Ms. Levenson’s comments are not only appropriate now, but will become more important at election time.

The idea that our candidates are elected to represent the citizens has and is becoming a myth. The council has failed to reign in staff and even has given staff “direction” that has bastardized the public process. It brings into question as to who is running the city.

Many of the “public hearings” have become a joke. Most of the decisions have been decided before the public knows about what the council has already endorsed.

It happened with the revisions of The Shoreline Management Act, continued with staff meetings and phone calls promoting annexation, and the council blatantly ignored the concerns of the Central Houghton and Lakeview citizens, ignored the impacts of what is proposed at the South Kirkland Park & Ride, and passed legislation that muzzles the public concerns about traffic and the rezoning necessary to accommodate the proposed 143 new high density development on Lake Street called the Potala project.

Public hearings have become rubber stamps of previous decisions already made by council. The public is getting the shaft and the council is doing nothing about it. They are failing to represent those who elected them, preferring instead to shove their idea of what’s best for the citizens of Kirkland down our throats. Council and staff are not to be trusted to represent what the people want.

Bob Style, Kirkland