Jennifer Robertson
Bellevue City Council incumbent Jennifer Robertson sees the coming growth of the Eastside as an opportunity to plan ahead lest the city fall behind.
The two-term council member said Bellevue has important choices to make to keep its history while preparing for the future.
She is running for her third term on the council, competing against challenger Lyndon Heywood for council position 7.
“I’m so invested in this city,” Robertson said. “I want to make sure the Bellevue of the future has the aspects of the Bellevue of the past and present: Great parks, the vital economic activity, the great schools.”
With Bellevue expected to continue its current growth, Robertson said making sure the city’s reputation as a business hub continues as well. Diversifying transportation is a mission both candidates see as paramount to avoid headaches in the city’s future.
“Land use and transportation are the two biggest things we have to focus on,” she said. “We want the neighborhoods to stay as high quality as they have been while adding buses, light rail and bicycle trails. Basically making sure the light rail construction is as least disruptive as possible.”
And while growth remains the number one issue for the incumbent, trying to make Bellevue accessible to people of lower economic means is key for her personally.
“Affordable housing is huge,” Robertson said. “Land values are so high that the people who grew up here can’t afford to stay here as adults. I want my daughters to be able to come back here when they grow up.”
Just the facts: Age: 47
Profession: Municipal attorney
Family: Married, three daughters, 17, 13, 10.
Neighborhood: Somerset
Political/community experience: Bellevue City Council (2009 to present), Deputy Mayor (2012 to 2014), Girl Scouts of America leader.
Website: www.robertsonforcouncil.com/
Lyndon Heywood
Lyndon Heywood is angry with the way Bellevue’s city government is being managed.
He believes there is too much navel-gazing and not enough proactive planning from Bellevue’s city leaders. The 42-year-old is challenging incumbent Jennifer Robertson for the Position 7 seat of the Bellevue City Council.
“I see a lot wrong and I want to be in a position where I can fight the wrongs,” Heywood said. “This position requires people to work to get things done, and not focusing on our own things. Councilors don’t grasp the issues. They stay on the council for years and years and years and make no impact on a tangible level.”
The U.K.-born naturalized citizen thinks a from-the-bottom shakeup of Bellevue’s city government is needed to respond to the city’s needs.
“I’m really concerned about the structure of our government,” he said. “We still have seven people on our council, and we are a lot bigger now than we were when that number was first chosen.”
He believes that with the rapidly blurring lines between cities on the Eastside, the amount of communication between cities is appalling. He would demand more conversations with neighboring cities if he were elected, he said.
Heywood has been an outspoken cycling and transit advocate, and believes making Bellevue navigable in the future should be one of the city’s top goals.
“After the accident the other day [the Sept. 29 collision on Bel-Red Road which killed a 28-month-old toddler] it has become clear to me that Bellevue has always prioritized the car. We’re really backwards on that.”
The general election is Nov. 3.
Just the facts:
Age: 42
Profession: Production artist in a print shop
Family: Married, two children, 10, 9.
Neighborhood: Lake Hills
Political/community experience: vice chair of city of Redmond’s Ped-Bike Advisory Committee, member of Lake Hills Neighborhood Association, graduate of Bellevue’s Citizen Police Academy.
Website: www.itsourcity.org/
Ryan Murray: 425-453-4602; rmurray@bellevuereporter.com
