I oppose wasting further time discussing time limits
Below is a table I compiled from reviewing the history of regular and special meetings on Granicus. The number indicates the number of meetings exceeding 4 hours in the middle column and 5 hours in the right column. Below that you will see the 15-year average, which spanned numerous councils, two iterations of the current […]
Hawthorne Hall fiasco, what you need to know
Kudos to the shrewd local businessman who paid $500,000 to purchase from the city a pristine real estate parcel—Hawthorne Hall—zoned single family and appraised at $830,000. He acted to pursue his vision for the city’s property. Shame to my four fellow councilmembers and the mayor for this tone deaf and fiscally derelict decision to execute […]
An emerging gem: Mukilteo’s DEI Commission
Earlier this spring during our Council Strategic Retreat, the Council established our 2024 short-term and long-term priorities. One of our short-term priorities was to better utilize our DEI, MYAC and PAC committees. I, myself, was a member of the DEI Commission, as was Jason Moon, a fellow Councilmember. In fact, during each our respective tenures […]
Mukilteo Budget: Big bets and tough choices avoided
At the November 25 Council Special meeting, the Mukilteo City Council voted 5- 2, Councilmembers Dixon and Steve Schmalz against, to adopt the biennial budget for the years 2025-2026. The adopted budget, little changed from the mayor’s 2025-2026 preliminary budget, draws down the general fund ending balance, our savings account, from $5 million today, to […]
Commentary: Just Trust Joe?
Doubling down on obfuscation: At the November 4 Council Regular meeting, the Council voted to close the public hearing on the City’s biennial preliminary budget from the mayor for the years 2025-2026. The mayor’s 2025-2026 budget draws down the general fund ending balance, our savings account, from $5 million today, to under $2 million in […]
Broken promises, lies & dereliction of duty: How Mayor Marine has driven city finances into a ditch
On Friday afternoon October 11 at 4:15 p.m., the Mukilteo City Council received the City’s first biennial preliminary budget from Mayor Joe Marine for the years 2025-2026. In the run up to this preliminary budget, there was vigorous debate concerning waiving our deficit spending policy, known as the Gap policy, for this budget, with the […]
Mukilteo residents won plea to halt rezone of high-density development
MUKILTEO—Approximately 100 Mukilteans came out in full force at Monday’s council meeting and won their plea to halt a proposed rezone of the Harbour Pointe Tech Center property from “industrial” to “multi-family” for a 200-unit high-density housing development. “I would like to make a motion to direct staff to update the land use designation zoning […]
Former Mukilteo Council president urges tabling controversial rezone vote
MUKILTEO—Former Mukilteo City Council President Bob Champion sent an email to the Mukilteo City Council on Tuesday, October 1, urging them to “table” the upcoming controversial October 7 vote to rezone the Harbour Pointe Tech Center property from business to multifamily residential to make way for a proposed 200-unit high-density housing complex. In that email, […]
Mukilteo residents in mass testify against Harbour Pointe Tech rezone
MUKILTEO—Over one hundred residents attended Mukilteo City Council’s Regular Meeting on Monday, September 16, to voice their opposition to the rezoning the Harbour Pointe Tech Center property to a 200-unit multifamily residential project. The voting action by the city council was postponed to October 7, 2024, given a mishap by the city in sending out […]
Public uproar over rezoning of business park to high-density housing in Mukilteo
MUKILTEO—At the end of Harbour Heights Parkway in Mukilteo lies the Harbour Pointe Tech Center, where the property may soon be rezoned for a proposed 275-unit Multifamily Residential housing project. However, in keeping with the Mukilteo tradition of opposing high-density, some residents have concerns. The Harbour Pointe Tech Center property is currently zoned as a […]
