Former Councilwoman Way Plans to Run Against McConnell

Former Shoreline City Councilmember Janet Way has announced plans to file for Shoreline City Council Position No. 4, a seat now held by Doris McConnell. She served on the council from 2005 to 2009.

While on the Council, she spearheaded many efforts to promote sustainability and environmental protection, including the effort to save South Woods from development and helped form the Lake Ballinger Forum to address flooding issues, according to a press release. She advocated for a “smarter Aurora Phase II”, to include an array of stormwater protections to exceed State requirements.

Since her term on the council, she founded the Shoreline Preservation Society to advocate for “Places That Matter”, such as historically significant sites around the proposed Town Center. She publishes a blog called Of Paramount Importance named after her local park and blogs for Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Patch.

She has been a member of the Shoreline Solar Project, Shoreline Chamber, Sierra Club, Seattle Audubon and now the Steering Committee for Sustainable Works, a non-profit promoting “Energy Audits” encouraging conservation retrofits. She’s also an Advisory Board member of Friends of Fircrest. She’s long championed urban watersheds and wildlife habitat, particularly Thornton Creek, for urban forests, healthy parks and neighborhoods.

“I believe local government is one of the best ways to have an impact and serve the community," she said. " There are so many innovative ideas we can employ to improve our community, and I want to serve on the Council to help shape policies addressing the challenges we face with our economy, environment, transportation that are neighborhood friendly and can help our families succeed. We need to do everything we can to help create family wage jobs, foster our educational assets and protect the most vulnerable citizens, such as residents of Fircrest and other special needs communities. And, we can create a sustainable future while honoring our heritage.”

Way said she will work for transparency in government policies and to work for meaningful public involvement and participation. As a Shoreline resident with her husband for 23 years, they raised two sons attending Shoreline Schools. She runs a small, commercial arts business for over 30 years and is a sales rep for an artisan cheesemaker at local Farmers Markets.