2023 Sammamish City Council election guide
In the upcoming general election on Nov. 7, eight candidates are contesting four available seats on Sammamish City Council.
Uma Coimbature is challenging incumbent Roisin O’Farrell for Position No. 2. First-time candidates Sid Gupta and Pamela Randolph are vying for Position No. 3. Incumbent Kent Treen is facing off against newcomer Kerry Bosworth for Position No. 4. Josh Amato, in his second bid, is looking to unseat current Councilmember Pam Stuart in the race for Position No. 6.
The Sammamish Independent has published profiles of each candidate, with the exception of Treen, who declined to be interviewed.
Six of the candidates participated in the Sammamish Independent candidate forum on Oct. 16. Uma Coimbature and Kent Treen declined to participate.
Position No. 2
Uma Coimbature
Uma Coimbature has been an active volunteer in the community for organizations such as Eastside Baby Corner and Sammamish Stewards.
She is running for office for the first-time. If elected, she plans to educate herself on the issues facing Sammamish as well as strategies that council can implement to improve transparency. She believes that adding and maintaining trails in Sammamish parks will advance the city’s tourism appeal. According to her website, additional issues she plans to prioritize include protecting the environment, reducing crime, helping marginalized communities, and advocating for light rail access.
Sammamish Independent profile: Coimbature aims to learn more if elected to city council
Recent coverage: Coimbature tests voter tolerance by running city council campaign from India
Website: voteumasammamish.org
Contact: umacoim@gmail.com
Roisin O’Farrell
Having been appointed to a vacant council seat in 2022, Roisin O’Farrell is seeking a full term.
She wants to improve the city’s mental health support infrastructure by providing an accessible list of mental health resources to the public.
To promote youth community involvement, O’Farrell wants to introduce teens to local jobs and volunteer opportunities. She suggests the city should organize biannual job and volunteer fairs that target youth.
O’Farrell also wants to improve the visibility of local businesses by establishing a business directory. This would help local residents find and support local businesses more easily, especially for businesses that do not have a storefront.
Sammamish Independent profile: O’Farrell highlights her community advocate role in council bid
Website: electofarrellforcouncil.com
Contact: electofarrell@gmail.com
Position No. 3
Sid Gupta
Sid Gupta has long been involved in the city’s environmental efforts, volunteering for restoration projects as a native plant steward. He currently serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Climate and fiscal responsibility are top priorities in his campaign.
Gupta wants to expand environmentally-friendly multimodal transport, such as walking and biking trail connections. He also wants to build upon the Urban Forest Management Plan and the upcoming Climate Action Plan through raising public awareness for ongoing conservation efforts, so that the public can continue to keep the council accountable for achieving its environmental goals.
Gupta hopes to create alternate sources of tax revenue for the city to reduce reliance on property taxes. His ideas include pursuing grants more aggressively and taking out loans to fund major capital projects if interest rates eventually come down.
Sammamish Independent profile: Gupta seeks transition from environmental volunteerism to council seat
Website: sidforsammamish.com
Contact: electsidgupta@gmail.com
Pamela Randolph
After a long career in the public sector, Pamela Randolph is now seeking a city council seat for the first time. She is concerned about the city’s deficit, but also concerned about the rising cost of housing and property taxes. Describing herself as fiscally conservative, she plans to focus on achieving budget savings, rather than increasing revenue sources.
According to her website, she wants to develop a prioritized spending matrix and increase the reserve to 25% until six months of operating expenses are saved.
Randolph’s other priorities include supporting local busineses, public safety and planned development. According to her website, she wants to ensure the reliability of emergency services and participate in Neighborhood Watch programs to promote safety. While acknowledging the need to accommodate growth, she also believes that development should be limited to areas that do not harm lakes and streams.
Sammamish Independent profile: Council candidate Randolph wants to make some budget cuts
Website: electpamelarandolph.com
Contact: electpamelarandolph@gmail.com
Position No. 4
Kerry Bosworth
A former HOA board volunteer and current member of Sammamish’s Planning Commission, Kerry Bosworth is a first-time candidate for public office. As an avid viewer of city council meetings for the past three years, she said she chose to run against Kent Treen in order to restore a more respectful dialogue on the council.
Bosworth’s priorities include diverse and affordable housing, economic development, and the environment.
Bosworth believes the establishment of the Sammamish Town Center is critical for generating more revenue to help the city balance its budget. Although Sammamish can legally increase its share of property taxes by 1% each year, she does not believe raising property taxes is the best option for homeowners.
Sammamish Independent profile: Bosworth wants to keep the peace on Sammamish City Council
Website: electkerrybosworth.com
Contact: electkerrybosworth@madroneonthehill.com
Kent Treen
Kent Treen is seeking re-election. According to his website, his priorities include environmental protection, limiting growth, and reducing commute times.
As to reasons why people should vote for him, Treen cites his record of restoring fish passages for Kokanee salmon, establishing restoration of wildlife projects, completing the Issaquah-Fall City road improvement project, and opposing the Transportation Improvement Plan.
Recently, Treen, along with several former council members, were accused in a lawsuit of using private messaging apps to discuss city business and failing to turn over those messages to the city as public records.
Treen declined the Sammamish Independent’s request for an interview.
Recent coverage: Treen coordinated city business with others by using private messaging apps
Website: re-electkenttreen.com
Contact: kent.treen@mail.com
Position No. 6
Josh Amato
Josh Amato has been an active member of the community as a local business owner, president of the Rotary Club of Sammamish, and a former planning commissioner. In his second bid for city council, his top priority is to develop a fiscally responsible budget.
Amato wants to improve the efficiency of the budget, and suggests the city should implement a performance-based budget. Amato also supports road projects that increase capacity and connectivity to accommodate for the city’s growth.
Amato aims to implement a “Buy Local” program to increase the visibility of local businesses, and build a digital platform that publicizes local businesses to residents. He also proposes the creation of a city-funded thrift shop to generate revenue for youth and senior programs.
Sammamish Independent profile: In second bid for council, Amato focuses on fiscal responsibility
Website: joshforsammamish.com
Contact: josh@joshforsammamish.com
Pam Stuart
Having served on city council since 2018, Pam Stuart is seeking re-election on a platform of fiscal and environmental sustainability.
To support the city’s target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 96% by 2050, Stuart wants to implement climate change educational programs, increase sustainable building practices, and influence commercial buildings to adopt more sustainable elements in their design. Stuart also wants to include more community transit options such as metro bus service and light rail connections in the city’s future transportation master plan.
Stuart supports the city’s new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) plan for staff, and wants to implement a community-wide DEIB plan. This would include more diverse housing options, and translating city hall’s content into multiple languages.
Stuart wants to address the city’s forecasted budget gap by utilizing alternative revenue streams instead of raising property taxes. She supports the development of the town center, which would generate additional sales tax revenue and provide residents with more services.
Sammamish Independent profile: Stuart focuses on sustainability, diversity, expanding tax base in re-election bid
Website: electpamstuart.com
Contact: ElectPamStuart@outlook.com
Correction: This article originally stated the city has a “current budget deficit,” which was not accurate. We have changed this to “forecasted budget gap” to reflect estimates that the City will have a negative general fund balance by 2028.
