Editor:

We are blessed to live in a great community in which our residents value the quality of life we enjoy and are generous in volunteering their time to make Edmonds an even better place. Beyond the over 200 volunteers of the various boards and commissions in Edmonds, a great number of our citizens invest significant time in organizations such as the Floretum Garden Club, Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group, food banks, Seal Sitters, Off Leash Area Edmonds (OLEA) and many more.

In addition, a number of our residents regularly interact with city government through attending city council meetings, sending emails and letters to council, calling their councilmembers, etc. This input is important to your city council and is greatly beneficial to us as we consider policy decisions.

However, results of the recent National Citizen Survey Community Livability Report for Edmonds showed only 18 percent of the Edmonds residents have ever contacted their elected officials to express an opinion, meaning over 80 percent have never done so. Reasons for not contacting city council include hectic work and family schedules, discomfort with speaking before council at public meetings, cultural/language barriers, and uncertainty as to how best to contact council. Feedback from a greater proportion of our citizenry will help your council make more well-rounded policy decisions, and we want to hear from you.

Following are a variety of ways you may communicate with council to share your thoughts, ideas and opinions with us:

• Call or email us. Our telephone numbers and email addresses are listed at the Edmonds City Council website at: https://www.edmondswa.gov/city-council.html
• If you have input regarding a particular issue on the council agenda, send us an email and request that your message be included in the written record of the council meeting.
• Meet with any of us for coffee. We have each met with residents numerous times over coffee, and this is a great way to informally share ideas.
• Attend a council meeting. City council meetings are held each Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Council Chambers at 121 5^th N. Citizens are invited to comment at each meeting on any topic—whether or not it is on that evening’s council agenda.
• Ask any of us to attend a citizen meeting with you and your neighbors at a mutually-acceptable location.
• If language or cultural issues represent a barrier to contacting council, the Edmonds Diversity Commission is glad to hear from you and your thoughts will be forwarded on to council. Patrick Doherty is the city staff contact for the commission, at doherty@edmondswa.gov

Your council is honored to represent you and we look forward to hearing from an even greater number of you as we work to better serve Edmonds. Be included!

Dave Teitzel
Edmonds City Council Position #5