[Letter by Ethan Benson – City of Snoqualmie Councilmember. Views expressed are those of the author, not the Living Snoqualmie website. You may submit letters of support for your candidate to info@livingsnoqualmie.com.]
As a City of Snoqualmie Councilman for the past four years, I have a perspective on city operations and consider it my responsibility to share my thoughts with the community on significant matters. I am endorsing Jim Mayhew for Mayor of Snoqualmie because I believe the biggest challenges our city faces are relational. Our relationship with our sister city, North Bend, has experienced significant damage over the past four years. Our interactions with the Snoqualmie Tribe have been strained. Our partnerships with King County and Washington State Legislators have not been nearly as productive as they should have been. I believe the most significant reason for these strains and missed opportunities has been a lack of productive communication from our Administration.
Jim Mayhew is something of a master at relationships. His record as a Snoqualmie City Councilman includes major successes such as significant contributions in securing funding for the free right from the Parkway onto I-90 several years ago (that massively alleviated morning traffic) and securing $5 million from the state for the repaving of the Snoqualmie Parkway. As a Councilman, Jim also served as our Liaison to the Snoqualmie Tribe, where he created inroads and developed positive working relationships with their Tribal Council.
In the two years he has spent away from the Snoqualmie City Council, Jim has continued to maintain productive relationships with our regional partners. Perhaps most importantly, he has worked to understand the perspectives of members of the North Bend City Council amidst the friction we have undergone with them. Snoqualmie and North Bend have important work to do together, and our frayed ties are particularly dismaying. I believe the best chance we have at a positive reconnection with North Bend will come as a result of the leadership Jim Mayhew can provide.
-CM Ethan Benson
