I find it quite interesting that Toby Nixon is now complaining in a recent letter to the Kirkland Reporter to Councilwoman Jessica Greenway that taxes are too high in Kirkland.

Why, it was less than two years ago that Mr. Nixon and his pro-annexation group were touting how low our taxes would be if we voted to be annexed to Kirkland. You can’t have it both ways, Toby!

In fact, the tax-saving calculations that Toby’s pro-annexation group and the City of Kirkland used were based on a house in the annexation area assessed at $495,000.

The true fact is that the median assessed value in the 98034 zip code (which is most of the annexation area) is closer to $325,000. This reduces the tax savings by nearly one-third to annexation area residents and is more than offset by high and increased utility rates.

And wasn’t it Mr. Nixon, as a fire commissioner of Fire District 41, who closed the fire station in Kingsgate, thus increasing fire response times to our homes in that area.

Please, my friends, study the records of Councilwoman Greenway and those of Toby Nixon before you cast your vote for the council race. You will find that she was the only responsible council member when it came to Kirkland’s finances and the annexation two years ago.

Richard Luke, Kirkland