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LOCAL | Redmond Chamber to host city candidates panel at luncheon [9]
SPORTS PREVIEW | Fueled by state-title aspirations, The Bear Creek School volleyball team looks to improve upon recent state success [12]
COMMUNITY | Redmond engineer shows FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 strength in battle against brain cancer [3]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Kimball to step down, take job in Singapore Head of LWSD to leave at end of school year SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Dr. Chip Kimball will step down as superintendent for the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) at the end of this school year, . It was announced Wednesday afternoon that the 2011-12 school year will be Kimball’s final year with the district as he will become the superintendent of the Singapore American School (SAS) in Singapore, beginning July 1, 2012. “It was possibly one of the most difficult decisions I had to make,” Kimball told the Redmond Reporter Thursday morning. He said leaving the district was not even on his Dr. Chip Kimball radar when SAS first approached him early this summer. Kimball, who is in his 16th year with LWSD, initially told the school no, but they were not deterred. “They hunted me down, pretty persistently,” he said. “They asked me again.” Kimball discussed the offer with his wife and friends who have worked in international settings. He said he has always spoken about globalization, international relations and preparing students to compete internationally, so he decided, serving as a superintendent overseas would be a great opportunity to experience this firsthand. So he decided to begin initial discussions with SAS. “It’s kind of like dating,” Kimball said. He explained that in dating, people have the opportunity to see how they feel about each other and see if they want to get engaged and eventually, if they want to get married. In the end, Kimball decided to tie the knot with SAS. [ more KIMBALL page 5 ]
Tim Eyman, right, and Scott Harlan, middle, address the media before turning in 6,050 signatures to the city clerk in an effort to get the city’s first-ever citizen-driven initiative on next February’s ballot. Eyman is standing next to an enlarged Google map with green markers, indicating the registered voters who signed the petition as supporters stand in the background. BILL CHRISTIANSON, Redmond Reporter
Anti-camera activists deliver 6,050 signatures to City Hall Eyman, Harlan hope to get first-ever initiative on February ballot BILL CHRISTIANSON bchristianson@redmond-reporter.com
Scott Harlan and his supporters took a historic step closer to putting the controversial issue of traffic-enforcement cameras to a vote of Redmond residents Wednesday afternoon. Harlan, joined by Washington initiative activist Tim Eyman and a handful of supporters, delivered nearly twice the number of needed signatures to the Redmond city clerk in an effort to get the city’s first-ever citizen-driven initiative on the ballot of next February’s special election. Now it’s up to King County to validate the signatures. Standing near the front steps of city hall, Eyman announced to a small gathering of media that Harlan and fellow volunteers gathered 6,050 signatures, well over the 3,845 signatures needed to get the initiative on the upcoming ballot. If Redmond Initiative No. 1 — “Let The People Decide on Red Light Cameras in Redmond” is put on the February ballot and passed, it would ban the use of
traffic-enforcement cameras unless approved by council members or voters. A February special election would cost the city between $70,000-80,000. “More people signed this petition than voted for the mayor in the last race,” Eyman said. “It’s really mind boggling the number of people that were willing to sign the petition.” The announcement capped nearly six months of signature gathering by Harlan and his team of 15-20 volunteers. Harlan’s initiative effort here in Redmond is one of many across the state fueled by Eyman, the state’s ballot-measure king. Harlan, a Union Hill resident, said he hopes his efforts send a message to city leaders that Redmond residents oppose the use of these cameras as Redmond City Council members move closer to a decision to extend the one-year pilot program or not. “Hopefully a key criteria in whether or not they vote to extend the pilot program is the public’s perception of the program,” Harlan said. “We have displayed the public’s view that they want to vote
on the program overall.” City Council member Hank Myers, chair of the public safety committee, said he is taking notice. “I can’t speak for other members, but if this really is referendum No. 1 in the history of Redmond it shows the amount of work going out to get this thing qualified,” Myers said. “As an individual member, I’m impressed by that.” When asked Monday if he would vote to extend the camera program, Myers said, “I don’t know what I would do at this point.” Myers said he wants to analyze more data before he makes a final decision. Eyman, Harlan and other supporters plan to attend Tuesday’s council meeting and show council members the signed petitions and state their case. “I think there is a symbolic point to be made and we’ve made it,” Harlan said. “There is no way to ingore the fact that six thousand signatures have been put in front of you.” [ more CAMERAS page 2 ]