Kirkland town hall meeting with Councilmembers Ferguson and Hague draws large crowd

February 2, 2012

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Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Bob Ferguson and Jane Hague met with more than 100 Kirkland community members at a town hall meeting at Finn Hill Junior High on Wednesday, February 1. The meeting was an opportunity to meet directly with and ask questions of the members who represent them on the King County Council.

“With the recent redrawing of the boundaries of County Council districts, I have the honor of now representing about 27,000 residents in Kirkland. This town hall meeting was a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with those constituents and learn more about their issues of concern,” said Councilmember Ferguson. “The turnout was great, and it was clear to me that residents are knowledgeable and care deeply about their community.”

“I was inspired last night by the large turnout of youth and their families, who were eager to discuss the issues that really matter to them,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague. “Kirkland is a great community to represent and I thought we had a really productive conversation.”

Councilmembers Ferguson and Hague now jointly represent Kirkland on the King County Council because of recently redrawn Council district boundaries. District boundaries are redrawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census to equalize population. Councilmembers Ferguson and Hague expressed their commitment to being accessible and responsive to the Kirkland community and encouraged residents to write or call with any questions.

Representatives from the City of Kirkland were also in attendance, including Councilmembers Dave Asher, Penny Sweet, Toby Nixon, and City Manager Kurt Triplett.

“It was great that the meeting was so well-attended and that residents were asking good questions,” said Kirkland City Councilmember Dave Asher. “I was pleased that Councilmember Ferguson co-hosted the meeting and to hear him say he would continue to be proactive in reaching out to the community.”

“We appreciated the opportunity to participate in introducing Councilmember Ferguson to the Finn Hill neighborhood,” said Kirkland City Councilmember Penny Sweet. “Our city council has worked with Councilmember Hague like a well-oiled machine for years, and the addition of Councilmember Ferguson will simply add another strong voice for Kirkland at the County.”

Ferguson, Hague, and city representatives answered questions from audience members about a wide range of issues, including Metro Transit, Big Finn Hill Park, flooding concerns near Totem Lake, and more.

At the end of the meeting, representatives from the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance (formerly the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance) surprised Councilmember Hague with a special recognition thanking her for her efforts as the area’s representative on the King County Council since 2001. Hague’s Council district changed with the recent redistricting, and Ferguson now represents the Finn Hill neighborhood.