 ↗ get the isquatroly back up and going.

4:36 ↗ Uh, so we have exciting conversations.

4:38 ↗ And again, these are just a few of the

4:40 ↗ ways that I I'm working to stay involved

4:42 ↗ uh and uh maintain an active role in the

4:44 ↗ city. So, now on to policy. Two issues

4:46 ↗ that routinely come up when I talk with

4:48 ↗ members of council as well as members of

4:50 ↗ the community are housing and transit.

4:52 ↗ I'm in full alignment with uh the city's

4:54 ↗ recent stated goals in regards to

4:56 ↗ housing, transit, uh and mobility. I

4:58 ↗ believe we need to increase our housing

5:00 ↗ stock uh of all kinds um and uh want to

5:04 ↗ ensure that we are focused on transit

5:06 ↗ oriented development. Um last year I had

5:08 ↗ the uh opportunity to tour uh the

5:10 ↗ together center uh with former council

5:12 ↗ council member D Michelle uh and see

5:14 ↗ that as sort of a a template for what we

5:17 ↗ could potentially do here. It is of

5:19 ↗ course aspirational um but I think we're

5:21 ↗ at the stages with transit oriented

5:22 ↗ development where that aspiration is

5:24 ↗ good where that's positive. Uh and I

5:26 ↗ definitely would support transit

5:27 ↗ oriented development here. Uh I'm also

5:29 ↗ in agreement with the city's uh strategy

5:31 ↗ on light rail planning. I do believe

5:33 ↗ it's important uh that light rail come

5:35 ↗ to our city. Um, part of that advocacy

5:37 ↗ is showing up uh to sound transit

5:39 ↗ meetings, but more than that uh it's

5:40 ↗ advocating for specific things um

5:42 ↗ advocating for specific policies that

5:44 ↗ makes it easier for light rail to come

5:46 ↗ to isqua. I support um recently proposed

5:48 ↗ ideas like self-p permitting uh for

5:50 ↗ Sound Transit. I support the creation um

5:52 ↗ of a tax increment financing district um

5:55 ↗ so that the project has legs to stand on

5:57 ↗ from the very moment it gets started.

5:59 ↗ Um, these are things that that I know

6:00 ↗ current uh members of council uh and the

6:02 ↗ administration are working on and

6:04 ↗ they're things that I would support as

6:05 ↗ well. Uh, another area of focus that is

6:08 ↗ important to me is public safety. Uh, I

6:10 ↗ feel that public safety is critical uh

6:13 ↗ to our residents. Um, luckily uh crime

6:15 ↗ has been decreasing since uh the end of

6:17 ↗ 2022, beginning of 2023 in part because

6:20 ↗ of things that are beyond the city's

6:21 ↗ control, but also in no small part uh

6:24 ↗ because of the hard work uh of our

6:25 ↗ police department and our human services

6:27 ↗ department. um as well as council's

6:30 ↗ efforts uh to curb retail theft. Uh I

6:33 ↗ believe uh that we should continue to

6:35 ↗ prioritize public safety. We do that by

6:37 ↗ continuing to invest in our police, but

6:39 ↗ I also believe that we need to take a

6:40 ↗ multi-pronged approach that continues to

6:42 ↗ make meaningful investment in human

6:43 ↗ services, in crisis response. Uh this is

6:46 ↗ good for everybody involved. Uh and I

6:48 ↗ support this approach to policing. Uh

6:51 ↗ two other issues that I am passionate

6:52 ↗ about. Uh as I mentioned, I'm part of

6:54 ↗ the isquael harmonic orchestra and being

6:56 ↗ a liaison for arts and culture is

6:58 ↗ something that I would really like to

7:00 ↗ undertake. I believe we have access to

7:01 ↗ immense cultural capital uh in our city

7:04 ↗ in regards to the people who live here,

7:05 ↗ the people who choose to be here. Uh and

7:07 ↗ I believe that we have more of an

7:09 ↗ opportunity uh to connect with those

7:11 ↗ people. I would want to be active in

7:12 ↗ connecting uh local creatives, our arts

7:14 ↗ commissions, um local nonprofits and

7:16 ↗ others in figuring out ways that we can

7:19 ↗ really um in reinvigorate u more arts

7:22 ↗ and culture here in Isakqua. I think

7:23 ↗ that we have a lot of untapped

7:24 ↗ potential. Uh another thing that is

7:26 ↗ really important to me that I am

7:28 ↗ passionate about that I would hope to

7:30 ↗ serve um our community with on city

7:32 ↗ council is my commitment to youth. Uh I

7:34 ↗ as a former educator, I care really

7:36 ↗ deeply about our young people, uh our

7:39 ↗ middle school and high school students,

7:40 ↗ um and ensuring that they have

7:42 ↗ opportunities to get involved in the

7:43 ↗ city that they live in. Um one, I think

7:45 ↗ it's irresponsible to have conversations

7:47 ↗ about our city's future without

7:49 ↗ including the people who are are set to

7:51 ↗ experience the most of that future.

7:53 ↗ That's our young people. uh but also I

7:55 ↗ think it is so important for them as

7:58 ↗ residents of our city to feel heard to

8:00 ↗ be seen uh for their development um to

8:04 ↗ know that they play an active role in

8:05 ↗ our city. So things like connecting DECA

8:07 ↗ students you know marketing and

8:09 ↗ accounting uh or uh marketing and

8:11 ↗ advertising students with local

8:12 ↗ businesses. We know from business

8:13 ↗ surveys that the city has done that

8:15 ↗ advertising and marketing help is

8:16 ↗ something that our local small

8:17 ↗ businesses need. uh DECA students are

8:19 ↗ required to do 20 to 30 page papers some

8:22 ↗ of them uh that detail their work uh in

8:24 ↗ case-like studies. This would be a

8:26 ↗ perfect opportunity to connect them. Uh

8:28 ↗ so I'm excited to potentially introduce

8:31 ↗ those new ideas. Uh we'll continuing to

8:33 ↗ talk about the things that we've been

8:34 ↗ focused on um or that I have been

8:37 ↗ focused on in my involvement uh with the

8:39 ↗ city and and that is housing uh public

8:41 ↗ safety and transit. Thank you all. I

8:43 ↗ appreciate it.

8:45 ↗ >> Excellent. Thank you very much.

8:48 ↗ Next, we're going to call America. You

8:50 ↗ guys obviously have the list since

8:52 ↗ people are getting up before I even

8:53 ↗ call. So, I like the fact that

9:10 ↗ Can you all hear me? Great. Council

9:13 ↗ members, Mayor Mullet, city staff, and

9:15 ↗ my neighbors. For those of you who don't

9:17 ↗ know me, but hopefully most of you do.

9:20 ↗ My name is Erica Boyd, and I believe

9:21 ↗ with my whole heart that moving to

9:23 ↗ Isiqua has fundamentally changed my life

9:26 ↗ for the better. No matter how they ended

9:28 ↗ up here, whether born or raised or moved

9:30 ↗ in here like me, I want every resident

9:33 ↗ of this town to feel the same way. When

9:35 ↗ I moved here in March of 2020, as the

9:37 ↗ world plunged into social distancing, it

9:38 ↗ was the beauty of this town and the

9:40 ↗ warmth of his people that kept me going.

9:43 ↗ Back in those tenuous days, despite

9:44 ↗ keeping six feet apart, I was struck by

9:47 ↗ the neighborliness that surpassed

9:49 ↗ distance, and I knew I'd found something

9:51 ↗ special. When my family comes to visit

9:53 ↗ me, they remarked the same thing.

9:55 ↗ Speaking of my family, I was born to a

9:57 ↗ 19-year-old single mother, and I grew up

9:59 ↗ in a small farm town near the Canadian

10:00 ↗ border. My mom's resilience and not

10:03 ↗ letting her circumstances derail derail

10:06 ↗ the pursuit of her dreams of becoming a

10:08 ↗ police officer, the first woman in my

10:10 ↗ hometown to do so, inspires me to this

10:12 ↗ day. I would not be at this podium

10:15 ↗ without her raising me to believe that

10:18 ↗ dreams and better situations are worth

10:20 ↗ fighting for. For me, this meant being

10:23 ↗ the first person in my immediate

10:24 ↗ biological family to get both a

10:26 ↗ bachelor's degree and a masterers of

10:28 ↗ public administration. Before I got

10:30 ↗ there though, I worked as a barista, a

10:32 ↗ childare worker, an Americanore

10:34 ↗ volunteer,

10:36 ↗ and a decade of summers as a farm

10:38 ↗ worker. My experience in the service,

10:40 ↗ child care, and agricultural industries

10:42 ↗ along with my Americanore experience

10:44 ↗ reinforced my mom's lesson that better

10:46 ↗ circumstances are worth fighting for.

10:48 ↗ Witnessing the stories of those I worked

10:51 ↗ alongside grew my passion for looking

10:54 ↗ out for all within my community. I asked

10:56 ↗ myself, how could I have the most amount

10:58 ↗ of impact? helping the greatest amount

11:00 ↗ of people. Fast forward a few years, I

11:03 ↗ currently serve as a senior legislative

11:04 ↗ assistant to one of our local fifth

11:06 ↗ legislative district representatives,

11:08 ↗ Lisa Ken, on a district team known

11:10 ↗ amongst our work group and my

11:12 ↗ supervisors as one of the most

11:14 ↗ effective, dedicated, and collaborative

11:16 ↗ staff teams. My job has given me a

11:19 ↗ unique insight into what can help make

11:21 ↗ the best policy. strong engagement with

11:23 ↗ policy partners, a good grasp of what

11:26 ↗ the problem is that's being solved,

11:28 ↗ measurable goals, and targeted

11:30 ↗ communication throughout the process,

11:32 ↗ especially after decisions are made.

11:35 ↗ This there is an incredible feeling of

11:37 ↗ lift that comes when all are working

11:39 ↗ towards a common goal. This is

11:41 ↗ particularly true in the realm of human

11:43 ↗ services, youth, and behavioral health.

11:45 ↗ These have become familiar policy areas

11:47 ↗ for me. I worked in direct services

11:49 ↗ during my Americanore stint, case

11:51 ↗ managing low-income students at risk of

11:53 ↗ disengaging from school.

11:56 ↗ In my legislative roles, that has meant

11:58 ↗ connecting constituents to a state

12:00 ↗ agency or local services to access

12:02 ↗ resources. There is no better

12:04 ↗ satisfaction in my job than finding

12:06 ↗ someone help that looks and feels like

12:08 ↗ help to them. Sometimes this is on an

12:11 ↗ individual scale, like helping break

12:13 ↗ down barriers to accessing unemployment

12:15 ↗ insurance while they're searching for

12:16 ↗ work.

12:18 ↗ Sometimes it's on a wider scale, like

12:19 ↗ helping secure Washington's first

12:22 ↗ systemwide youth behavioral health

12:23 ↗ strategic plan. Greater change and

12:26 ↗ improvements are made when networks are

12:28 ↗ formed and all involved are rowing in

12:30 ↗ the same direction. As more safety nets

12:32 ↗ are dismantled due to policy decisions

12:34 ↗ at the federal level, it is my northstar

12:36 ↗ that Isiqua feels like the safest and

12:39 ↗ the most reliable of government for all

12:40 ↗ of our residents. As highlighted by

12:43 ↗ Isiqua's human services strategic plan,

12:45 ↗ there are gaps and great needs to fill.

12:47 ↗ There are also pockets of brilliance

12:49 ↗ within the city that do so much good for

12:52 ↗ our residents. As our city grows and we

12:54 ↗ increase housing, my goal is to maintain

12:57 ↗ equitable access to our current current

12:58 ↗ services with the flexibility to expand

13:01 ↗ to align with the level of need. This

13:03 ↗ includes ensuring that there are trusted

13:05 ↗ human service partners that get to call

13:07 ↗ the Isiqua Transit oriented development

13:09 ↗ project home. Speaking of our residents,

13:12 ↗ I want us to add more of them,

13:13 ↗ especially those that want to live here,

13:15 ↗ but they can't afford to. I think we can

13:17 ↗ do this by continuing to build

13:18 ↗ efficiencies in our city code to make

13:20 ↗ our wonderful town an attractive place

13:22 ↗ to develop multif family housing. Not

13:25 ↗ just any multif family housing, but

13:27 ↗ homes that serve to connect neighbors

13:29 ↗ rather than silo them, and homes to

13:30 ↗ showcase the vibrancy of what this city

13:32 ↗ can truly be. I am all in on the goal of

13:36 ↗ increasing housing stock in the central

13:37 ↗ Isaka regional center as soon as we can

13:40 ↗ but without sacrificing design that

13:42 ↗ connects neighbors with neighbors like

13:43 ↗ shared courtyards or plazas and parks.

13:46 ↗ The importance of parks as shared spaces

13:48 ↗ has been on my mind as I moved from

13:51 ↗ renting in the highlands where I had

13:53 ↗ great access to parks, open space and

13:55 ↗ trails to owning a town home in North

13:57 ↗ Isiqua. In my neighborhood, I believe

13:59 ↗ we're missing a vital space like a

14:01 ↗ shared park. And with the current parks

14:03 ↗ levy expiring, I'd support a new levy

14:05 ↗ that includes community informed parks

14:07 ↗ and green amenities in all corners of

14:09 ↗ this town. In my tenure on the

14:11 ↗ transportation advisory board or the

14:13 ↗ TAB, we've used the guiding principles

14:16 ↗ of the mobility action plan to encourage

14:18 ↗ the prioritization of bicycle and

14:20 ↗ pedestrian infrastructure and safety,

14:22 ↗ the reduction of congestion, and

14:24 ↗ projects that better connect Isiqua to

14:26 ↗ itself and the greater region. This

14:28 ↗ includes light rail planning, something

14:30 ↗ I believe is key to Isiqua's connected

14:32 ↗ future. I had the privilege of attending

14:34 ↗ the opening of the Cross Lake

14:36 ↗ Connection. Experiencing the delight and

14:38 ↗ being able to be a gorgeous train ride

14:40 ↗ away from amenities and employment has

14:42 ↗ gotten me even more hooked on transit

14:44 ↗ than I was. I want people to feel the

14:47 ↗ exact same way when they take our future

14:49 ↗ light rail line into our shining

14:51 ↗ businesses and our amenity gems. It has

14:54 ↗ been heartening to see Isiqua, including

14:56 ↗ members of the TAB, advocate to keep our

14:58 ↗ light rail station on track while

15:00 ↗ offering partnership and collaboration

15:02 ↗ to do so.

15:03 ↗ Whether selected for this vacancy or

15:05 ↗ not, I'm eager to further support these

15:07 ↗ efforts. Hopefully, long after I have

15:10 ↗ passed on, this town will remain. Should

15:13 ↗ I be chosen to fill this vacancy, my

15:15 ↗ hope is not that my name or my time on

15:17 ↗ council be remembered. My hope is that

15:19 ↗ the decisions made as a council

15:21 ↗ positively ripple out to support the

15:24 ↗ generations of future Isiquans that will

15:26 ↗ walk our trails, use these crosswalks,

15:29 ↗ catch the light rail that's just a block

15:31 ↗ down from their home.

15:32 ↗ enjoy their neighborhood park or local

15:34 ↗ public art place,

15:37 ↗ sip their coffee from the small business

15:38 ↗ just around the corner, and delight in

15:41 ↗ the return of the salmon year after

15:43 ↗ year. I'm humbled to be considered for

15:45 ↗ this opportunity to make lifelong

15:47 ↗ impact. Thank you so much for taking the

15:49 ↗ time to listen to me.

15:51 ↗ >> Excellent. Thank you very much, Erica.

15:54 ↗ Okay, next we're going to Quan.

16:05 ↗ Do I need to press this or Okay.

16:09 ↗ Um, good evening, council members, Mayor

16:11 ↗ Mullet, city staff. Thank you so much

16:13 ↗ for the opportunity to speak today. Um,

16:16 ↗ my name is Wlab Palmer, but I go by Quan

16:18 ↗ Palmer. Um, I've lived in Isiqua for

16:20 ↗ over six years with my husband, Aaron,

16:22 ↗ and my little fur child named Donut. Um,

16:25 ↗ I'm really excited to be here today

16:26 ↗ because um I care deeply about this

16:29 ↗ amazing community just like everybody

16:30 ↗ else who's in the room today and I want

16:33 ↗ to help ensure that our city grows in um

16:37 ↗ grows it does so that it's equitable,

16:39 ↗ thoughtful and sustainable and safe for

16:41 ↗ everybody. Um I approached this work in

16:44 ↗ two lenses. One is being human first. Um

16:47 ↗ grounded in transparency, empathy and

16:49 ↗ humility. Um the second one is lens

16:52 ↗ grounded in data lived experiences by

16:54 ↗ the community and um especially

16:57 ↗ community input. Um I currently work for

16:59 ↗ our beloved village theater um as the

17:02 ↗ human resources manager. So if you

17:04 ↗ haven't seen Greece yet, please check it

17:06 ↗ out.

17:08 ↗ Um so a little bit about me my

17:10 ↗ background. Um I bring a decade of

17:12 ↗ experience in human resources. I've

17:14 ↗ worked at tech, utilities, local

17:16 ↗ government, and currently a nonprofit.

17:19 ↗ Um, my work focuses a lot on employee

17:22 ↗ and labor relations, budgeting,

17:23 ↗ workforce planning, safety. Um, I

17:27 ↗ regularly have to balance competing

17:28 ↗ priorities and make data informed

17:30 ↗ decisions. Um, and really trying to push

17:33 ↗ it with being fair and consistent.

17:37 ↗ Um, throughout my career, I've built it

17:39 ↗ with partnering with leadership to

17:40 ↗ navigate complex issues sometimes,

17:43 ↗ especially in unforeseen circumstances.

17:46 ↗ um uh being able to navigate the

17:48 ↗ challenging environments uh facilitate

17:50 ↗ really difficult conversations and bring

17:52 ↗ people together to reach a practical

17:54 ↗ thoughtful outcome together. Um I've

17:57 ↗ also had the unique opportunity to seen

18:00 ↗ local government in um different

18:02 ↗ perspectives. Uh I spent the majority of

18:04 ↗ my career in local government in HR. Um,

18:08 ↗ and then I'm now on the city's equity

18:11 ↗ board and I am now um going and hoping

18:15 ↗ to serve as a city council.

18:19 ↗ Through my work on the equity board,

18:21 ↗ I've helped uh I led efforts to review

18:23 ↗ the city's equity framework through an

18:25 ↗ equity lens uh which is still in

18:26 ↗ progress. Um I'm also um you know I

18:30 ↗ think staying engaged in the community

18:31 ↗ is really important. Um, I participated

18:33 ↗ most recently in the cultural festival

18:35 ↗ where I helped introduce a conversation

18:37 ↗ with um, internal equity versus

18:40 ↗ equality. Um, and I am also a mentor at

18:44 ↗ the Gibson EK High School as well. Um,

18:47 ↗ living and working directly in Isiqua, I

18:50 ↗ think, um, I have a lot of firsthand

18:52 ↗ experience with kind of the mobility,

18:54 ↗ the environmental sustainability and

18:56 ↗ economic vitality um, piece where I

18:59 ↗ think it is deeply connected together.

19:01 ↗ Um, I know that the strategic plan, we

19:04 ↗ have subcategories about that, but I

19:06 ↗ think that they're all intertwined

19:07 ↗ somehow. Um, you know, how people move

19:10 ↗ through the city, including both

19:11 ↗ residents who leave to go to neighboring

19:13 ↗ cities to work. Um, and also those who

19:17 ↗ commute into Isiqua. Um, this really

19:20 ↗ shapes our access. It shapes the jobs

19:23 ↗ that we have. It shapes the services and

19:25 ↗ overall the quality of life here.

19:29 ↗ Um, at the same time, community safety

19:32 ↗ is foundational to all of this. I think

19:34 ↗ that people should feel where they they

19:36 ↗ should feel safe where they live, where

19:38 ↗ they work, where they go together as

19:40 ↗ friends. Um, and that safety should

19:42 ↗ reflect the needs of the entire

19:44 ↗ community. As the city continues to

19:47 ↗ grow, maintaining that balance requires

19:49 ↗ thoughtful long-term planning aligned

19:50 ↗ with city's strategic plan and the

19:52 ↗ community survey that we already

19:53 ↗ currently do. Just as important,

19:55 ↗ ensuring people feel sense um feel a

19:58 ↗ sense of belonging. While our community

20:00 ↗ and Isqua is vastly diverse that the

20:03 ↗ diversity is not always reflected across

20:06 ↗ all spaces and especially in decision-m

20:09 ↗ um expanding the representation and

20:11 ↗ bringing forward a broader range of

20:12 ↗ perspectives help ensure decisions

20:14 ↗ better reflect the full community of

20:16 ↗ Isqua. Um, affordable housing is also a

20:19 ↗ key part of that, ensuring people can

20:21 ↗ continue to live, stay, thrive, and

20:24 ↗ especially as the city evolves.

20:27 ↗ Um, if I'm selected to, uh, fill this

20:30 ↗ vacancy, I will carry the two lens in

20:32 ↗ this role. Um, you know, I will lead

20:34 ↗ with human first approach grounded in

20:36 ↗ empathy, humility, and ensure

20:39 ↗ transparency uh by communicating the

20:41 ↗ reasoning behind decisions whenever

20:43 ↗ possible. Um, at the same time, I will

20:46 ↗ rely on data. I will rely on community

20:48 ↗ input, long-term thinking, and aligning

20:51 ↗ with the city's strategic plan as well.

20:54 ↗ I also bring an understanding that

20:55 ↗ cities operate with limited resources um

20:58 ↗ through my own personal experience

21:00 ↗ working in local government. And so I

21:02 ↗ think that um thoughtful resource

21:04 ↗ allocation is really important. Um, so I

21:09 ↗ would approach the budgeting by pri

21:10 ↗ prioritizing what is needed, what is

21:13 ↗ absolutely mandatory and not what is

21:15 ↗ wanted um to guide that. And I also

21:18 ↗ recognize that each council member

21:19 ↗ brings different strengths and I will

21:21 ↗ bring mine as an asset to the city while

21:22 ↗ working um collaboratively.

21:26 ↗ This is also a pivotal moment um to

21:29 ↗ ensure underrepresented voices are at

21:31 ↗ the table and I'm here and ready to help

21:33 ↗ create that change. Um, I am committed

21:35 ↗ to serving with honesty, transparency,

21:37 ↗ and accountability, and um to helping

21:40 ↗ foster a community where people feel

21:42 ↗ represented, supported, and a true sense

21:45 ↗ a true sense of belonging. So, I would

21:48 ↗ be honored to serve and contribute to

21:49 ↗ the city that continues to to grow in a

21:51 ↗ way that is inclusive, sustainable,

21:53 ↗ responsive, and safe for all residents.

21:55 ↗ Um, thank you for your time and

21:57 ↗ consideration.

21:58 ↗ >> That was excellent. Thank you very much,

22:00 ↗ Guan. Uh, next we have Donovan.

22:11 ↗ Hello.

22:13 ↗ Thank you so much, council members,

22:14 ↗ mayor, my colleagues here who are here

22:17 ↗ today. It's just been an honor to even

22:19 ↗ go through this process. Just thankful

22:21 ↗ that I have the time to chat here and

22:23 ↗ and just go through this. So, quickly

22:25 ↗ just want to say hello. Say my name is

22:27 ↗ Donovan Richards. Uh I've been living in

22:30 ↗ Isiqua for about 10 years with my wife

22:32 ↗ and two kids. We live up in the

22:33 ↗ highlands. Um, I'm here today because I

22:36 ↗ care about community. I really want to

22:38 ↗ serve in whatever way I can. Um, and my

22:41 ↗ why is really based around this concept

22:44 ↗ of how important it is to have the

22:46 ↗ ability to work and live in Isiqua and

22:49 ↗ whatever we can do to make that the case

22:51 ↗ for anyone who chooses to call this

22:54 ↗ place home. Uh, so I want to give you a

22:56 ↗ little bit of a story to understand why

22:59 ↗ my why is that why. Um, I have a friend

23:02 ↗ who is looking to buy a house and settle

23:04 ↗ down uh with his partner and two kids.

23:07 ↗ Um, even though he's in a dual inome

23:09 ↗ household, his salary alone puts him

23:12 ↗ above the King County medium income. I

23:14 ↗ suggested he opted to Isiqua. He loves

23:17 ↗ to hike. Um, he plays viola, so he'd

23:20 ↗ probably want to be a part of the

23:22 ↗ orchestra. Um, his wife also plays uh in

23:25 ↗ orchestra as well. I think they'd be an

23:27 ↗ incredible addition to the community.

23:29 ↗ Um, but when I suggested he moves to

23:31 ↗ Isqua, the response was, unfortunately,

23:34 ↗ homes were too expensive. There's no way

23:36 ↗ that he'd be able to

23:39 ↗ make the move. Um, honestly, my friend

23:41 ↗ doesn't carry much debt. He doesn't max

23:43 ↗ out his credit cards every month or to

23:45 ↗ live beyond his means. And the thought

23:48 ↗ here is that if a family that's above

23:50 ↗ the median income is unable to make

23:51 ↗ Isqua home, how many people are kept out

23:54 ↗ of this community? How many incredibly

23:57 ↗ talented individuals are we losing? Uh

23:59 ↗ people who would have contributed to

24:01 ↗ seeing this place flourish. So the

24:03 ↗ decisions we make on housing are one of

24:05 ↗ the biggest questions we face when we

24:07 ↗ look into Isiqua's future. Um but

24:09 ↗ housing is really just a surface to the

24:11 ↗ deeper question. What kind of community

24:13 ↗ do we want to be and who gets to belong

24:16 ↗ in it? And my belief and experience

24:18 ↗ drive me to to try to find this answer.

24:21 ↗ And that's what I want to talk about in

24:23 ↗ the next few minutes here is is what I

24:25 ↗ bring to the table recognizing that I'm

24:27 ↗ a bit of a newcomer to these sort of

24:29 ↗ conversations. First off, I believe in a

24:32 ↗ fundamental way that humans uh are not

24:35 ↗ built merely to survive, but to thrive.

24:38 ↗ And I believe a community's deepest

24:39 ↗ purpose is to create the conditions

24:41 ↗ where that flourishing is possible for

24:43 ↗ everyone, not just those who got here

24:45 ↗ early or those with the most resources

24:48 ↗ or those who already know where to look

24:50 ↗ to find that help. That conviction has

24:52 ↗ led me to what I'm doing right now,

24:54 ↗ which is uh co-founding a nonprofit

24:58 ↗ called Culture and Service. We're just

25:00 ↗ in the pilot stages with it right now.

25:02 ↗ Um but we're planning to la land launch

25:04 ↗ it locally. Um, and it exists for

25:07 ↗ professionals in transition, people who

25:09 ↗ have lost not just a paycheck, uh, but

25:11 ↗ the daily rhythm of contribution, uh,

25:14 ↗ the community of colleagues that you

25:15 ↗ have with the job, the feeling that you

25:17 ↗ have something to give. Uh, we're

25:19 ↗ building this fellowship model that

25:21 ↗ pairs people with local businesses to do

25:23 ↗ meaningful work. Uh, while rebuilding

25:25 ↗ that internal resilience that career

25:28 ↗ transitions can quietly strip away. Uh

25:31 ↗ and the idea here too is that if you can

25:33 ↗ keep people locally, local people

25:34 ↗ helping local businesses, you know, from

25:36 ↗ a transportation perspective, maybe that

25:38 ↗ takes one extra car off the road as we

25:41 ↗ bring people and connect them to those

25:43 ↗ uh local businesses. Um and honestly, we

25:46 ↗ believe that purposeful work is not a

25:48 ↗ luxury. It's a human need and building a

25:51 ↗ great community helps its people stay

25:54 ↗ connected to that great community. Uh on

25:57 ↗ the professional side, I bring a lot of

25:58 ↗ practical experience over the past

26:00 ↗ decade. I've worked as a program

26:01 ↗ manager, strategic consultant, and

26:04 ↗ client delivery leader. I've managed a

26:06 ↗ $6 million account. I've led teams of 10

26:09 ↗ or more at a time to drive complex

26:11 ↗ initiatives for clients um such as

26:13 ↗ Intel, Microsoft, and SAP. Uh I know how

26:17 ↗ to take strategic vision and build the

26:19 ↗ accountability structures, the work

26:21 ↗ streams, and the stakeholder

26:22 ↗ relationships that turn into real

26:24 ↗ outcomes. And before that, earlier in my

26:27 ↗ career, I also worked um with human-

26:30 ↗ centered design uh through

26:32 ↗ organizational culture work. And they're

26:34 ↗ learning that lasting change is

26:35 ↗ relational, not procedural requires

26:39 ↗ patience, trust, and a genuine

26:41 ↗ orientation toward the people that

26:43 ↗ you're serving. And lastly, the last

26:47 ↗ part of what motivates my why would be

26:49 ↗ my background, my academic background.

26:51 ↗ Um, I have a basis in philosophy and

26:53 ↗ ethics. And that's trained me over the

26:55 ↗ years to think carefully about the

26:57 ↗ questions that are underneath policy.

26:59 ↗ Not just what to build, but who it's

27:01 ↗ for. Not just what is efficient, but

27:03 ↗ what is right. And I'd also add beyond

27:06 ↗ that, just always thinking about that

27:07 ↗ third route. When considering an A or a

27:10 ↗ B, sometimes C is actually the best

27:12 ↗ answer. So, I'm always trying to think

27:13 ↗ outside the box in that way. because of

27:16 ↗ these experiences that has shaped my

27:18 ↗ alignment uh to the Isiqua strategic

27:21 ↗ plan and it's the reason why I want to

27:22 ↗ serve on this council. The plan's vision

27:25 ↗ of a welcoming, sustainable, equitable

27:27 ↗ community is not just aspirational

27:30 ↗ language to me. It's a description of

27:32 ↗ the city that I want to try and help

27:34 ↗ build. When the plan commits to reducing

27:36 ↗ social isolation, expanding culturally

27:39 ↗ relevant services, and ensuring that

27:41 ↗ Isiqua's quality of life is accessible

27:43 ↗ to everyone, it is making a statement

27:45 ↗ about human dignity. And I want to help

27:47 ↗ that council make good on that

27:49 ↗ statement. I'm not running for the seat

27:51 ↗ because I have all the answers. I'm

27:53 ↗ running because I care deeply about

27:54 ↗ Isiziqua. Because I have relevant skills

27:57 ↗ to contribute. Because I believe the

27:59 ↗ best version of this city, the one the

28:01 ↗ strategic plan is working toward is the

28:03 ↗ one where my friend's family could

28:05 ↗ afford to move here. Where the people

28:08 ↗ who work here can live here. Where every

28:10 ↗ resident has not just shelter and

28:12 ↗ safety, but access to meaningful

28:14 ↗ contribution and the conditions for a

28:16 ↗ genuinely flourishing life.

28:19 ↗ The decisions we make around housing are

28:21 ↗ one of the biggest questions in need of

28:22 ↗ answering as we look into the future of

28:24 ↗ Isiqua and what will make our community

28:26 ↗ a vibrant place where we want to raise

28:27 ↗ families, start businesses, and spend

28:30 ↗ our time at leisure. I hope my

28:31 ↗ experience and my alignment with

28:33 ↗ Isiqua's strategic goals will help me be

28:35 ↗ an asset in creating the Isiqua we all

28:38 ↗ envision. I thank you so much for your

28:40 ↗ time.

28:41 ↗ >> That was excellent, Donovan. Thank you

28:43 ↗ very much.

28:45 ↗ Okay, next we have Connie.

28:56 ↗ Good evening. Uh my name is Connie

28:59 ↗ Masalunis and I would like to thank the

29:01 ↗ council and the mayor uh for extending

29:03 ↗ this opportunity uh for me to present

29:06 ↗ myself. I'm a 26-year uh resident of

29:10 ↗ Isiqua and a relatively recent retiree

29:13 ↗ and I now feel I have an opportunity to

29:15 ↗ serve the city with uh the time and the

29:18 ↗ attention that it deserves.

29:20 ↗ I'll start by saying that I have no

29:23 ↗ public office experience. Uh however, I

29:26 ↗ do feel that I have applicable skills. I

29:29 ↗ worked in procurement and supply chain

29:31 ↗ management for close to 40 years. My

29:33 ↗ main commodity was procuring um

29:36 ↗ construction and facilities related

29:38 ↗ services and I was also proficient in uh

29:42 ↗ contracts management, contract ex

29:45 ↗ execution and contract review. Um, some

29:48 ↗ other uh experience I feel that is is

29:51 ↗ pertinent to being on the council is

29:53 ↗ I've served on several boards of uh

29:56 ↗ directors including for a community

29:58 ↗ theater organization

30:00 ↗ um two homeowners associations

30:03 ↗ and I I served as both u members at

30:06 ↗ member at large as well as president for

30:09 ↗ each of those organizations.

30:12 ↗ I'm currently serving as president of an

30:14 ↗ association of a 128 unit complex that's

30:18 ↗ preparing to undergo a complete exterior

30:20 ↗ recladding project. So, you know, I'm

30:23 ↗ involved in the coordination of, you

30:25 ↗ know, the the board and meeting with the

30:28 ↗ engineers and the and the contractors as

30:31 ↗ we move through the project.

30:33 ↗ Um, in all of these roles, it's been

30:36 ↗ necessary to interact with diverse

30:38 ↗ personalities and frequently competing

30:41 ↗ goals. It requires maintaining open

30:44 ↗ discussion and keeping an open mind to

30:46 ↗ differing opinions. I think I've been uh

30:49 ↗ very successful in managing those

30:51 ↗ divergent conversations to reach

30:54 ↗ consensus, which I think is key when

30:57 ↗ you're working with a large council. Um

31:01 ↗ and and with members of the community.

31:03 ↗ Um no one opinion is ever 100% correct,

31:07 ↗ right? And we have to be able to work

31:09 ↗ with each other.

31:11 ↗ Um, my interests in seeking a council

31:14 ↗ position, like many in this room, are

31:17 ↗ affordable housing and the

31:19 ↗ infrastructure to support it,

31:22 ↗ including the public transportation,

31:24 ↗ road improvements, and the other

31:26 ↗ multimmodal options that uh a few of the

31:30 ↗ candidates have discussed as well. Um,

31:32 ↗ in that regard, I'm happy to have just

31:35 ↗ been uh uh added to the transportation

31:38 ↗ advisory board. So, I'm really excited

31:40 ↗ about that and excited to join Erica

31:42 ↗ coming up in May. As for housing,

31:46 ↗ there's currently 40 to 50 permits

31:48 ↗ approved in the city. These are mostly

31:51 ↗ for single family units, town houses,

31:54 ↗ and rental facilities.

31:56 ↗ In addition to these, I would like to

31:58 ↗ advocate for condominium units to be

32:01 ↗ considered to address accessible

32:03 ↗ facilities for those individuals who

32:05 ↗ wish to own a home versus rent who can't

32:09 ↗ comfortably live in the multi-story

32:11 ↗ housing um which is very prevalent in

32:14 ↗ Isiqua today. Um, this might include

32:17 ↗ seniors, empty nesters, middle inome as

32:21 ↗ as Donovan uh discussed, uh, and

32:24 ↗ disabled individuals. I know this type

32:26 ↗ of housing is not desirable as far as

32:29 ↗ developers are concerned, but I wonder

32:32 ↗ if it would not be in the city's

32:34 ↗ interest to approach developers

32:36 ↗ um, and on the subject. And I would,

32:40 ↗ that is something that I would be very

32:41 ↗ interested in supporting. Um, I think

32:44 ↗ that there's a a an opportunity that's

32:47 ↗ being missed again, especially for those

32:49 ↗ individuals in the middle income where a

32:52 ↗ a million-doll townhouse is just not not

32:56 ↗ uh accessible to them. Um, I'm also

33:00 ↗ enthusiastic about maintaining our

33:01 ↗ historic downtown. I understand that the

33:04 ↗ city has funds to complete uh

33:06 ↗ preliminary design as uh for Alder

33:10 ↗ Street to be a festival street as well

33:13 ↗ as pedestrian walkability improvements

33:15 ↗ to the downtown area. Actually, I would

33:17 ↗ love to see Front Street to be a

33:19 ↗ festival street and have it be that way

33:21 ↗ all the time. I think that that's highly

33:23 ↗ improbable. Um, but I I would uh like to

33:28 ↗ see temporary front street closures,

33:30 ↗ especially during the summer um to

33:32 ↗ assess community response uh in addition

33:35 ↗ to any of the surveys which may be

33:37 ↗ conducted in conjunction with the Adler

33:40 ↗ uh street project. And then finally, as

33:43 ↗ a a former thespian and current season

33:46 ↗ ticket holder to um Village Theater, I

33:50 ↗ am very interested in the arts and

33:52 ↗ culture of Isiqua as well. and in

33:55 ↗ expanding on the many venues that are

33:57 ↗ currently offered. And I think that

33:58 ↗ there's uh a lot of additional

34:00 ↗ opportunity,

34:02 ↗ orchestras and and summer concerts. I

34:05 ↗ think that we do a very good job. Um but

34:08 ↗ I think that there's room for

34:09 ↗ improvement there. Um so with that, I

34:13 ↗ will conclude uh and thank everyone for

34:16 ↗ the opportunity and I actually made it

34:18 ↗ on time this time. I was late. I was

34:20 ↗ over it last time. Thank you.

34:22 ↗ >> Thank you very much, Connie. Summer

34:24 ↗ weekends in August, Front Street will be

34:26 ↗ closed. You have five weekends to show

34:29 ↗ your love for pedestrian Front Street.

34:31 ↗ Uh, okay, Mark.

34:52 ↗ There we go. Okay, now you can hear me.

34:54 ↗ Hey, Andrea. Hello to you all. My name

34:57 ↗ is Mark Rigos and I live in the Oldtown

34:59 ↗ neighborhood of Isiqua. Thank you for

35:02 ↗ considering me for the vacant city

35:04 ↗ council member P position. This isn't my

35:07 ↗ first time attempting uh to be appointed

35:09 ↗ on city council. It is my second. In

35:12 ↗ 2013, there was a council vacancy. I

35:14 ↗ applied and I was not selected. I would

35:17 ↗ like you to consider me for the council

35:18 ↗ position due to my strengths in

35:20 ↗ transportation, housing, public works,

35:23 ↗ and local government experience. But

35:25 ↗ first is a bit of a background about me

35:27 ↗ so you get to know me better. Since

35:29 ↗ 1999, I have 27 years of experience in

35:32 ↗ Isiqua, either living or working here.

35:35 ↗ From 1999 through 2011, I worked here uh

35:38 ↗ on Reineer Boulevard at Concept

35:40 ↗ Engineering as a professional engineer

35:42 ↗ and a project manager. While at concept,

35:44 ↗ I designed roads, water, sewer, and

35:47 ↗ storm drainage systems for subdivisions,

35:49 ↗ commercial projects, and multif family

35:50 ↗ projects. King County listed me as a

35:53 ↗ preferred civil engineering consultant.

35:55 ↗ I have created approximately 4,000 new

35:57 ↗ lots in the Puet Sound region. Um, at

36:00 ↗ our peak, concept had about 40 employees

36:02 ↗ in 2008. Um, projects in Isiqua that I

36:06 ↗ designed included Isiqua Highlands,

36:07 ↗ storm drainage ponds, several large

36:10 ↗ apartment complexes along Black Nugget

36:12 ↗ Road. I think the one that you live on

36:13 ↗ with all those rockeries. Uh, and Grand

36:16 ↗ Ridge Drive at the top of Isqua

36:18 ↗ Highlands, too. So, let's go back

36:20 ↗ further in time. I was born in Seattle.

36:22 ↗ I was raised in Belleview. I obtained

36:24 ↗ bachelor degrees in civil engineering

36:25 ↗ and biology from WSU. In 1997, I spent

36:28 ↗ several years in South King County at a

36:30 ↗ consulting firm designing utilities and

36:32 ↗ roads for large projects before I came

36:34 ↗ to concept engineering in Isiqua in 1999

36:38 ↗ where I became fascinated in Isiqua. In

36:40 ↗ 2002, I obtained an MBA from Seattle

36:43 ↗ University. About a week after

36:45 ↗ graduation in 2002, my wife and I had

36:47 ↗ our first child. Since 2002, we've

36:50 ↗ raised four boys in Isiqua. Three are

36:52 ↗ now 18 years old. They're adults, so I

36:54 ↗ have five Isiqua voters in my household.

36:57 ↗ U fast forward to 2008, my wife and I

37:00 ↗ decided to move to Isiqua because we

37:02 ↗ started to fall in love with Isiqua. In

37:04 ↗ that same year, unfortunately, the

37:06 ↗ global recession hit and I found myself

37:08 ↗ with a new home in Isiqua, a large

37:10 ↗ mortgage payment, a growing family, and

37:12 ↗ an uncertain future in civil

37:14 ↗ engineering. In 2011, after 15 years in

37:17 ↗ the private sector, I decided to try the

37:19 ↗ public. I was appointed city of

37:20 ↗ Newcastle's public works director and

37:22 ↗ held that position for three and a half

37:23 ↗ years. In 2014, I was promoted to deputy

37:26 ↗ city administrator and even had the role

37:28 ↗ of interim city administrator for a year

37:30 ↗ as we built a $12 million new city hall,

37:33 ↗ survived 2019 snowmageddon while

37:36 ↗ investing 40 million into our wastewater

37:38 ↗ treatment plant and designing nine

37:39 ↗ roundabouts.

37:41 ↗ 2019 was the busiest year of my life.

37:44 ↗ Um, from 2020 through 2025, a return to

37:46 ↗ public works director and deputy city

37:48 ↗ administrator. By 2025, our CIP at

37:51 ↗ Northbend grew to nearly $200 million.

37:54 ↗ In the fall of 2025, I wanted to take a

37:56 ↗ break, a seventh inning stretch in my

37:58 ↗ career. Today, I'm not fully retired as

38:01 ↗ I do some engineering consultant

38:02 ↗ consulting, but I have time for this

38:04 ↗ position. Uh when I meet with this Aqua

38:07 ↗ residents, the two biggest talking

38:08 ↗ points are traffic and housing. Um

38:11 ↗ what's interesting to me is that when

38:13 ↗ more housing is added, then there is

38:15 ↗ more traffic on the roads. So, we need

38:16 ↗ to be strategic and proactive on how we

38:18 ↗ improve our transportation grid and

38:20 ↗ encourage housing in the right

38:22 ↗ locations. I can help with being

38:24 ↗ strategic and proactive with my

38:26 ↗ experience on transportation and housing

38:27 ↗ and development. Here are five examples

38:30 ↗ on transportation experience that will

38:31 ↗ help me as a council member. First, I'm

38:34 ↗ a licensed professional engineer in the

38:35 ↗ state of Washington. That's the highest

38:37 ↗ as you can go in engineering. Much of

38:39 ↗ this is in transportation. I have

38:41 ↗ prepared 15 annual transportation

38:43 ↗ improvement plans for cities. So I

38:45 ↗ understand transportation policy,

38:47 ↗ planning, analysis, design, cost, and

38:50 ↗ construction. So much so that we

38:52 ↗ revamped Northbend's tip to become more

38:55 ↗ roundabout focused while taking policy

38:57 ↗ direction from city council. While at

38:59 ↗ Northbend, we designed nine large

39:01 ↗ roundabouts. Five have been built and

39:03 ↗ four more are coming. Um, I've been the

39:05 ↗ responsible party to maintain 200 miles

39:07 ↗ of roads and utility inf infrastructure

39:09 ↗ in two cities. uh as a public works

39:12 ↗ director for 15 years. Uh third or

39:15 ↗ fourth, I'm I'm a member of the SEAL,

39:18 ↗ the Southeast Area Legislative

39:19 ↗ Transportation Coalition SR18 team for

39:22 ↗ the next phase of highway 18.

39:24 ↗ Previously, I was a technical adviser on

39:26 ↗ wash DOT's diverging diamond interchange

39:29 ↗ that you may have driven through it I90

39:31 ↗ and 18. So as part of that process and

39:34 ↗ also locally um I am a guest speaker at

39:36 ↗ Mount Sai and Isiqua high schools

39:38 ↗ providing lectures to engineering class

39:39 ↗ students on the basics of transportation

39:42 ↗ but I also talk about public works and

39:44 ↗ how local governments function. Um here

39:46 ↗ are several examples of housing

39:48 ↗ development related experience that show

39:50 ↗ um what I can do. Um in 2017 I was

39:53 ↗ Northbend's interim CED department

39:55 ↗ director. So I collaborated with

39:57 ↗ planning commissions and economic

39:58 ↗ development commission commissions. Uh,

40:01 ↗ we planned and built many parks. I have

40:03 ↗ worked for builders for a long time, so

40:05 ↗ I appreciate the challenges and

40:06 ↗ constraints that developers are up

40:09 ↗ against. At Northbend, I helped

40:11 ↗ successfully lift two housing

40:13 ↗ moratoriums. I did this with frequent

40:15 ↗ communications with individual city

40:17 ↗ council members. The first was sewer

40:19 ↗ related. I collaborated with city

40:20 ↗ council to craft a sewer concurrency

40:22 ↗ ordinance as our outdated wastewater

40:24 ↗ treatment plant was was running out of

40:27 ↗ capacity when I arrived in 2014. The

40:29 ↗ sewer concurrency allowed physical sewer

40:32 ↗ connections for commercial and mixed use

40:33 ↗ only projects as commercial properties

40:36 ↗ are more tax advantage advantageous to

40:38 ↗ cities as cities receive a higher

40:40 ↗ percentage of sales tax than property

40:42 ↗ tax. While we allowed subdivisions to

40:44 ↗ move forward by requiring developers to

40:46 ↗ sign sewer affidavit acknowledging they

40:48 ↗ understood the risk of subdividing but

40:50 ↗ they could not physically connect into

40:52 ↗ our treatment plant until our treatment

40:54 ↗ plant was constructed. Uh there was a

40:56 ↗ second housing moratorum that I was

40:58 ↗ involved in due to a water shortage on

41:00 ↗ the east half of the city because the

41:01 ↗ local water purveyor's demand nearly

41:04 ↗ exceeded their water right. I worked

41:05 ↗ closely with city council and main uh

41:07 ↗ and our mayor to brainstorm options.

41:09 ↗ Ultimately we elected to enter into a

41:11 ↗ water supply agreement where city would

41:13 ↗ sell domestic water to the Salo water

41:15 ↗ purveyor and Salow um would sell that

41:19 ↗ city mitigation water. mitigation waters

41:21 ↗ where we would physically move water

41:23 ↗ from the Cedar River basin to the

41:25 ↗ Snowqualami River Basin. Senator Mullet,

41:27 ↗ thank you. Was very helpful to the

41:28 ↗ cause. Back then as a city and Sal

41:31 ↗ received grants from Washington state

41:32 ↗ for construction of those two water

41:34 ↗ inner ties. Um as we entered that into

41:37 ↗ that water supply agreement, I worked

41:39 ↗ closely with city council members on

41:40 ↗ setting policy and the pro pros and cons

41:42 ↗ of each mitigation option. Um,

41:47 ↗ during Northbend, we added 1,800 homes

41:49 ↗ and doubled the city's population while

41:51 ↗ I was there for 11 and a half years. And

41:53 ↗ locally, I was an alternate on the

41:54 ↗ city's Isiqua Development Commission in

41:57 ↗ 2010. Oh, I better finish up. So, um, in

42:00 ↗ summary, I believe Isiqua needs somebody

42:02 ↗ on council who has a strong background

42:04 ↗ in transportation, housing, and I would

42:05 ↗ be one of those people for this group.

42:07 ↗ Additionally, public works is the

42:08 ↗ department that spends the most money in

42:10 ↗ the city. So, city council should have a

42:11 ↗ few folks with deep experience, and I

42:14 ↗ have 15 years of of government

42:16 ↗ experience. I'd use my skills and

42:18 ↗ experience to provide sound policy and

42:20 ↗ priority budgeting for Isiqua. In

42:21 ↗ conclusion, there are many great

42:23 ↗ candidates in this room, but I like but

42:25 ↗ I feel like my relevant experience

42:26 ↗ closely fits what this council could

42:28 ↗ use. I am shovel ready to start this job

42:30 ↗ and I can hit the ground running. Thank

42:32 ↗ you for your interest in me.

42:34 ↗ >> Thank you very much, Mark. Sorry. I'm

42:36 ↗ I'm jealous that Newcastle 12 years ago

42:39 ↗ could build a city all for $12 million.

42:40 ↗ Uh we need to go back in time. Uh

42:45 ↗ where's our Delorean? Uh Yago. Hi

42:49 ↗ everyone. Uh before I begin, just uh

42:51 ↗ would like to express a word of deep

42:52 ↗ gratitude to Barbara who is one of the

42:55 ↗ most endearing examples of public

42:58 ↗ service that I've ever witnessed. Very

43:00 ↗ grateful to to know her and to be your

43:01 ↗ friend. So I'm Doo Migen. Uh the council

43:05 ↗ has seen me up here before um and is

43:08 ↗ very familiar with my qualifications and

43:10 ↗ with the several detailed policy and

43:12 ↗ position statements that I continue to

43:14 ↗ give voice to with regards to the

43:16 ↗ challenges that our neighbors face both

43:19 ↗ locally and nationally. So I'll keep it

43:22 ↗ simple today. Uh we are blessed to have

43:25 ↗ many council members and applicants who

43:28 ↗ are long-term residents of Isiqua and

43:30 ↗ bring tremendous valuable knowledge of

43:32 ↗ the history of our city.

43:34 ↗ As important as those voices are, I

43:36 ↗ believe it is also important to bring in

43:38 ↗ fresh voices that offer new

43:40 ↗ perspectives.

43:42 ↗ Although I'm relatively new, a new

43:44 ↗ arrival, I think my journey to Isiqua is

43:47 ↗ mimics several or is similar to so so

43:51 ↗ many of your stories. Um, when my wife

43:53 ↗ and I first visited Isiqua, we fell in

43:56 ↗ love with the city and chose to make it

43:59 ↗ our home for our long-term future. As a

44:01 ↗ city council member, I'll be focused on

44:03 ↗ maintaining and building an inclusive

44:05 ↗ and prosperous future for the next years

44:08 ↗ and decades to come. I do have goals. I

44:11 ↗ do have visions for our community,

44:13 ↗ namely sustainable development, transit,

44:16 ↗ and energy solutions that will carry us

44:18 ↗ through the next years. But I want to

44:21 ↗ emphasize,

44:22 ↗ yes, I do have a vision, but I do not

44:24 ↗ have an agenda. My strengths lie in

44:27 ↗ listening, mediation, and problem

44:29 ↗ solving. I'm here to listen to what the

44:31 ↗ residents, businesses, and government

44:34 ↗ need and to find measured but ethical

44:37 ↗ solutions that look to our is look out

44:41 ↗ for isiqua's present and future.

44:44 ↗ My friends and family know me as a kind,

44:46 ↗ supportive listener and advocate. My

44:48 ↗ colleagues and co-workers know me as

44:50 ↗ someone who can pursue the bottom line

44:52 ↗ while always maintaining regulatory

44:54 ↗ compliance and ethical values. And I

44:57 ↗ want to apply those skill sets to

44:59 ↗ advocate for Esiqua for my family, for

45:03 ↗ everyone who's fortunate to live here

45:05 ↗ and work here. And I know I mentioned my

45:07 ↗ family a lot. My wife Emily is in the

45:09 ↗ audience. So, thank you everyone for

45:12 ↗ your time. And thank you all fellow

45:15 ↗ candidates. We're very, very lucky to

45:16 ↗ have such a wonderful community of

45:18 ↗ people who care deeply. Thank you.

45:21 ↗ >> Excellent. Thank you very much, Diego.

45:23 ↗ Uh, and Adam, I think you are batting

45:26 ↗ cleanup.

45:39 ↗ Hello everyone. Testing. Is this on?

45:42 ↗ Okay, it's still on. Okay. Uh, long time

45:45 ↗ no see. Uh, it's been a quarter since we

45:48 ↗ were here before. Um, I've noticed that

45:50 ↗ we almost have a quorum for the

45:52 ↗ transportation advisory board here. So,

45:53 ↗ we might try to take over the meeting.

45:55 ↗ Um, so let's see. I'm Adam Fuch and I'm

45:58 ↗ honored to be considered uh for another

46:01 ↗ appointment to the city council.

46:05 ↗ In January, you get to hear me wax on

46:07 ↗ about economic challenges that we face

46:09 ↗ and how to address them. Uh so in part

46:12 ↗ two of my lecture series, I'd like to

46:13 ↗ dig into the concept of test-driven

46:16 ↗ development uh and its implications on

46:18 ↗ achieving success in government.

46:21 ↗ Uh so first of all, what does it mean to

46:23 ↗ be successful as a city government? Uh

46:26 ↗ setting the vision is the first

46:27 ↗ challenge. So what is it we want to

46:29 ↗ achieve as a government? Should the city

46:31 ↗ grow? Should we leave growth to other

46:34 ↗ cities across the mountains? uh should

46:37 ↗ we move away from car centric

46:38 ↗ development or build more parking

46:40 ↗ garages? Uh so in my opinion, the city

46:42 ↗ does a pretty good job of setting the

46:45 ↗ vision largely relying on representative

46:48 ↗ democratic methods. Uh so our community

46:50 ↗ survey, our strategic plan, other

46:52 ↗ founding documents uh present and

46:55 ↗ reflect the majority opinion. Not

46:57 ↗ everyone agrees, but we work through the

46:59 ↗ differences over time uh and we adapt

47:01 ↗ the changes requested by our

47:03 ↗ constituents.

47:05 ↗ So, so given a vision and I think most

47:07 ↗ of us are are pretty much in lock step

47:10 ↗ with what the vision is, uh, how do we

47:13 ↗ achieve it? And so, this is where the

47:15 ↗ city's success gets a little bit more

47:16 ↗ complicated. So, many of Isiqua's

47:19 ↗ strategic goals are implemented by

47:21 ↗ others outside of the city's direct

47:23 ↗ control. So, Sound Transit and King

47:26 ↗ County Metro must route buses and build

47:28 ↗ light rail to Isiqua. Uh developers must

47:31 ↗ build housing within a quarter mile of

47:33 ↗ transit. Residents uh must reduce their

47:37 ↗ carbon footprint.

47:39 ↗ Commuters must choose to carpool or take

47:41 ↗ transit to work in school. So the city's

47:45 ↗ action plans don't directly achie

47:47 ↗ achieve the city's strategic goals uh

47:50 ↗ but instead they establish incentives.

47:53 ↗ So given our action plans, will we

47:55 ↗ eventually converge on the city's vision

47:57 ↗ or will we diverge into a less desirable

48:00 ↗ outcome?

48:02 ↗ So there's a significant amount of

48:03 ↗ uncertainty in the answer to this

48:05 ↗ question.

48:07 ↗ So how do we address uncertainty?

48:10 ↗ Uh try out some new city codes, look for

48:12 ↗ deviations, and course correct over

48:14 ↗ time. Unfortunately, trial and error is

48:17 ↗ a very slow way to converge on the

48:18 ↗ desired outcome with many iterations,

48:21 ↗ each one lasting years.

48:23 ↗ Uh so let's look to other domains for

48:26 ↗ ideas of how we can govern more effic

48:28 ↗ effectively.

48:30 ↗ In software engineering, for example, uh

48:32 ↗ there's a concept of test-driven

48:34 ↗ development.

48:35 ↗ You write tests first that check the

48:37 ↗ properties that you want and then you

48:39 ↗ iterate over the code until the tests

48:41 ↗ pass.

48:42 ↗ Computer code is generally assumed to be

48:44 ↗ broken until it's tested. So what does

48:47 ↗ this tell us about city code?

48:51 ↗ Well, the city uses tests in a few

48:52 ↗ areas. So major road modifications go

48:55 ↗ through discrete event simulation,

48:58 ↗ measuring impact to mobility in a

48:59 ↗ variety of scenarios.

49:02 ↗ Development projects on city property

49:04 ↗ are usually held to the same standards

49:06 ↗ that all developers follow, a practice

49:08 ↗ known as eating your own dog food.

49:11 ↗ Uh however, many city actions, codes,

49:13 ↗ and procedures are enacted without

49:16 ↗ testing. Uh and these are prone to

49:18 ↗ unintended consequences.

49:20 ↗ Uh the tree code is expensive and

49:23 ↗ ownorous for residents and city staff,

49:26 ↗ and it's not going to get us to our uh

49:28 ↗ canopy coverage goal.

49:31 ↗ For several recent years, Isiqua had

49:33 ↗ zero growth in housing despite 7% growth

49:36 ↗ in the region.

49:38 ↗ So let's dig into housing development a

49:40 ↗ little bit. The city needs developers to

49:43 ↗ build housing in Isiqua to achieve its

49:45 ↗ goals in affordability, alleviate

49:47 ↗ homelessness, etc. Of course, we want

49:50 ↗ developers to build with best practices

49:52 ↗ in mind. Smart growth, transit oriented,

49:55 ↗ mixed use, walkable, access to green

49:58 ↗ space.

50:01 ↗ What is it that will make developers

50:03 ↗ take on a project? And which project

50:05 ↗ will they decide to build?

50:07 ↗ Developers use a wellestablished

50:09 ↗ business practice that includes a

50:11 ↗ pre-development stage, testing whether a

50:14 ↗ project will pencil out before taking on

50:16 ↗ construction. Pre-development often

50:18 ↗ costs tens or hundreds of thousands of

50:20 ↗ dollars for developers and covers site

50:22 ↗ control, feasibility, zoning,

50:24 ↗ permitting, architecture, financing,

50:27 ↗ environmental assessment, and more. Many

50:30 ↗ of these aspects are directly affected

50:32 ↗ by city code. So pre-development is

50:35 ↗ where most projects die for developers.

50:39 ↗ How does the city know whether a

50:40 ↗ desirable project will live or an

50:43 ↗ undesirable project will die? Right now,

50:46 ↗ we take our best guess and let the

50:48 ↗ developers test it for us. This takes

50:51 ↗ years and often diverges from the city's

50:53 ↗ vision. A better way might be to build a

50:56 ↗ test, enumerate a suite of hypothetical

50:59 ↗ desirable and undesirable projects and

51:02 ↗ execute mock pre-development on them.

51:04 ↗ Use the results to identify which parts

51:06 ↗ of the city code need to change. But

51:09 ↗ Adam, you say pre-development is

51:11 ↗ expensive and timeconuming.

51:14 ↗ Well, good news. AI takes

51:17 ↗ pre-development from tens of thousands

51:19 ↗ of dollars and months of work to

51:22 ↗ hundreds of dollars and days.

51:24 ↗ Uh now this isn't a talk about AI but

51:26 ↗ this is just an example of a tool that

51:28 ↗ we can use as we improve our practices

51:31 ↗ in testing before we enact.

51:36 ↗ The world continues to produce a wealth

51:37 ↗ of tools making this sort of testing

51:39 ↗ ripe for adoption by city staff as a

51:41 ↗ testing process. So, can you imagine

51:44 ↗ what we could accomplish if we knew

51:45 ↗ ahead of time what the probable result

51:47 ↗ of our action plans would be?

51:51 ↗ In industry,

51:53 ↗ especially engineering, these kinds of

51:55 ↗ tests are best practices. Uncertainty is

51:58 ↗ met with modeling and simulation, and

52:00 ↗ assumed resilience is tested with

52:02 ↗ tabletop exercises.

52:04 ↗ Several of my friends and neighbors in

52:06 ↗ Isiqua are entrepreneurs building AI

52:08 ↗ enabled tools to do pre-development and

52:11 ↗ guide tabletop exercises for resilience.

52:14 ↗ There are many places where the city can

52:16 ↗ improve its outcome with testing. Not

52:18 ↗ just in housing, but really everywhere

52:20 ↗ that isqua's success depends on the

52:22 ↗ actions of others.

52:24 ↗ Our vision is a great one, but we won't

52:26 ↗ get there in my lifetime if we don't

52:28 ↗ test it. So, let's continue to raise the

52:30 ↗ bar in city government and give

52:32 ↗ ourselves the best chance to achieve

52:34 ↗ success.

52:35 ↗ Given the opportunity, I'd be happy to

52:37 ↗ apply my extensive experience building

52:39 ↗ systems across public, private, and

52:42 ↗ nonprofit sectors as a member of city

52:44 ↗ council. Thanks.

52:48 ↗ >> Excellent. Thank you very much, Adam.

52:50 ↗ And I will say, sincerely, that was uh I

52:54 ↗ know it's not easy to get up here and

52:55 ↗ talk to this group. I know for many of

52:58 ↗ you that was probably your first time at

52:59 ↗ that lecture, but everyone did a great

53:02 ↗ job. That was really impressive. And

53:05 ↗ there's sometimes I really wish I had a

53:07 ↗ vote on the council. And there are some

53:08 ↗ nights like this where I'm really

53:09 ↗ grateful that they have to decide.

53:13 ↗ And so with that, the council will now

53:16 ↗ go into executive session to discuss

53:18 ↗ qualifications of appointment for

53:19 ↗ RCW42.30.110

53:22 ↗ parenthesis 1 parenthesis H. The closed

53:24 ↗ session is expected take approximately

53:26 ↗ 20 to 30 minutes. It may be extended. If

53:28 ↗ the time is extended, the clerk will

53:30 ↗ make an announcement. The city council

53:31 ↗ is planning to act after the close

53:33 ↗ session as part of the open meeting to

53:35 ↗ narrow the applicants moving forward.

53:37 ↗ And if you don't want to stay around,

53:39 ↗ you don't have to. The clerk will email

53:40 ↗ the folks who are moving forward. The

53:42 ↗ executive session is closed to the

53:44 ↗ public. And the executive session will

53:48 ↗ now begin at 7:23

53:52 ↗ p.m. We will start in 5 minutes to give

53:54 ↗ folks a chance to get settled.

1:42:25 ↗ Okay, we are back in open session at

1:42:29 ↗ 8:12 p.m. I will look to the council.

1:42:33 ↗ Would you like to narrow the number of

1:42:34 ↗ applicants tonight? I am seeing head

1:42:37 ↗ nods. Council member Joe.

1:42:40 ↗ >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would uh

1:42:42 ↗ nominate Donovan Richards.

1:42:44 ↗ to go on to the process.

1:42:47 ↗ >> Council member Adair,

1:42:48 ↗ >> I'll second.

1:42:50 ↗ >> Okay. So, we have a nomination for

1:42:52 ↗ Donovan Richards and a second and then I

1:42:55 ↗ will look for there's any other

1:42:56 ↗ nominations. Council member Walsh.

1:42:58 ↗ >> Thank you. I would nominate Erica Boyd.

1:43:02 ↗ >> Council member Nichols.

1:43:04 ↗ >> I will second.

1:43:06 ↗ >> So, there's a motion and a second for

1:43:08 ↗ Erica Boyd. I'm checking to see if

1:43:10 ↗ there's any other nominations

1:43:12 ↗ right now. I'm not seeing any. So then

1:43:15 ↗ my ask would be once again we're going

1:43:17 ↗ to do the oldfashioned head nod or

1:43:20 ↗ headshake approach. Does the council

1:43:22 ↗ prefer to to do a vote as a slate?

1:43:26 ↗ Okay. So we Yes, we may. And so we will

1:43:32 ↗ now have a nomination on a slate to go

1:43:35 ↗ to the April 20th meeting of Donovan

1:43:38 ↗ Richards and Erica Boyd. And it is now

1:43:40 ↗ open for discussion. Council member

1:43:41 ↗ Walsh.

1:43:43 ↗ Thank you. Um, I nominated Erica

1:43:48 ↗ because of all of her experience on tab

1:43:50 ↗ chairing all of that, but part of it was

1:43:54 ↗ just the story that she painted, both

1:43:58 ↗ about her history and what brings her to

1:44:02 ↗ this level of service, um, but also a

1:44:06 ↗ hopeful story about Isiqua, what Isiqua

1:44:10 ↗ can be as residents, as a community that

1:44:14 ↗ supports each other as a place that um

1:44:18 ↗ provides housing and welcomes uh new

1:44:20 ↗ neighbors. And so that just very much

1:44:23 ↗ spoke to

1:44:25 ↗ what I think is an ideal situation for a

1:44:29 ↗ council member.

1:44:32 ↗ >> Council member Joe.

1:44:34 ↗ >> Thank you, Mayor. Um I nominated Donovan

1:44:37 ↗ Richards. Uh as we look at the council

1:44:40 ↗ up here, we have three members that are

1:44:43 ↗ relatively new and uh the times they are

1:44:46 ↗ changing and we need to have uh new

1:44:49 ↗ voices that bring new ideas and uh

1:44:52 ↗ Donovan had a compelling story about

1:44:55 ↗ advocating for housing but advocating

1:44:57 ↗ for people that have not moved here yet,

1:45:01 ↗ advocating for people that uh want to

1:45:04 ↗ move here and want to come to Isiqua and

1:45:05 ↗ be part of our community. I thought that

1:45:07 ↗ was a compelling story and a compelling

1:45:09 ↗ uh idea to uh explore further in the

1:45:12 ↗ next step in this process. Thank you,

1:45:15 ↗ >> Council President Marks.

1:45:16 ↗ >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, I want to

1:45:18 ↗ speak to the seven people whose names

1:45:21 ↗ were not part of that slate um uh for

1:45:24 ↗ going forward. And this is a little bit

1:45:25 ↗ like what I said at the open house a

1:45:26 ↗ couple weeks ago. Um, the hardest part

1:45:29 ↗ of this is we get every single time we

1:45:31 ↗ get an amazing uh group of people who

1:45:33 ↗ come forward uh and and and and put

1:45:36 ↗ themselves out there and make themselves

1:45:37 ↗ emotionally vulnerable and then um and

1:45:40 ↗ then we get where we get. But um it is

1:45:43 ↗ one chapter in your relationship with

1:45:45 ↗ the city and I always point to Mary Lou

1:45:48 ↗ Paulie sought appointment to the council

1:45:49 ↗ twice. Twice she got turned down, right?

1:45:52 ↗ Bill Ramos, uh, a master guy who

1:45:56 ↗ basically won everything I think he ever

1:45:58 ↗ did except he sought appointment twice

1:46:00 ↗ as the sitting or former uh, chair of

1:46:02 ↗ the human services commission, got

1:46:04 ↗ turned down twice, ran for a seat and

1:46:06 ↗ got it. Um, so please uh, if if you

1:46:10 ↗ leave here this evening and you're not

1:46:12 ↗ part of uh the conversation for two

1:46:14 ↗ weeks, please please please do not get

1:46:17 ↗ discouraged. Um, please stay engaged. So

1:46:20 ↗ many people who have sat where you are

1:46:22 ↗ have gone on um to be huge and vital

1:46:25 ↗ parts of our city. Thank you.

1:46:30 ↗ >> Okay. I'm not seeing any other

1:46:32 ↗ discussion and so the vote now will be

1:46:37 ↗ in favor of moving forward the slate of

1:46:39 ↗ Erica Boyd and Donovan Richards to the

1:46:43 ↗ April 20th council meeting for final

1:46:46 ↗ consideration. All those in favor,

1:46:47 ↗ please say I.

1:46:48 ↗ >> I. I. I all those opposed? Nay. And that

1:46:53 ↗ passes unanimously. So, congratulations

1:46:56 ↗ to Eric and Donovan. The the format for

1:46:58 ↗ the April 20th meeting is the council

1:47:02 ↗ between now and then will create a

1:47:03 ↗ series of questions that you will not be

1:47:04 ↗ told what they are. And so, I think the

1:47:07 ↗ thought is there'll be a random I don't

1:47:10 ↗ know if we flip coins or I don't know

1:47:11 ↗ what we flip, but we flip something. And

1:47:14 ↗ then whoever goes first will go first

1:47:16 ↗ and the person who goes second will be

1:47:18 ↗ asked to be in a different room so they

1:47:19 ↗ don't hear the questions and have time

1:47:21 ↗ to formulate their thoughts in advance.

1:47:23 ↗ Uh and so we'll try to make it as equal

1:47:26 ↗ as possible in that scenario. And then

1:47:29 ↗ the plan is that at the end of that

1:47:31 ↗ meeting on April 20th that we council

1:47:34 ↗ will hopefully make a final selection on

1:47:35 ↗ the appointment process. And and just so

1:47:38 ↗ you know, that council meeting happens

1:47:40 ↗ to have roughly 90 minutes of business

1:47:43 ↗ before we get so the council will start

1:47:47 ↗ at 7:00 p.m. on the 20th and we expect

1:47:50 ↗ to somewhere around 8:30 or 9:00 be at

1:47:52 ↗ the point where we will then start this

1:47:54 ↗ final interview process uh at that point

1:47:58 ↗ in time. So I think that's sometimes we

1:48:02 ↗ do it first, sometimes we do it second.

1:48:04 ↗ uh the April 20th meeting. It will be

1:48:06 ↗ the the latter half of the meeting. And

1:48:09 ↗ I will echo what what Council President

1:48:12 ↗ Mart said. I I genuinely appreciate

1:48:14 ↗ everyone who came out to to volunteer

1:48:16 ↗ their time for the city of Isiqua. And

1:48:19 ↗ it was an impressive group of people

1:48:20 ↗ tonight. We had to extend executive

1:48:22 ↗ session twice because it was really hard

1:48:24 ↗ to narrow down into kind of this final

1:48:27 ↗ stage and we are a very fortunate

1:48:30 ↗ community to have the volunteers who are

1:48:32 ↗ willing to step up. I know nobody's

1:48:34 ↗ doing this job as I look around for the

1:48:37 ↗ money. Everyone's doing it because they

1:48:38 ↗ really genuinely care about this

1:48:39 ↗ community and want it to be a better

1:48:40 ↗ place to live. And we are very grateful

1:48:42 ↗ for for that passion. And with that, we

1:48:46 ↗ are ajourned.

Approved minutes

Extracted from the next meeting's packet, where this meeting's minutes were approved as a consent-calendar attachment.

Open PDF

Attendance

Council / Members (6)

Paul Adair

Kelly Jiang

Russell Joe

Tola Marts

Kevin Nichols

Lindsey Walsh

Staff (4)

Wally Bobkiewicz, City Administrator

Andrea Lehner, Deputy City Administrator

Rachel Bender Turpin, City Attorney

Tisha Gieser, City Clerk

Motions and votes (1)

Appoint Proceed with the slate of candidates: Donovan Richards and Erika Boyd.

Moved by Councilmember Walsh · seconded by Councilmember Nichols

Carried 6-0

In favor: Adair, Jiang, Joe, Marts, Nichols, Walsh