[This letter comes from Snoqualmie resident, Mark Hawkins. You can send in letters of support for your candidates to info@livingsnoqualmie.com]
Dear Editor:
Thank you for providing this forum for public input. I want to encourage readers to consider voting for Brad Toft for Snoqualmie mayor in the upcoming primary election. The city is in need of a leadership change and Brad’s vision is best suited for leading Snoqualmie over the next four years.
Brad currently is on city council and, through his service and observations, recognizes there are areas to improve the management of Snoqualmie’s government. He recognizes the mayor’s first obligation is to serve the interests of city residents. As developers continue to lobby for building in the city, Brad Toft will work to ensure that future developments will benefit the citizens of the city and not to the exclusive advantage of the builder or other parties.
Brad also recognizes the need to continue to diversify the city’s tax base through economic development such that Snoqualmie is not overly reliant on property taxes to meet its budgetary needs. As residential housing development slows with the completion of Snoqualmie Ridge II, the one-time sales tax revenue associated with the building materials incorporated into housing will go away. As a result, Brad will prioritize sustainable growth that will help avoid tax increases in the future.
Brad will work to ensure transparency in city government. Too often development decisions are made in the city behind closed doors and, once decided on, presented to the citizens as an irreversible outcome. Brad will work to ensure that public input occurs at all stages of the development process, from proposals, to impacts, to being consistent with the city’s master plan, to eventual approval or rejection.
Brad’s vision for Snoqualmie is one that will make the city a desirable community to live and work in for the citizens. He recognizes this is accomplished through a combination of having desirable amenities and services worthy of our community while, at the same time, the peace and tranquility of our area is maintained. Brad will rely on his private sector experience to ensure continued favorable development of the city, development which will boost economic growth and mitigate the need for additional property tax increases.
Please consider voting for Brad Toft in the upcoming Snoqualmie mayoral primary. Ballots are mailed by the King County Board of Elections on July 12th. Please send your vote in for Brad before the August 1, 2017 postmark deadline.
Thank you,
Mark Hawkins, Snoqualmie resident
Comments
I wouldn’t vote for this man if he was the only one on the ballot!
Brad Toft voted minutes after being presented a PowerPoint presentation that the city was in violation of their municipal code to approve amendments for a 5 story hotel.
The violation was that 117 property owners within 500 feet of the hotel were not notified by mail about the hotel, they still had not been notified by mail when the city council unanimously voted to approve the hotel just after being presented with the fact that they were in violation of the municipal code. One property owner was very concerned about their privacy with 5 stories of windows able to look down into their home. The hotel will cut down a stand of 60 foot tall Douglas Fir trees that they see from their home now. Another property owner is on the second floor and has a lot of noise coming from Snoqualmie Parkway, and she is very concerned about the additional noise that a 60′ tall wall next to Snoqualmie Parkway will amplify the street noise.
Brad Toft works for a mortgage company that works with developers. He has had $4K in campaign contributions made to him by developers. $2K of those contributions came from the developer for the Safeway retail center on Snoqualmie Parkway. Please do not vote for Brad Toft.
I agree that change is needed in City Council and the mayor’s seat. Toft has the opportunity to distinguish himself from the incumbents, yet has voted with the existing block. How would he be different than Larson when he’s already voting yes for Larson projects?
All of my contributions are from people and business owners who live in the Snoqualmie Valley, with exception of two. Those are friends and family of mine and Jill’s.
It is well-known that I have worked in real estate finance for over twenty years, so I do have friends that work in that industry. The statement that the firm by which I am employed has business relationships with developers is untrue. It is a statement that is intended to smear me, but has absolutely no basis.
Brad Toft is a very shady individual, as has been uncovered when he’s run for other political posts.
The Seattle times found that in the 90s, Toft had a number of different cases against him including multiple speeding tickets, driving while his license was suspended, civil suits, etc. He’ll tell you that he made a number of mistakes that he’s grown from, but what he doesn’t mention is that in 2012, when he ran for a Senate seat, he contacted the court asking that the records for one of the cases be sealed because while he shared the same name as the defendant “the specific identity of that person was unclear.” So even though he knew for a fact he was THE Brad Toft mentioned in that case, he tried to infer that it wasn’t him. I could easily forgive someone making mistakes when they were young and owning them, but to try and get your records sealed through deception tells me a lot about a person’s character.
So, did Toft learn his lesson from his earlier legal issues? Apparently not because when I did a search on Washington State Court cases I found 12 from the 90s in which Toft was the defendant, in addition to 1 from 2002, 2 from 2009, 1 from 2012, 3 from 2013, 1 from 2014 and 2 more in 2017. And we’re only a little more than half way through the year. Then again, it’s possible that all of these cases can be attributed to someone who just happens to have the same name. We could ask Brad Toft if in fact that’s the case, but he’s already proven he’s not trustworthy in that regard.
This is a guy who has been in the courts more than 20 times over the past 20 years, most recently in 2017 for not filing his F-1 record on time as a City Council member (in that case, he did not show up to the court hearing and was fined). Other infractions include multiple lawsuits lost, failure to pay speeding tickets which resulted in a bench warrant issued, a defamation suit, and Brad’s attempt to file a restraining order against a woman so that she could not speak and expose his past transgressions at political events (this attempt was dismissed as frivolous). And, let’s not forget that Brad has had so many legal battles he actually launched a “Go Fund Me” campaign in 2013 to pay for his legal bills (from the $30K he was required to pay in court fees plus a penalty for bringing a frivolous suit) plus braces for his children (campaign has been removed now). Everything except the GoFundMe is public record (including the fact findings and the letter referenced above where Brad tried to claim it might not be him in the lawsuit, even after his wages were garnished as a result of that lawsuit) . . . an investigative journalist could have a field day with all of the court records. Here’s a start – https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/705059.pdf
There is always going to be some voices that want to divide the city, and cast others in a negative light. We need leaders who will recognize the contributions of others in our community, even though we may disagree with our neighbors sometimes.
I have been a leader in the fight against hunger for families across the Snoqualmie Valley through my efforts with Rotary. I have been recognized for my commitment to helping our developmentally disabled neighbors land good jobs through the At Work! program. I have been an advocate for our local businesses as a board member of the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce. I have helped many families achieve the dream of home ownership with Snoqualmie’s affordable housing. Finally, I have invested in the lives of a generation of youth through Wildcat Football.
I have done these things working side by side with my friends and neighbors through organizations that have deep roots right here in the Snoqualmie Valley. I could never accomplish alone what I have been able to accomplish working with many of you. We are all in this effort together, and I hope that you will vote for me when your ballot arrives this week.