Youth Connection | November King County Elections Draw Close

By Bonnie Pan

Nov. 8 is the date of the general elections for King County Council, Bellevue City Council, and Bellevue School Board.

On Oct. 5, I attended a candidate forum where the contenders battled it out through concise, one-minute-or-less answers to questions ranging from the serious—transportation and our fiscal problems—to the atypical—should we build an NBA hockey rink to draw in more business?

Up in the hot seats were Jane Hague and Richard Mitchell for King County Council, Aaron Laing, John Stokes, John Chelminiak, Michelle Hilhorst, Claudia Balducci, Patti Mann, and Jennifer Robertson for positions 1, 3, 5, and 7 of Bellevue City Council, and Betsy Johnson and Steve McConnell for position 1 of Bellevue School Board.

So what are the issues at stake? Transportation, for one, was a much-discussed subject by the end of the evening. Every candidate at some point talked about the necessity to finish the , with minor variations.

“My advice is pretty simple,” stated Bellevue City Council incumbent John Chelminiak, in a tone that would sum up the groups’ collective attitude, “Git ‘er done.”

County Council candidate Richard Mitchell agreed, asserting that “We cannot take a decade to discuss transportation issues” and that fixing transit problems would be his main objective, should he be elected.

The weakened economy was another popular topic at the forum. King County Councilwoman Jane Hague maintains her most important goal would be to make sure the economy moves forward, that enough jobs are provided, and that the officials of King County exercise fiscal restraint to promote excellent infrastructure and quality of life. She concluded her stance with a proclamation of merit, “You know I am balanced and I have a broad basis of support.”

Hague has a variety of endorsements from organizations around the region, and she makes no secret of that. Mitchell, on the other hand, promises “honesty and integrity in public service. That’s what I intend to bring to this office.”

Next, the seven running for Bellevue City Council seats 1, 3, 5, and 7 took the stage. The downtown fire station, the local courthouse, and the annexation in the Eastgate area were each brought up throughout the course of the conversation. Aaron Laing, who is facing John Stokes for a seat that will be vacated by councilman Grant Degginger, is a young father who calls himself “an empiricist at heart,” committed to “putting the servant back in public service.” John Stokes is a rather serious, owlish figure, with a no-nonsense attitude about the city’s troubles.

City Councilman John Chelminiak is at ease with the audience, cracking a few jokes here and there, but never without an underlying concern for the wellbeing of Bellevue. His challenger Michelle Hilhorst is an ardent volunteer who commits to being “open and accessible” during the four years she would be in office.

City Councilwoman Claudia Balducci is calm and collected, thinking through her answers thoughtfully and tactfully before delivering smooth responses. Her challenger Patti Mann is enthusiastic and eager to please, supporting business growth and fiscal responsibility.

Finally, Jennifer Robertson, the only candidate at the forum running without opposition, promises to take on budget challenges and fund neighborhood projects.

Though I’m not much for politics, and the personal statements were often dry, listening to the forum gave me a better idea of what’s going on in my city. And with the occasional character jabs, carefully veiled insults, running jokes, supportive comments from the audience, I found myself very interested in what the candidates had to say. It imbued a sense of responsibility and pride for Bellevue, even though I’m not of voting age quite yet.

Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 8.

Bonnie Pan writes for, a publication of.