Council’s recent workshop and the previous meeting at Northwest College were nothing more than an attempt to gain support for what the mayor and council had previously decided. They did not want to hear that the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) would create greater gridlock downtown for the people getting off the buses. They didn’t want to hear that their arguments for affordable housing were bogus.

The meetings were designed to cover their backside by saying they were interested in hearing from the public what it would take to get their support. The council had already made up its mind so the meeting was only to manipulate the public into thinking they had some influence in the decision making process. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To make sure nothing against the TOD would disrupt the process, a moderator was chosen to control the meeting. A city employee, Assistant City Manager Marilynne Beard, whose very existence depends on her ability to cow tail to what the mayor wants, did her job by not allowing information that would discredit the justifications that were presented by staff.

Almost all of Kirkland and those living north of downtown feel the impact of congestion downtown with traffic from the existing 600-space South Kirkland Park & Ride. Adding 250 more cars to the existing jams will add to gridlock the citizens do not want. But that doesn’t matter to the council. They do not want anything getting in the way of what they have already decided.

If the city is going to have a public meeting, everyone should be heard. The meetings are nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to give the public the false impression they had something to do in determining the outcome. The meetings were designed to defeat the opposition. We should not let that happen unless you want more congestion, higher fees and taxes, and a lower quality of life.

Bob Style, Kirkland