Citizen activist Joan Bloom officially launched her campaign for Edmonds City Council Wednesday night, stating that she intends to rely on grassroots support in her race against incumbent Councilmember DJ Wilson. At her campaign kickoff in downtown Edmonds, the long-time Edmonds resident and environmentalist said that she is committed to limiting her campaign fundraising to…
Edmonds City Councilmember DJ Wilson entered the annual Yost Park Pool Belly Flop/Cannon Ball contest Friday night at the request of his 4-year-old son, Karsten, who also planned to participate. When Karsten changed his mind at the last minute, Wilson went ahead and took the plunge and – – to his surprise — won the…
Long-time Edmonds resident and citizen activist Joan Bloom announced Thursday she is running against incumbent DJ Wilson for Edmonds City Council Position 5. Bloom, who has been actively involved in Edmonds politics since 2004, said she decided to run because she sees “the enormous potential of Edmonds to become a model of open government.” She…
Beginning tonight — Monday, June 6 — My Edmonds News will introduce a new feature: live video interviews regarding Edmonds issues and candidates in the upcoming 2011 primary and general election. Here’s how it works: All programming will be streamed over the My Edmonds News Video page. If you want to simply watch the show,…
By DJ Wilson Edmonds City Council Tuesday night, Council chose to move in a new direction with our City Attorney. This was a particularly tough vote for me, given my high esteem for our former City Attorney, Scott Snyder. So, let me explain some of my reasoning. – Qualifications: I found both firms to be…
The Edmonds City Council Tuesday night voted to approve an ordinance authorizing the refinancing of city bonds that will save Edmonds approximately $46,634 annually in debt service savings and $288,969 over the remaining life of the bonds, according to current estimates. The following bonds will be refinanced under the ordinance: – 1998 Water and Sewer…
By Harry Gatjens Councilmember DJ Wilson on Thursday night hosted his second meeting to address Edmonds’ future economic possibilities, with about 30 people attending, including Mayor Mike Cooper, Councilmember Lora Petso and the heads of several city departments. A link to my report on Wilson’s first meeting is here. Wilson started the meeting with a…
Edmonds City Councilmember D.J. Wilson is inviting citizens to attend a public meeting tonight — Thursday — to examine ways the city could improve its financial situation. Here is a Q&A with the councilmember on what he hopes to accomplish: Q: You’re hosting a meeting Thursday night on the financial situation at the city and…
The Edmonds City Council made decisions on several key issue during its Monday night meeting but in the end, the evening really went to the dogs. Among the items approved during the meeting — held on Monday this week to avoid conflicting with General Election night — were two laws related to sheltering the homeless….
Two of the state’s most well-known elder statesmen gathered in the Edmonds Community College Black Box Theater Thursday night to debate the merits of taxing the state’s wealthiest citizens to pay for public education and health care. In a nutshell, the Town Hall-style forum on Initiative 1098 — hosted and moderated by D.J. Wilson of…
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Two distinguished speakers will be taking sides Thursday night at Edmonds Community College during a debate over Initiative 1098, which would tax those earning more than $200,000 a year (filing federal taxes as individuals) or $400,000 (joint filers). Bill Gates Sr. will be speaking in favor of the initiative. It was announced Tuesday that former…
The Edmonds City Council Monday night authorized the city attorney and staff to investigate the potential cost-savings involved in partnering with the Snohomish County Public Utility District as it begins installing fiber optic cable in parts of Edmonds. Snohomish County PUD is already planning to install its own cable in certain neighborhoods, such as Westgate…
The Edmonds City Council move closer to adopting a city manager form of government Tuesday night, voting 4-2 to hold a public hearing July 20 to obtain citizen comment and possibly take action to place the measure on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Councilmember Michael Plunkett, who has been advocating for the switch in…
Despite a recommendation from a citizens’ commission, Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson won’t be getting a raise anytime soon. The Edmonds City Council voted 4-1 to direct staff to create an ordinance — and bring it back for council approval — that would repeal a measure passed last year to increase mayor’s salary from $113,210 to…
The Edmonds City Council spent nearly two hours in executive session Friday morning considering a counter offer from Cascade Bank in response to the council’s $1.1 million offer for the vacant Skippers restaurant property across from the Edmonds ferry terminal. The bank’s counter offer didn’t involve a change in the purchase price, however. Instead, it…
One tragic result of the recent earthquake in Haiti is the number of children left not only without homes, but without parents. The thought of those orphans — estimated to be in the tens of thousands — has been on the mind of Karianna Wilson, an Edmonds resident and mother of two toddlers. So when…
Money — including a status report on the city’s biennial budget and a proposal to put a limit on mayor and city council campaign donations — was the main topic of conversation at Tuesday night’s Edmonds City Council meeting, In a brief presentation to the council, Mayor Gary Haakenson noted that the city is midway…
If you have a burning desire to sit on the Edmonds City Council, here’s your chance. The council has started the process of filling the seat vacated when Councilmember Peggy Pritchard Olson died earlier this month. Council President DJ Wilson said that on paper, the requirements are pretty simple: You must be at least 18…
