Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, August 8, 2014
www.issaquahreporter.com
Local races set for November election Tuesday's primary election set the stage for races in the 5th, 41st and 45th legislative districts that will be on the November general election ballot. The three districts include either Issaquah or Sammamish voters. ■ 5th District In the race for Position 1, incumbent Republican Jay Rodne garnered 58.19 percent of the vote, or 10,601 votes. Democrat challenger
Essie Hicks received 41.65 percent of the vote, or 7,587 votes with all 169 precincts reporting. For Position 2, incumbent Republican Chad Magendanz once again will be challenged by Democrat David Spring. Magendanz received 56.74 percent of the vote, or 10,248 votes. Spring received 32.18 percent of the vote or 5,812 votes. Two others on the ballot, Colin J. Alexander and Ryan Dean Burkett
were a distant third and fourth. ■ 41st District In the race for Position 1, Democrat Tana Senn will run against Republican Bill Stinson. Senn received 59.69 percent of the vote, or 11,610 votes, while Stinson received 40.17 percent, or 7,814 votes, with all 192 precincts reporting. For Position 2, incumbent Democrat Judy Clibborn will face Alex O'Neil. Clibborn received
74.02 percent or 13,136 votes while O'Neil received 25.12 percent, or 4,457 votes. ■ 45th District In the face for state Senate, incumbent Republican Andy Hill received 53.89 percent or 10,528 votes and will be challenged by Democrat Matt Isenhower, who had 46.03 percent or 8,992. In the Position 1 race, incumbent Democrat Roger Goodman
THE GREAT DE-FREEZE Becky Henchman wants people to get to know their neighbors
BY KELLY MONTGOMERY ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Becky Henchman has lived in the Seattle area for more than 20 years and decided that it was finally time to meet her neighbors. "When people first move here, it is so hard to get to know your neighbors," said Henchman, who lives in Hampton Woods in Sammamish. "People in Seattle are friendly, but they're not warm. It's hard to make real relationships." Henchman is referring to the "Seattle Freeze," Becky Henchman a term on both Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary referencing Seattle's attitude of "have a nice day, but have it somewhere else." Urban Dictionary explains that it's easy to get along with people in Seattle, but making friends is almost impossible. Henchman heard about the term, and realized it was in fact a pretty true statement. "I decided to declare war on the Seattle Freeze," she said. Henchman began a "de-freeze" campaign in April. She started a blog called “Eat Play Thaw,” vowing to have one neighbor over for dinner once a month for 12 months. "Sometimes we make these pre-judgements on people, instead of just inviting them for coffee," she said. "I'm just trying to be very intentional and to do it for myself, and then also encourage others to open up our own circles of friendship and accept some of those invitations as well." Henchman said that all friendships in
Henchman hosts a monthly book club at her house in Hampton Woods, Sammamish. COURTESY PHOTO.
life start somewhere, whether it's through a common interest or chance meeting. Seattle is a place that is becoming more and more diverse, Henchman said, and just because people are working too much doesn't mean they don't need that connection. "It means we need it even more," she said. "People want to connect." So far, Henchman has had four neighbors over for dinner, a Fourth of July barbecue and a group of Sammamish women over for lunch. "In other areas of the United States, having a neighbor over is no big deal," she said. "But I'm doing a blog about it because it's so odd for Seattle, and nobody really knows why that is." Henchman said that life is what we make it, and her goal is to commit to the "De-freeze" campaign for a year and maybe longer in the hopes of changing that Seattle reputation.
"We already live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country," Henchman said. "What if we became the friendliest area as well? What would that do to our community?" Henchman, who has a background in marketing and communications, said she loves to write and find stories, but wanted her blog to have a sense of integrity. Her entries include her thoughts and reflections as she journeys through her "De-freeze" campaign, ideas for people trying to get involved and meet people in their communities, recipes and more. Henchman said she hopes that more people will check out her blog simply for ideas and encouragement. "The greatest gifts in my life have been people," she said. "I'm a firm believer that you can't have too many connections." Kelly Montgomery: 425-391-0363; kmontgomery@issaquahreporter.com
received 53.87 percent of the vote, or 10,508 votes, and will face Republican challenger Joel Hussey who got 46.03 percent of the vote, or 8,979 votes. In the Position 2 race, incumbent Democrat Larry Springer received 55.75 percent of the vote, or 10,848 votes and will face Republican Brendan Woodward, who got 44.16 percent of the vote, or 8,592 votes.
Sammamish to resurface Trossachs Blvd. The city of Sammamish is about to begin a maintenance project to resurface much of Trossachs Boulevard. The project involves removing the weathered and worn top layer of old pavement and replacing it with a new layer of hot mix asphalt. The work is being done by Lakeside Industries as part of the annual citywide pavement resurfacing project. Two sections of Trossachs Boulevard are being resurfaced: • The south portion from Duthie Hill Road to just north of Cascade Ridge Elementary. • The north portion from Belvedere Way to the north end. The portion in between these sections was resurfaced recently and will not be replaced as part of the project. Work is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 11, and to be completed by Aug. 29. Hours of work will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the first week the top layer of pavement will be ground off. The grinding and preparation work is expected to take three to four days. In the second week the new surface layer of pavement will be placed. This paving work is expected to take two to three days. Pavement striping will follow in the days soon after the pavement resurfacing. During this project, the road will remain open and emergency vehicles will have access at all times. However, travel lanes will be reduced to one lane with flaggers controlling the direction of traffic during working hours. During the paving process, there will be short-duration intersection closures when the new asphalt is placed and compacted through the intersection. Much of the construction will be avoidable by using side streets to get to and from the south end of Trossachs Boulevard.