2 from council favored for Redmond post

Redmond City Councilmen John Marchione and Jim Robinson were leading former Councilwoman Holly Plackett in the race to replace Redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives, who has led the city since 1992.

Marchione and Plackett ran with promises of a more collaborative approach than Ives', while Robinson had the mayor's endorsement and said he wanted to raise taxes on businesses.

Early returns also showed that a levy-lid lift to help Snoqualmie Valley Hospital build a more visible facility was headed to defeat.

With several incumbents not running, the Eastside primary was unusually busy this year. Thirty-three candidates duked it out in nine council races and one school-board race.

The top two candidates in each race will move on to the Nov. 6 general election.

Mercer Island: Four political newcomers — Bob Bersos, Jon Friedman, Maureen Judge and Mike Cero — vied to replace Councilman Sven Goldmanis, who held the seat since 1999. Judge, a former Expedia manager, and Cero, a former Paccar executive, were leading late Tuesday with some absentee ballots still to be counted.

Judge and Cero both support a new city review panel to oversee development, and both said they wanted more bike trails.

Sammamish: Councilwoman Nancy Whitten had a strong lead in her first re-election fight, followed by Realtor John James. Scott Nazarino, an estate planner, was trailing. Whitten wants to limit further growth in the Town Center, while Nazarino said current plans aren't aggressive enough. James said his plans wouldn't be as extensive as Nazarino's.

Issaquah: Joshua Schaer, a 29-year-old attorney, was leading the race to replace outgoing Councilman Russell Joe. Vincent Ippolito, who unofficially withdrew from the race and backed Schaer, was ahead of Donald Fink, 78, a retiree.

Schaer opposes the Southeast Bypass, a proposed road that would connect Interstate 90 to Front Street South and Issaquah-Hobart Road, while Fink supports the project.

Newcastle: Longtime Councilman Sonny Putter and Russ Segner, head of the city Planning Commission, were leading. C. Mark Greene, an administrative clerk who has run for Congress three times, was behind by a wide margin.

Medina: Councilman Pete Vall-Spinosa and Shawn Whitney, a past volunteer at Medina Elementary School, were leading. Roger Ngouenet, head of the city parks board, followed close behind. Dave Hedequist, who was not actively campaigning, trailed.

Woodinville: Three community activists and a city parks commissioner ran to replace outgoing Councilwoman Gina Leonard. Commissioner Liz Aspen and Susan Boundy-Sanders, the head of a local environmental group, were leading Christy Diemond and Al Taylor.

In the city's other primary race, former City Councilman Randy Ransom and Jeff Glickman, a computer consultant, were ahead of Dave G. Henry, a retiree and frequent presence at council meetings. The three candidates are pushing to succeed Councilwoman Cathy VonWald, who's also serving as mayor.

Duvall: Former Councilman Gary Rutledge and Planning Commissioner Anne Laughlin were ahead of retired engineer Walt Anderson in the race to replace outgoing Councilwoman Heather Page.

Snoqualmie Valley School Board: Kathryn Lerner, who helped lobby for a district bond issue that failed twice this year, and Stephne Porterfield, a longtime district volunteer, were leading in the race to replace board member Kim Horn, who is stepping down. Sue Korol, who served on a boundary-review committee, was narrowly behind.

Propositions

Snoqualmie Valley Hospital: A levy-lid lift to help Snoqualmie Valley Hospital build a campus in a more visible location was failing.

Voters in the county's Public Hospital District No. 4 were asked to help foot the $69 million estimated cost.

The measure would raise the hospital district's levy lid by 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. If the lift is approved, the new rate would be 75 cents per $1,000, or $300 per year on a home assessed at $400,000.

Northshore Fire: In Kenmore, a $27 million bond issue to build a new Northshore Fire Department headquarters was passing by a wide margin.

Redmond police, fire, parks: Two levy lifts in Redmond that would add police and firefighters, pay for maintenance for future park projects and expand after-school programs were passing.

The first would increase property taxes by 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value (about $140 per year on a home assessed at $400,000) to pay for 17 police personnel and 18 firefighters for the Overlake and the North Education Hill fire stations.

The second would bring an increase of 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value (about $20 per year on a $400,000 home) to pay for maintenance for parks projects and expanded program hours.

Woodinville: A measure to continue a funding mechanism called a benefit charge was easily passing in the Woodinville Fire and Life Safety District.

The charge uses a system that calculates costs based on such factors as the square footage of a property.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com