John Wright to seek re-election to Lake Forest Park City Council
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
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| John Wright |
Dear Neighbors,
In 2010 you honored me with election to the City Council, when the premier issue was how the city would continue to provide quality services without raising taxes during a recession.
Today I’m pleased to report that those services have been maintained and City Government is leaner and more efficient, more transparent and more accountable, and more responsive to the needs of our citizens than it was then.
The key difference from that time is a cultural shift away from ‘City Hall knows best’ and toward a more open and collaborative attitude that values and respects the needs and desires of our citizens, and one of continuous improvement in the operation of City government.
My values of balanced and responsive government, public safety, environmental stewardship, concern for the needs of ALL of our citizens, and maintaining our unique quality of life remain strong, and will continue to guide my choices.
In the last 4 years the city has:
• Completed major stream remediation, habitat restoration and flood control improvements on Lyon creek, and prevented flooding in Sheridan Beach and at the Town Center despite some of the heaviest rainfall recorded in decades.
• Passed the City’s first strategic plan and goals to help guide our efforts in making LFP a better city for all.
• Embarked on a culvert replacement program to improve the safety and reliability of our streets and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.
• Our success in obtaining and administering grants for projects within the city has improved dramatically, but more can be done. Grant money comes from taxes we have already paid that go to federal, county, and state government for redistribution, and we must capture that money for use in LFP. We can use it to invest in low-impact development processes to provide sidewalks in the city while protecting our environment from polluted runoff and providing safe routes to schools for our children.
While we’ve made good progress in these and other areas, important work remains:
• Ever-increasing traffic volumes are miring LFP in congestion, which on Bothell Way increased 12% since tolling began on SR-520. I have worked with Shoreline, Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville to receive hundreds of millions in project commitments under Sound Transit’s ST-3. We have to ensure these improvements are done in a way that enhances our city and preserves its unique character, and we will need your input to have plans and standards in place when the work is ready to begin.
• We have embarked on a program to improve safety on our streets and highways within the city, with more and better sidewalks, safer routes to schools, and improved intersections.
• We will improve access to transit in the city with a 300-car Park and Ride facility and reduce commuters parking in our neighborhoods to access transit.
• We must also invest time on fun family events that bring us together as a community and add to our pride as a great place to live. This year we will host our inaugural pet parade, which we plan will involve all ages and be a celebrated annual event.
During my time on the Council I have worked to extend the reach and influence of Lake Forest Park beyond our borders, representing LFP and the Sound Cities Association on the King County Regional Transit Committee, as vice-chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee, and as co-chair of the SeaShore Transportation Forum. These positions are voluntary, but add involvement and representation by LFP in regional policy creation and decision-making.
I am honored to represent our City on these boards, and honored to represent you on the City Council!
John Wright
Lake Forest Park City Council
Position #3
JWright4LFP@live.com
(206) 363-9927
The key difference from that time is a cultural shift away from ‘City Hall knows best’ and toward a more open and collaborative attitude that values and respects the needs and desires of our citizens, and one of continuous improvement in the operation of City government.
My values of balanced and responsive government, public safety, environmental stewardship, concern for the needs of ALL of our citizens, and maintaining our unique quality of life remain strong, and will continue to guide my choices.
In the last 4 years the city has:
• Completed major stream remediation, habitat restoration and flood control improvements on Lyon creek, and prevented flooding in Sheridan Beach and at the Town Center despite some of the heaviest rainfall recorded in decades.
• Passed the City’s first strategic plan and goals to help guide our efforts in making LFP a better city for all.
• Embarked on a culvert replacement program to improve the safety and reliability of our streets and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.
• Our success in obtaining and administering grants for projects within the city has improved dramatically, but more can be done. Grant money comes from taxes we have already paid that go to federal, county, and state government for redistribution, and we must capture that money for use in LFP. We can use it to invest in low-impact development processes to provide sidewalks in the city while protecting our environment from polluted runoff and providing safe routes to schools for our children.
While we’ve made good progress in these and other areas, important work remains:
• Ever-increasing traffic volumes are miring LFP in congestion, which on Bothell Way increased 12% since tolling began on SR-520. I have worked with Shoreline, Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville to receive hundreds of millions in project commitments under Sound Transit’s ST-3. We have to ensure these improvements are done in a way that enhances our city and preserves its unique character, and we will need your input to have plans and standards in place when the work is ready to begin.
• We have embarked on a program to improve safety on our streets and highways within the city, with more and better sidewalks, safer routes to schools, and improved intersections.
• We will improve access to transit in the city with a 300-car Park and Ride facility and reduce commuters parking in our neighborhoods to access transit.
• We must also invest time on fun family events that bring us together as a community and add to our pride as a great place to live. This year we will host our inaugural pet parade, which we plan will involve all ages and be a celebrated annual event.
During my time on the Council I have worked to extend the reach and influence of Lake Forest Park beyond our borders, representing LFP and the Sound Cities Association on the King County Regional Transit Committee, as vice-chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee, and as co-chair of the SeaShore Transportation Forum. These positions are voluntary, but add involvement and representation by LFP in regional policy creation and decision-making.
I am honored to represent our City on these boards, and honored to represent you on the City Council!
John Wright
Lake Forest Park City Council
Position #3
JWright4LFP@live.com
(206) 363-9927
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