News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

Library location ballot wording and voters pamphlet statements are complete

Jun03
2012 Written by Randy Corman

Proponents for both library locations have now submitted their voters pamphlet statements and rebuttal statements to the King County Elections Department in preparation for the Aug 7, 2012 election.

While it is possible that the Elections Department could make some final edits, the complete ballot and voters pamphlet statements will basically read as follows:

BALLOT WORDING

CITY OF RENTON
PROPOSITION 1
VOTE TO SELECT LOCATION OF LIBRARY SITE DOWNTOWN

After Renton voters chose to join King County Library System (KCLS), Renton contracted with KCLS to provide a state of the art library in downtown Renton. The library will be located at EITHER the existing library location over the Cedar River (100 Mill Ave. South), OR West of the Renton Piazza (508 South 3rd Street). If the Piazza site is chosen, Renton will keep the existing library building for alternative public use in the future.

Which location should be the site of the downtown library?

Over the Cedar River?_____ OR West of the Piazza?_______


VOTERS PAMPHLET WORDING

Explanatory Statement:

In 2010, Renton citizens voted to annex to the King County Library System (KCLS). The annexation required Renton to fund and construct two new state of the art libraries to replace Renton’s two existing libraries. Initially, the city proposed to locate the new downtown library at the site of the old Big 5 store west of the downtown Piazza and purchased that land. Since then, the Renton City Council decided to conduct a popular vote regarding the location of the new library in downtown. Voters are being asked to choose the location for the new downtown library construction. There are two locations under consideration: The existing library over the Cedar River (100 Mill Ave. So.), and the site West of the Piazza (508 South Third Street). The city has projected it will cost $10,100,000 to substantially renovate the existing Cedar River library to state of the art library standards. There may be an additional $400,000 cost for temporary relocation of the library during that construction. The combined amount exceeds the current budget for the downtown library development. The proposed new downtown location west of the Piazza is projected to cost, including land acquisition, $9,300,000. This is the amount budgeted. If voters choose the site west of the Piazza, the existing library bUilding will be repurposed for future alternative public use. If the Cedar River location is chosen, the site west of the Piazza would be repurposed or sold. Repurposing of either location will require additional undetermined funding.

Statement in favor of “Over the Cedar River”

Suggestions that the Cedar River location would exceed the budget are misleading. Two clauses in the agreement with KCLS allow for changes to the project/design to keep within budget. A 22,500 sq/ft State-of-the-Art library on Cedar River will be 50% larger than the 15,000 sq/ft proposal at the other location and cost 32.9% less per sq/ft. Renovating Cedar River Library amounts to a family-sized bargain for taxpayers, and good stewardship of revenue. The “real cost” of building a SMALLER library at the other location, rather than keeping and renovating Cedar River Library, would include millions of unbudgeted tax dollars to repurpose the vacated Cedar River Library for “alternate use.” That repurposing could double our cost. A renovated flagship KCLS library over the Cedar River at Liberty Park will continue to be a cornerstone tying our community together. With ample dedicated off-street parking, family-friendly open spaces free of traffic, and many surrounding recreational opportunities, there really is no better place. Consider the real costs. The Cedar River Library will be “state-of-the-art”, be 50% BIGGER, be CHEAPER costing 32.9% less per sq/ft and will eliminate the need to repurpose a vacated city property at future taxpayer expense. Vote Cedar River Library.

Statement in favor of ” West of the Piazza”

Renton’s new library location next to the Piazza provides Renton great opportunities for several reasons. A new light-filled state of the art library with great visibility, onsite parking, centrally located in the downtown business district immediately extends the downtown hub adjacent to the Piazza and the Pavilion. This new library will provide expanded services to our citizens while lowering building and operating costs. This also allows the existing library building over the river to be re-purposed as an environmental center, giving Renton two fantastic assets for just slightly more than the cost of one extensive remodel to the existing library. Being centrally located the new library would open onto the Farmers Market, downtown festivals, car shows, Renton Art Walk and other great community events. Patrons can easily walk to and take advantage of Renton’s nearby downtown businesses. The library also becomes a key component to redevelopment of the downtown.
The clear choice for the new library providing the highest level of service with minimal investment is the new library location west of the Piazza Park. Please vote for the Piazza Park Library that will serve our community and future generations for the next 50 years.

Rebuttal to statement in favor of “Over the Cedar River”:

The West Piazza Library (15,000 Feet) and existing library (22,500 Feet) total 37,000 feet for little more than the costly, complex remodel of the old building, likely subject to cost overruns. Costs to repurpose for a non-library use are significantly less. This is nearly TWICE as much area and avoids a minimum two year closure. The library professionals of KCLS have designed an exceptional Piazza library. Vote for the right location: West of Piazza Park.

Rebuttal to statement in favor of “West of the Piazza”

Don’t be misled again. Libraries don’t drive commerce. Downtown revitalization deserves effective solutions. Moving our library isn’t the answer. The opposition wants you to believe you can have two buildings for one price, but it’s impossible. The city doesn’t have, $5-10 million to repurpose the existing library as an environmental center, nor millions more each year for operating costs. Moving the library would mean more taxes and less library. Vote for the Cedar River Library.

Posted in Library

Remodeling of Cedar River Library was presented by city as an option before and after KCLS annexation election

May16
2012 Written by Randy Corman

In my previous blog entry about the library, I explored the often-repeated myth that voters in the February 2010 KCLS annexation election knowingly voted to move the downtown library. In that blog entry, I covered the fact that the Renton Reporter, our only local newspaper at the time of the election, never ran a single story that indicated that a vote for KCLS was a vote to move the library– and in fact they implied the opposite in one of their editorials a week before the election.

In this blog entry, I simply want to document that the city information to the public has always presented the remodeling of the Cedar River Library as a viable option for meeting the needs of KCLS. Consider this presentation to the City Council Committee of the Whole in May 2011, fifteen months after the KCLS annexation election. Clearly, the city was continuing to consider the Cedar River location viable. KCLS representatives even participated in the presentation of these site options at the May 2011 council meeting.

Here is an excerpt:

Note that the first site option for the downtown library is the “Existing Library.” Since the city and KCLS were obviously still discussing site options fifteen months AFTER the KCLS election, and the existing site was on the list of options, there is simply no way that anyone can support a claim that voters knew they were choosing to move the downtown library when they cast a vote to join KCLS. No one could have “known” such a thing, because the council had not made the decision.

(The council, not the voting citizens, made the decision on the proposed library location in a 4-to-3 split vote, on June 21 2011–16 months after the KCLS annexation election)

Posted in Library

I’ll be blogging regularly to ensure readers get accurate, complete information about the Aug 7 Library election

May12
2012 Written by Randy Corman

All of us in city leadership roles, including council members, the mayor, city staff, chamber of commerce staff, partner jurisdictions, and newspaper editors share a common goal to keep our city prospering and our citizens working together. This is as true with our libraries as with anything else.

Often it works best to put controversial decisions behind us quickly, and move on. This approach can minimize times of conflict and keep things moving forward. This works well when everyone agrees that we reviewed all the information before we made a decision.

But powering ahead will not work when large groups of decision-makers feel they have not been given relevant information, or not consulted at all. This is why we find ourselves driving up on an August 7 library election. This is also why it is desperately important for citizens to have access to accurate, complete information before voting.

In yesterday’s Renton Reporter, the editor offered to help provide this information, and “to clear up any half-truths and untruths” regarding the library. I commend the editor for this, but I also issue him the challenge to truly investigate the issues.

The Renton Reporter has not had a perfect track record informing voters about this issue. For instance, three recent Renton Reporter editorials have claimed that voters have already made the informed decision to relocate the downtown library. Here are some quotes: (March 22, 2012) ” majority rules…the city administration was then obligated, legally, to carry out the public’s wishes and negotiate… the details of building two new libraries in new locations.”; (April 6, 2012) “We would argue that the public’s voice was heard two years ago, when a majority of voters decided to annex to KCLS, knowing that new libraries were on the horizon.“; (April 19, 2012) “The Renton Reporter has argued that the City of Renton and the King County Library System had already signed a contract to build a new library somewhere other than over the Cedar River. The plan was clear in election literature and in all the documents approved by the City Council”

But with all these bold (and controversial) assertions that voters two years ago clearly knew they were voting to close the Cedar River Library, had the Renton Reporter ever actually informed voters that a vote for KCLS was a vote for closing Cedar River library in 2010? No. The Reporter instead informed the public there might be a single new library, in the highlands, that the public would get to vote on. Here is an excerpt from the Renton Reporter editorial of January 27, 2010 a week prior to the KCLS annexation: “Renton residents will have some local control over whether the city builds a new library, perhaps in the Highlands, if and when a levy to do so is placed on the ballot. That’s a glimmer of local control, although the building would belong to KCLS.” Beyond this editorial, there were four special reports on the KCLS annexation issue, which you can find linked here; in these reports, the Renton Reporter never once mentioned that the Cedar River Library would be subject to closure with annexation to KCLS. Yet this possibility of closure is obviously an issue of paramount importance to thousands of trusting citizens.

In fairness to the Renton Reporter, I don’t think they knew anything different at the time. But this is an example of where the public needs to see some digging and investigative reporting before they make their decision in the upcoming August 7, 2012 election.

The last 20 percent of the city’s explanatory statement for the August 7 ballot is dedicated to re-purposing issues that go along with the library choices. These (admittedly incomplete) plans require “additional undetermined funding”. If the Piazza library site is chosen, this additional undetermined funding would be three to ten million dollars of one-time money, plus another million or two annually, for maintenance and operation of the Cedar River library building. The newspaper owes it to the readers to make an effort to scope this funding, and not simply refer to the Piazza site as the least expensive one.

As a council member, I am glad this is going to the voters for a decision, and I am happy to implement either location choice. While I prefer the Cedar River Library, I can see why some others like the Piazza location. My real concern is that everyone has the information they need for an informed choice and that they understand what they are signing up for. With less than 90 days before the ballots must be returned, there is no time to lose in terms of getting information out there.

For this reason, I’m going to post some blogs on this topic with the facts as I personally know them, and I’ll ask readers to give them peer review by affirming or challenging them in my comment section. I will be sharing opinions too, and trying to remain disciplined about keeping facts and opinions separated– please feel free to agree or disagree with these opinions. As long as there is a public airing of all the issues, I’ll be pleased with the election outcome. I am confident that this is a feeling city-wide.

Please let me know if there are any specific topics you would like to see covered.

Posted in Library

Beautiful Honey Creek trail in Renton Highlands

Apr25
2012 Written by Randy Corman

My wife Cathy and our mustang Zeus on the Honey Creek trail in Renton Highlands

On our sunny spring days, like we enjoyed last weekend, the Northwest can seem like the Garden of Eden. I only have to walk a few blocks from my house to reach a well-maintained trail that meanders along Honey Creek, through a quiet, steep valley deeply shaded by fern-covered trees. Simple old wooden bridges enable the trail to criss-cross over the creek below, keeping hikers (and bikers and horse-back riders) feeling close to the flowing water.

I’ve been enjoying these trails with my family for 26 years, and they have changed very little over the years. The City of Renton does a great job of maintaining them (in part because of utilities buried in the trails). When guests visit from out of town, if the weather is at all permitting, I take them down the Honey Creek trail. Anyone who wants to experience it can find it by parking on the street near Kennydale Memorial Hall, where Edmonds Ave. NE meets NE 27th Street. Walk eastward down the hill and enjoy the paved trail that used to be “Devils Elbow Road”. As the road crosses May Creek, at the bottom of the Elbow, walkers and bikers can access the Honey Creek trail which is finished with compacted gravel.

A maple tree adorned by ferns leans over Honey Creek in Renton Highlands

Posted in Bike Trails

Renton Council approves library ballot title; still working on voters pamphlet explanatory statement

Apr25
2012 Written by Randy Corman

This evening I wrote a blog entry in the Renton Patch which explained where the City Council is in the process of putting the downtown library location on the August 7 ballot. You can read the article by clicking here.

Here is the ballot title we approved on Monday:

Posted in Library

Library location ballot title is being drafted; cost figures still being heavily debated

Apr15
2012 Written by Randy Corman

On Friday I posted the following on Renton Patch in an effort to give as many people as possible an opportunity to participate in the development of the downtown library location ballot wording:

The Renton City Attorney’s Office has published a memo with a proposed library ballot title for council to consider on Monday. Council President Rich Zwicker wants the public to have a chance to review this proposal and make comment before council discusses at our Monday night meeting. Here is a link to this memo.

In addition, Mayor Law has published a memo with an explanation of the cost approach used to evaluate the costs of renovating the existing library. Here is a link to this memo.

I would encourage citizens with an interest in the ballot title wording to review these two memos, and email your comments to the city council at the city website here

_________________________________________

Late Friday afternoon the Renton Reporter ran a story on the topic, which can be found here

While I am glad that Renton Reporter ran a story on this topic to get the word out, I did feel compelled to comment on the story’s headline which read: “Cost estimates show Piazza library downtown is less costly.” Here is the comment I left on the story:

Comment from Renton Councilman Randy Corman:

I feel that the headline is misleading as it currently reads: “Piazza library downtown is less costly.” This headline gives the false impression that because I am a council member who favors keeping the library over the Cedar River, then I am trying to spend MORE money than my council colleagues who wish to move the library to the Piazza. But as an earlier commenter pointed out, construction of the Piazza library would also include remodeling and re-purposing of the existing library, which has not been accounted for in the cost figures. Given no other data, it is reasonable to assume that this remodeling for another purpose would be similar to the cost of remodeling the building as a library. For instance, the cost estimates of roughly half a million dollars for roofing, half a million for new plumbing, half a million for electrical, etc would not change if we did something else with the building.

Hence, this is a more accurate full accounting of the costs:

Library move to Big 5 costs:
New building costs: $9,337,159.
Costs to repurpose CR bldg: $10.1MM.
Total costs to tax payers: $19.4MM.

Remodel existing bldg: $10.1MM.
Temp relocation: $400M.
Total: $10.5MM

It is significantly less costly to the tax payers to keep the library at it’s present location. Put another way, the Piazza library will cost the taxpayers almost twice as much money.

As a final note, I think if we built the new highlands library first — nearly tripling it’s size– we could avoid temporarily relocating the downtown library during construction– we could simply close it temporarily. This would save another $400,000 with the remodeling option.

I don’t normally do my debating in the newspaper comment section, but I just do not want the public to get the false impression that remodeling the Cedar River library is the expensive option, or that I am being careless with their money just to preserve a beloved library building.

(End of newspaper comment)

_________________________________________________________

As a final note, the city has been receiving Freedom of Information requests for library cost and remodeling data, and my understanding is that our City Clerk is working to provide the requested data and get as much data posted to the city’s website as quickly as possible.

Posted in Library

Renton starting to do what we do best… working together to find our way

Apr03
2012 Written by Randy Corman

It’s been a turbulent twenty-four hours for everyone involved in the Renton libraries. Last night’s council meeting comprised two hours of testimony and council deliberations, ending in a 3 to 4 council split. I was in the minority, while the majority voted to take no action on the citizen library petition. The complete story on the debate can be found in Renton Patch here and Renton Reporter here.

But before the council chambers cleared, there were conciliatory overtures and mutual expressions of desire to resolve this– no one felt comfortable with so much division in our community. And by this afternoon Mayor Law was working with KCLS, city officials, and councilmembers to find a way to put the location of the library on the ballot.

I’m relieved to see us all pulling in the same direction again, and I know other Renton officials feel the same. We are an amazingly effective community when we are all working together– our Renton citizen/business/government collaborations and partnerships are the envy of the region.

So I’m hopeful and appreciative tonight. I’m also inspired by the people in our community, who were eloquent, informative, and even poetic in the council meeting, and made me proud to live in Renton.

When we start to look towards a vote on the library location, we should also consider options for improving our downtown. If you have not read it yet, I described work in my hometown in this blog here. Perhaps we can find a way to take some similar steps in downtown Renton.

All of your ideas are appreciated. Thanks again everyone.

Posted in Library

I believe Council must either adopt the library petitioner’s proposed ordinance, or send it to the ballot

Mar30
2012 Written by Randy Corman

First, two quick disclaimers: (1) my preference would be to keep the downtown library over the river (as I explained here ), so I carry a bias; (2) I am not a lawyer, so I read and understand laws the way a typical legislator or citizen reads them– And I can not give legal advice.

Now, on to my understanding of the current library situation.

Fifteen percent of Renton’s registered voters have signed a petition asking for an election to decide the location of the downtown library. The County auditor has verified the signatures, and the petition now is now going to come back to Renton City Council for action. With such a petition, we are ordinarily supposed to send it to the ballot for a vote of the people, or adopt the ordinance the petition calls for.

The Renton City Attorney and an attorney hired by the Petitioners are battling one another over the constitutionality of the ordinance proposed by the petition (see their conflicting memos near the bottom of this entry). The City Administration has suggested that the City Attorney’s doubts about the wording are a reason for the council to not send the petition to the ballot. But it seems clear to me that the constitutionality of the petition is an issue for the courts to decide, not the city council. The RCW (state law) tells me (as councilmember) to do as follows:

____________________________________

RCW 35A.11.100
Initiative and referendum — Exercise of powers.

Except as provided in RCW 35A.11.090, and except that the number of registered voters needed to sign a petition for initiative or referendum shall be fifteen percent of the total number of names of persons listed as registered voters within the city on the day of the last preceding city general election, the powers of initiative and referendum in noncharter code cities shall be exercised in the manner set forth for the commission form of government in RCW 35.17.240 through 35.17.360, as now or hereafter amended.

[1973 1st ex.s. c 81 § 3.]

RCW 35.17.260
Legislative — Ordinances by initiative petition.

Ordinances may be initiated by petition of registered voters of the city filed with the commission. If the petition accompanying the proposed ordinance is signed by the registered voters in the city equal in number to twenty-five percent of the votes cast for all candidates for mayor at the last preceding city election (Randy’s note: this is 15 percent of registered voters in a code-city such as Renton…see above), and if it contains a request that, unless passed by the commission, the ordinance be submitted to a vote of the registered voters of the city, the commission shall either:

(1) Pass the proposed ordinance without alteration within twenty days after the county auditor’s certificate of sufficiency has been received by the commission; or

(2) Immediately after the county auditor’s certificate of sufficiency for the petition is received, cause to be called a special election to be held on the next election date, as provided in *RCW 29.13.020, that occurs not less than forty-five days thereafter, for submission of the proposed ordinance without alteration, to a vote of the people unless a general election will occur within ninety days, in which event submission must be made on the general election ballot.

[1996 c 286 § 4; 1965 c 7 §35.17.260 . Prior: 1911 c 116 § 21, part; RRS § 9110, part.]

_______________________________

I don’t see anything which tells me to make a ruling on the constitutionality of the wording of the ordinance in the petition. As far as I can tell, such judicial-style rulings are neither a state-granted power of the council nor an area of expertise of the council.

If we do not put the petitioner’s requested ordinance on the ballot, or adopt an ordinance as requested by the petitioners, the RCW spells out a remedy for the citizens as follows:

________________________________________

RCW 35.17.290
Legislative — Initiative petition — Appeal to court.

If the clerk finds the petition insufficient or if the commission refuses either to pass an initiative ordinance or order an election thereon, any taxpayer may commence an action in the superior court against the city and procure a decree ordering an election to be held in the city for the purpose of voting upon the proposed ordinance if the court finds the petition to be sufficient.

_______________________________________________________________________

In summary, regardless of how one feels about the library location or the wording of the petition, I don’t see any place in the RCW that instructs council to arbitrarily decide not to either hold the election or adopt an ordinance because we don’t like or agree with the petition wording. Like we’ve frequently seen in state-wide initiatives, the constitutionality of the wording would normally be decided by a court (if there is still a dispute) AFTER the election, and only if the ballot measure prevails. Our only decision as a council is whether to adopt the petitioner’s proposed action, or forward it to the ballot.

Here is the Renton City Attorney’s memo:
Cityattoneymemo

Here is the memo from the Petitioner’s attorney:
cedarriverlibraryattorney

If any of you readers see this differently (including you attorneys out there), please let me know. Thanks, Randy

Posted in Library

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Nov24
2011 Written by Randy Corman

Happy Thanksgiving Renton!

I love this picture of my Mother (far right in blue) and her family during a Thanksgiving celebration around 1955. I had to say goodbye to my mother this year, but I am forever thankful for the five decades of love and support she gave me.

There are so many blessings in our lives that I’m glad we take a day each year to pause and appreciate them. I hope you are all enjoying family, friends and treasured memories on this Thanksgiving day.

(By the way, while the above photo was shot in Oklahoma, there are a couple of Renton connections in it. My Mom’s brother Ken, seated at the end of the table, is a current Renton resident; and the photo hanging on the wall at the right is of humorist Will Rogers, who is one of the two men we have named our Renton Seaplane base after.)

Posted in Uncategorized

West Hill annexation options threatened by Governor’s budget ax

Nov06
2011 Written by Randy Corman

Many West Hill residents were hoping to get a chance to vote early next year on annexing to Renton. While some West Hill residents have expressed interest in staying in unincorporated King County and others have expressed a wish that Seattle would annex them, there are a large number that have been expressing desire to annex to Renton. (The West Hill is in Renton’s potential annexation area, so it would take pro-active actions from multiple jurisdictions to bring about an annexation of West Hill to any other city. )

Renton Council has previously expressed tentative support of holding an annexation election (with a 5 to 2 council split), with the intent that IF residents of West Hill expressed a majority interest in annexing, Renton would make a final review of whether we could make the annexation work financially. The financial determination would be heavily dependent on an annexation funding sales tax “rebate” from Washington State, which was set up a few years ago specifically to enable cities to close the budget gap when annexing unincorporated urban areas.

But last week, Governor Gregoire revealed that she may propose eliminating this annexation funding. If she did, the budget gap for a West Hill annexation would grow from about ten million dollars over ten years (depending on the assumptions used) to about thirty million dollars over ten years– a gap I predict is too wide for a majority of Renton Councilmembers to accept.

In other words, if Governor Gregoire persuades the legislature to cut this funding, Renton could not afford to annex West Hill.

Here is an article with more information on this topic, as it relates to the city of Burien.

Posted in Uncategorized

FAA building sold to new leasing company, but FAA plans to stay put for 4-6 more years

Nov02
2011 Written by Randy Corman

Renton is very fortunate to have the Northwest Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters in our city. They are one of our largest and most stable providers of family-wage jobs, and they help keep us a major center of aerospace activity. People fly in from all over the northwest to meet with FAA officials, and they often stay in our hotels and eat at our restaurants when they visit.

The FAA had been looking to move to a larger facility than their office on Lind Ave, but they have temporarily tabled their plans due to economic considerations. We were working on finding them a new site in Renton in the event that they moved, but we could not be certain they would stay in town. So their choice to stay in their existing Lind Avenue facility until at least 2015 gives us some certainty that we will keep these jobs in town.

Here is more detail in the Seattle Times.

Posted in Uncategorized

Renton Trick-or-Treat began this weekend in downtown Renton and at the Landing

Oct30
2011 Written by Randy Corman


This weekend kids enjoyed an old-fashioned Halloween Party in downtown Renton, and a trick-or-treating afternoon at the Landing.

Our daughter Katie and her husband were greeting trick-or-treaters at “Eyes on the Landing,” and we stopped in to see the festivities. A highlight for us was seeing our new grand-daughter Carolyn participate, even though she is only seven months old. She’s going to be an early walker.

The event at the Landing attracted many more visitors than last year, easily numbering in the hundreds. Here are some pictures.
Seven-month-old Carolyn trick-or-treats for the first time as she chooses a piece of candy from the treasure chest in front of “Eyes on the Landing”
Crowds of trick-or-treaters helped crowd the sidewalks and stores at the Landing this afternoon

Posted in The Landing

I enthusiastically support Ed Prince, Don Persson, and Greg Taylor for Renton City Council

Oct26
2011 Written by Randy Corman

As a reminder, I’m encouraging Renton voters to choose Ed Prince, Don Persson, and Greg Taylor for Renton City Council.


Ed Prince and I in front of my home this afternoon.

Ed Prince is a leader who has served as Planning Commission Chair, helped found “the Next Curve” service organization, and has helped build our community in many other ways. He has been endorsed by six Renton council-members, the mayor, numerous other elected officials, and countless Renton residents. I’ve known Ed for many years through his active community participation, and I’m looking forward to serving with him on council. His complete bio, positions, and endorsements can be found at his website here.

Don Persson is an outstanding councilman– so outstanding in fact, that I readily accepted the honor of serving as his campaign manager. Don has been serving Renton citizens for four decades, first as a police officer, then as deputy police chief, and for the last 12 years as a creative and committed council-member. Don has had a major positive impact on public safety, transportation, and careful oversight of the budget during his three terms on council. He has been widely endorsed by public officials and citizens. He takes his legislative responsibilities seriously while remaining fun-loving and engaged everywhere in town, and has barbecued for most of the residents in the city at one time or another. You can find out more about Don Persson from his website here.

Greg Taylor is running for his second term, and has easily earned the privilege to represent all of us again. Greg carefully studies all the issues before us, and prepares thoroughly for all of our meetings and workshops. He is extremely sensitive to community needs and he is an elegant spokesperson for those facing challenges. I’ve been very impressed by his work in his first term, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him better. He has a long history of community service in Renton, and great financial experience in the banking industry. Like Don Persson and Ed Prince, he has received countless endorsements from citizens and officials in our area. Please read more about Greg Taylor by clicking here.

Please consider voting for the above candidates for Renton City Council. They will keep our city in great shape, and give all residents fair and knowledgeable representation.

Posted in Uncategorized

Want to thrive in Renton? Eat your fruits and vegetables.

Oct23
2011 Written by Randy Corman


Cathy and I enjoy excellent vegetarian food at Renton’s newest restaurant, Blossom Vegetarian.

In a very positive trend, Americans are starting to become focused again on healthy eating. Several documentaries have come out in recent years covering the many positive impacts of a proper diet and the negative consequences of too much junk food.

My favorite recent documentary on healthy eating is the inspiring story of Joe Cross, an Australian who dramatically lost his excess weight and eliminated the need for medicine to control an auto-immune disease by increasing his fruits and vegetables consumption. By eating fruits and vegetables, primarily in the form of juices in his case, he eliminated his hunger for less-healthy processed foods. In filming his story, he caught the interest of others who were suffering from obesity and illness, and they too had their lives transformed by changing to a diet high in fruits and vegetables. The documentary, called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” is available at Amazon.com, and averaged five stars (the highest possible) by the 99 people that have left reviews. I encourage you to read the user comments about this video on Amazon.com here. This is an enjoyable film that everyone should see. It is also available on streaming Netflix (so Netflix subscibers can watch it for free).

Joe Cross, the star and producer of this incredible documentary is speaking at our Renton Community Center tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM. You can get in for five dollars. I am going to try to make it after the council meeting, if there is still room. (I’ll be arriving late).

In keeping with this trend toward healthy eating, Renton now has a restaurant that specializes in providing delicious vegetarian cuisine. “Blossom Vegetarian” is now open on 305 Burnett Ave, in downtown Renton. I attended the Grand Opening celebration last week, and I found the food to be amazing. The restaurant is the latest offering by one of Renton’s premier restaurateurs, Gene Sens.

As Joe Cross discusses in his film, the average American diet includes only about five percent fruits and vegetables. But humans thrive when we eat about 80 percent or more fruits and vegetables. I’ve increased my fruit and vegetable consumption dramatically in the last few months, and I’ve been very happy with the way it makes me feel.

Here are a few pictures from Blossom’s Grand Opening last week.

Above, Blossom Vegetarian restaurateur Gene Sens holds our granddaughter Carolyn at the restaurant grand opening celebration.

Posted in Uncategorized

Renton School District test scores improving thanks to collaboration across many fronts

Oct21
2011 Written by Randy Corman

Congratulations to the students, teachers, parents, and leaders in the Renton School District. And a big thank you to their many supporters in the Renton community as well, which pretty much includes everyone. Test scores are on the rise in our school district, and we have all the ingredients to see them go much higher. Renton has well-educated citizens, and has many high-tech and professional jobs. We host the headquarters of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Our school district can and should be tops in the state. Our school and community leaders know this, and everyone is making a major push to enhance the district’s performance. Our School Superintendent and our School Board have provided us new ideas and great leadership. Our representatives in Olympia have rallied for Renton education under leadership of 41st District State Representative Marcie Maxwell, a former Renton School Board member herself. And Renton businesses have challenged one another to give deeply to the Renton School district, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for valuable programs. Citizens challenged one another as well, and have donated many thousands of dollars to support student, build new programs, and keep existing assets such as the pools at Hazen and Lindbergh. I’m grateful to everyone who has contributed to our district’s successes and improvements, and I’m proud to be part of Renton.

Here is some more information in the Renton Patch.

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About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and five grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 17 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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