When I ran for City Council four years ago I stressed the need for greater citizen engagement and the need for a culture of accountability. This April 28 the citizens of Sammamish have the ability to increase both in our city by saying YES to the right to Initiative/Referendum. One thing I have seen during my time on the Council is that our citizens are highly engaged and want to have their voices heard. Based on events of this past year, we have seen hundreds of citizens come to make public comments to the City, voicing their concern that they are not being heard and process not followed. This same sentiment has been expressed through the expanded participation in grassroots organizations within our City calling for the Initiative/Referendum. Our local press has called out for our City to listen to our citizens and also expressed support for the right of Initiative/Referendum as a way to explicitly address concerns of accountability and citizen participation.
In 1999 when our City was formed, the right to Initiative/Referendum was left out. This could have been corrected during the ensuing 15 years by a simple vote of the Council, yet no Council has done so. Today, 15 years later, Sammamish today does NOT have this basic right, while 85 percent of all King County citizens do–including all our neighbors in Redmond, Issaquah, Bellevue and unincorporated King County. The Initiative/Referendum adds a needed check on our elected officials and city, and also enhances the legitimacy of elected officials. As the State of Washington Constitution eloquently says “all political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed.”
Experience in Washington and neighboring cities that possess the right of Initiative/Referendum do not show any pattern of abuse of this basic right. City initiatives and referendums have strict limitations governing their use, and are not applicable for financial or administrative issues and require gathering thousands of signatures. The Initiative/Referendum gives citizens another tool to have their voices heard and increases accountability of the City and Council to the Citizens. While it may never be used in Sammamish – voting YES ensures we all secure back that inherent citizen right.
Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo, Sammamish
