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Money flowing into campaigns for City Council BY NAT LEVY nlevy@bellevuereporter.com
Stone Gardens, which opened Oct. 22 in the former Circuit City location at Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center, boasts more 21,000 sq. feet of climbing terrain, nearly double the amount of the franchise’s Seattle location. Professionally set routes vary in difficulty from 5.4 (easy) to 5.13 (very difficult). More photos, story on Page 11. Also, see story on new additions to Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center on page 9. CHAD COLEMAN, Bellevue Reporter
Huge climbing facility opens at Crossroads
Mars Hill brings new church to downtown BY GABRIELLE NOMURA gnomura@bellevuereporter.com
The John Danz building has gone through multiple transformations over the years. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, it was one of the “Big Four� – the local, go-to theaters for big blockbusters, along with Northgate, the Cinerama and Southcenter. Later, it was taken over by other businesses: Good Guy’s and then Underhill’s Furniture. Now, the building has gained a new tenant, the Bellevue Mars Hill Church, previously housed in Eastside Christian School’s gym.
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Thomas Hurst, executive pastor of the Bellevue church, said it’s been exciting to move into a building with such a rich history – and in the heart of downtown, no less. While “Mars Hill� can sometimes be synonymous with “Ballard,� where the church’s main campus is located, Hurst said the Bellevue location is different than the Ballard building’s dark curtains and lighting. “This building is geared toward who we are here in Bellevue,� Hurst said. “It’s wide open space and windows. It was designed very intentionally and to be very welcoming.� Such an urban environment is a big deal. It means the church will be easily
accessible, and “have the opportunity to reach thousands with the gospel of Jesus Christ,� Hurst said. “We’re not just looking to be in the city; we want to be a part of, and be a servant to, the city.� When the Bellevue church first opened in October 2007, only 200 people attended. Now, the congregation has grown to 1,300 members. Last Sunday, Hurst said 1,700 people attended the “soft opening� in the new space, which was primarily to make sure everything would go smoothly this weekend, with its grand opening Sunday. Around 2,000 people are expected [ more CHURCH page 4 ]
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The ballots have arrived in voters’ homes and local candidates are making that final push to get votes. Political signs populate yards, and fliers are coming in the mail. The money for that has to come from somewhere. Each candidate for Bellevue City Council has received hundreds of donations from individuals and companies, all under the watchful eye of the state’s Public Disclosure Commission. PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said individual campaign donations are capped at $800 each for the primary and general election. Candidates are able to spend as much as they want of their own money on their campaigns, but if they’d like to recoup any of that money later on, they may reclaim only $4,700. Political Action Committees (PACs) can raise as much money as they want, but they are still limited to a maximum donation to each candidate. However, they are allowed to spend as much as they want on behalf of a candidate or group of candidates as long as they don’t coordinate with the candidate. Each Bellevue City Council candidate has reported receiving donations from PACs, and a number of PACs have reported independent spending on behalf of candidates. The Eastside Leadership Committee received a total of $69,000 from three donors - Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman, a supporter of council candidates Patti Mann, Aaron Laing and Michelle Hilhorst; Issaquah developer Skip Rowley and Robert Wallace, whose son, Kevin, serves as a councilmember. On the other side, Bellevue Firefighters, Fuse Washington and light-rail advocate Move Bellevue Forward have spent more than $32,000 to help John Stokes, Claudia Balducci and John Chelminiak. Unlike the $800 candidate limits, donors can give as much as they want to a PAC in the early days of a campaign. But within three weeks of elections, donors may only give $5,000 to a PAC, a reason some PACs form just before the three-week deadline. Once a donation is received, a candidate has five days to [ more CONTRIBUTIONS page 8 ]
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