UP for Don Davidson. The longtime Bellevue City Council member, who served twice as mayor as part of a decades-long service to the community, and graciously ended his political career after coming in third in the primary. Davidson, a dentist, not only has seen Bellevue grow and prosper, but also has been a key reason for the city’s success with his level-headed presence on the council.

UP for the King County Flood Control District for granting Bellevue’s request for $200,000 to accelerate a study of Coal Creek flooding issues a year earlier than planned. The money will help the city analyze possible solutions on how to best address the issue. Once done, the district has $8.3 million ready to do the work. The district is supervised by the King County Council, so a Thumbs Up goes to it, too.

DOWN for the city of Bellevue for allowing a fireworks show over Meydenbauer Bay on Saturday, Aug. 17 that appears to have caught many residents off guard. The show, put on for a private party, had all the necessary permits and the city sent out emails and passed out flyers to nearby residents, but apparently not everyone got the message. The problem is that while we expect booms and bangs on the Fourth of July, any other time they sound like the beginning of a battle. The city should rethink such proposals in the future.

UP for the Seahawks, who along with an organization called Melanoma Exposed: Screen. Protect. Know. Tell. will offer free skin cancer screenings before its next pre-season game with Oakland from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29 in the CenturyLink Field Event Center. Despite our reputation for cloudy skies, experts say people here have six times as many melanoma cases as Hawaii. Get checked. It’s painless.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter