In Their Own Words: Meet Sammamish City Council Candidate Nancy Whitten

Full Name: Nancy Whitten.

Age: 65

Occupation: Law firm of Carson & Noel, PLLC, Issaquah, WA. Attorney focusing on estate planning.  

Place of Birth: San Diego, California. 

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there? 

On Pine Lake, in Sammamish. We've lived here for 30 years. 

Spouse or domestic partner if any: Richard W. Whitten, MD. 

Children: Four children, all adults, who grew up on the Plateau and attended Issaquah schools and UW. 

Education: BA in Spanish, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, Illinois. JD with honors, Order of the Coif, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, Illinois. 

Military Service: None.

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations: 

Various professional organizations. 

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy? 

No.

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation? 

No.

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION: 

Web site: None.

Email address: nancy4sammamish@hotmail.com

Phone number: 425-392-7336

Campaign manager: None.

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S): 

Elected: Sammamish City Council.  

Other campaigns for public office: Sammamish City Council.  

THIS CAMPAIGN: 

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? 

Sammamish is an awesome community providing us with a wonderful quality of life. We’ve maintained that, even while accommodating growth.  My concern is that we continue to preserve our success and our quality of life, even as we go forward meeting our state mandate to grow.  To do this we need a balanced approach, finding solutions based on science which preserve our environment and the natural beauty of our city, while respecting rights of property owners.  I believe I am the best candidate to bring the balance we need on the council to continue our present course.

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why? 

My priorities are:   

(i)   Continuing, subject to a few adjustments for fairness, our balanced environmental codes achieving protection of our natural resources while respecting property rights;  

(ii) Putting an affordable community / aquatic center plan to a public vote;  

(iii)  Being fiscally conservative while accomplishing community needs and desires; and  

(iv)  Jump-starting/developing the Town Center.  

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders? 

My opponent has been absent and unwilling to discuss issues during this critical campaign season, causing her to be dubbed by some as the “ghost candidate.” I’m a real here and now candidate ready to discuss and debate.   

In addition, I’m a seasoned councilmember and have played a significant part in shaping the success we’ve had in making Sammamish the place we want to live and the 15th best city, with:  

(i)   Fun, family and community building events,  such as fireworks on the 4^th, concerts at Pine Lake Park, the Farmers’ Market and teen fest; and kid focused facilities, such as the skate park, the new teen/community center and ----maybe--- a community-aquatic center.  

(ii)  Making our city safer and more walkable and bikeable, with the opening of the   Lake  trail and many miles of new pathways, sidewalks and bike lanes throughout our city  

(iii) Establishing new and improved parks, ballfields, open spaces and community facilities at Ebright   Creek   Park ,   Commons   Park  , Beaver Lake Preserve, Evans Creek Preserve, the waterfront park, and the SE 8^th donated park  

(iv) Accomplishing our community’s hopes and desires while being fiscally conservative without new taxes and while earning an AAA credit rating (folks, that’s better than the federal government)  

(v)  Managing growth while keeping our City green and respecting property rights:  

• New, higher impact fees mean growth now pays a fairer share of its costs.  
• Our critical areas and shoreline management codes have been revamped.  
• We’ve pioneered green and environmentally friendly public projects to serve as examples to our community.  
• We’ve planned the   Town   Center   with environmental sensitivity for our critical areas and open spaces while accommodating the growth assigned to our city under the Growth Management Act.  

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election? 

Under $5,000