Sammamish City Council Election: Mark Baughman Vs. Jason Ritchie

SAMMAMISH, WA - In late September, Patch sent each local candidate a questionnaire to help voters make their election choice. We did not edit the answers and allowed candidates to write as much or as little as they wanted. Here are the answers from Mark Baughman and Jason Ritchie, who are competing for the open Position 1 seat on the Sammamish City Council.

Mark Baughman

Why did you decide to run for this seat? For incumbent candidates, what made you decide to run for reelection?

The City of Sammamish is struggling with housing development and the resulting impacts to traffic, loss of tree canopy & habitat, storm-water management, and overcrowded schools. Many of the large housing developments seem to be inexplicably out of compliance with City ordinance and codes. In addition, it’s been revealed that the City has not been following its own policy or industry best practice regarding traffic calculations and mitigation. My 27+ years of experience in the commercial construction industry, my background as an engineer, and my 20+ years as a resident of Sammamish give me the skills, knowledge and experience to help the citizens of Sammamish meet these challenges in a systematic, practical and fiscally responsible way that respects property rights while also maintaining the character of our community.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what’s one thing you would fix or change about your city?

As a construction (civil) engineer I would fix, upgrade and create the City’s needed infrastructure. All roads improved with facilities for bikes, sidewalks, and maximum traffic capacity possible/reasonable. New traffic (road) connections east to SR202 providing multiple additional paths off the plateau. All power lines underground to mitigate wind storm power outages. Correctly sized and designed storm water and sewer infrastructure under every street. Appropriate erosion control and habitat restoration in place to permanently provide healthy spawning for Kokanee. The correct amount of parks developed to provide great outdoor spaces for the community including open space, ball fields, gathering places, playgrounds, trails, etc.

All of this infrastructure would provide the framework where the citizens of Sammamish can decide how to develop Town Center, housing, and other community amenities based on the creativity and collaboration of the people within our vibrant city.

What’s the most prominent issue facing your city right now and what do you plan to do about it?

Housing developments that do not comply with City ordinance and code are being rapidly forced upon the community. As a member of the Sammamish City Council I will push for an investigation and review of why these developments don’t comply with code, and advocate for actions by the City to insure future developments are in compliance. Additionally, I will push for changes to the City’s ordinances (setbacks, floor area ratio, height limits, storm-water facilities, etc.) where it is needed to make sure future developments reflect the traditional character of Sammamish. It’s time that the City start dictating how development happens instead of outsiders dictating to us what will be built.

Assuming the city you live in is your favorite in the state, what’s your second favorite city in Washington state and why?

While our family loves to visit Seabrook, Winthrop and Leavenworth, my favorite town is Ritzville because it reminds me of the small farming town in Iowa where my wife and I grew up. She was a ‘town kid’ and I was on the farm about 10 miles out in the country. My high school graduating class was 41 students, including the foreign exchange student. Driving around Ritzville always brings back fond memories from that time & place.

Do you think the city budget is in decent shape? Why or why not?

The City of Sammamish has 2 separate (but intertwined) budget issues. The operating budget is approaching a ‘crossover’ where expenses exceed revenue and the City will be in a deficit situation. Currently this does not look like it will happen until the 2020 – 2022 time frame. With some fiscal discipline and careful budget management this can be pushed to 2025. By that point the Town Center should be generating additional revenue (sales tax, etc.) to push this crossover point even further into the future, possibly even permanently, resolving the imbalance.

The capital budget, however, appears to be as much as $15M per year short of what is needed to implement the road, storm-water, parks, and other infrastructure projects needed in the community. The pace of some projects could be slowed and schedules stretched out, but this would fall short of the expectations of the citizens of Sammamish and both the practical (traffic) and safety (storm-water) needs of the City. The various options to address this shortfall will be a critical subject for the next City Council to discuss and resolve.

If you could pick one thing for the city to stop spending money on, what would it be?

I’ve suggested hiring a full-time City Attorney rather than contracting for these services. I am convinced that the cost for a full-time staff person, supplemented with outside expertise when needed, will be substantially lower than what is being spent currently. This is not a critique of the people currently involved, only a strategy to better manage the operating budget and push the operating budget ‘crossover’ further into the future.

King County is planning to open a safe-injection site somewhere in the county. Do you think providing a safe-injection site will help reduce overdose deaths? Do you support one in your city? Why or why not?

Safe injection sites in Seattle’s suburbs will have limited or no impact on overdose deaths. People who live in these areas are not likely to leave home to go to a safe injection site when using, and people who don’t live in the area surrounding the site are unlikely to travel to and from the location, in the suburbs. Further, there will be litter and similar problems in the area around the site, and these facilities will not fit into the character or family culture of these communities. The most significant addiction crisis in the suburban areas is the use of opioids. The concept that a significant number of people will travel to a safe injection site to swallow their opioid pills seems extraordinarily unrealistic. For these reasons, I oppose a safe injection site in Sammamish.

In your free time, what’s your favorite thing to do locally?

Hiking with my family and/or our dog. With two busy high-school teenagers this often means just something short and close like Evans Creek Preserve, Soaring Eagle, or a walk or bike ride along the open part of the ELST.

When you go to a coffee shop, what drink do you usually get?

About once each year I indulge in either a non-fat mocha in cold weather or a Frappuccino in the warm weather. The rest of the time I enjoy a large black drip coffee. No calories and cost effective - qualities I appreciate.

Jason Ritchie

Why did you decide to run for this seat? For incumbent candidates, what made you decide to run for reelection?

This is my first opportunity to run for the City Council as my neighborhood, Klahanie, was annexed into Sammamish in 2016. With the retirement of several longtime Council members and the growth of our City, I believe it's time for new ideas and new leadership on the Council. My wife and I and our two sons love Sammamish and being on the Council would be an honor.

If you could snap your fingers and have it done, what’s one thing you would fix or change about your city?

Less traffic. I would widen 228th/Sahalie all the way down to SR 202 and widen Issaquah Pine Lake Road all the way to Issaquah Fall City Road. Getting commuters on and off the plateau safely and faster is my top priority.

What’s the most prominent issue facing your city right now and what do you plan to do about it?

We are overdeveloping and not building our infrastructure to meet our growing needs. We now have a building moratorium in Sammamish. If elected, I would use this time to invest into our roads to lessen traffic and make getting around Sammamish easier.

Assuming the city you live in is your favorite in the state, what’s your second favorite city in Washington state and why?

It's a tie between Snoqualmie/Alpenthal in the winter and Lake Chelan in the summer.

Do you think the city budget is in decent shape? Why or why not?

I do think our City budget is in good shape but we can make improvements to our transparency. In the next few years, as building decreases, our primary source of income into the City, property taxes, will level off while our services will continue to serve more residents. I'm hopeful that investments into the Town Center will diversify our revenue sources.

If you could pick one thing for the city to stop spending money on, what would it be?

After reviewing our budget demands, I believe the Council has been good stewards of our tax dollars. Whether it's storm water retention, new parks and pathways or roads, our current Council has worked to make Sammamish a better place.

King County is planning to open a safe-injection site somewhere in the county. Do you think providing a safe-injection site will help reduce overdose deaths? Do you support one in your city? Why or why not?

I've seen conflicting data on the effectiveness of safe-injection sites and I remain unconvinced of their benefit. I do not support a safe-injection site in Sammamish.

In your free time, what’s your favorite thing to do locally?

My wife and I enjoy taking our sons to local parks and open spaces. Sammamish has so much to offer in outdoor recreation. Anything to get them away from their iPads.

When you go to a coffee shop, what drink do you usually get?

Starbucks, vanilla latte.

Image via Patch.com