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Adam Ragheb - Candidate for Mercer Island City Council Position 7
140 Plays1 month ago
In this episode of the Mercer Matters podcast, Ben interviews Adam Ragheb who is running for for Mercer Island City Council Position 7. In this discussion, we talk about issues facing Mercer Island residents including Proposition 1 for the construction of a new Public Safety and Maintenance Building, Adam's extensive experience on the planning commission, housing density on Mercer Island and his concerns about public safety on Mercer Island.
You can learn more about Adam Rahheb on his website https://www.adam-ragheb.com/
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Transcript
Introduction to Mercer Matters Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to this episode of the Mercer Matters podcast. I'm Ben Sharp and I'm your host. I started this podcast about two years ago to give Mercer Island residents another way to get information on local elections and bond measures.
00:00:16
Speaker
If you enjoy this podcast, I would appreciate it if you could like it on the platform that you're listening to and also share with your friends and family via social media. Without further ado, here is the next episode.
Meet Adam Raghebb: City Council Candidate
00:00:28
Speaker
Hi, everybody. Thank for tuning in to this episode of the Mercer Matters podcast. I'm Ben Sharp and your host for today's discussion with Adam Raghebb, candidate for Mercer Island City Council, position seven. Adam, I was going to ask you before I air it. Did I say your name right, by the way? Yes, you did.
00:00:42
Speaker
Got it correctly. Okay, good. Thank you. Good. That was a note that I had and I, okay, so I i got lucky. um So just a quick programming note, ah Julie Shea, I offered her an opportunity to be interviewed on the podcast and she declined. So for those of you out there that wanted to get her perspective as of this recording, ah she's declined.
Adam's Background and Motivation
00:01:01
Speaker
um So Adam, I'd like to start off just by thanking you for... stepping up and putting your name in the hat to run for city council. um It's a lot of effort to run for office. I'm sure you've got a day job and family and all that. So thank you for putting the the time in on behalf of all of us in the city and and also putting yourself out there for scrutiny and questioning from people like me. Of course. So really really appreciate that.
00:01:25
Speaker
The goal for today's discussion is to give Mercer Island voters an opportunity hear directly from you, get to know you a little bit more, how you think about different issues facing our city over the next couple of years. And so with that, I'd like to start by just having you kind of give an introduction of yourself, your background, and how your past experience makes you the best choice for the city council for ah for Mercer Island here.
00:01:45
Speaker
Sure. Sounds good. Thank you for the wonderful introduction, Ben. And thank you for having me on your podcast. Definitely stepping up what ended up being a ton of work, you know lots of time creating websites, walking around doorbelling. And I will say the one thing we have not been successful in yet, getting all three kids to look at the camera at the same time for a picture.
00:02:07
Speaker
So anyone yeah god know yeah that's alause anyone's got any suggestions on that, we're still looking to solve that problem. So yeah, my name is Adam Ragib. I'm running for Mercer Island City Council position seven.
00:02:18
Speaker
um As you mentioned, I do have a day job. I'm a senior systems engineer at Blue Origin, and i have a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois at Blue Origin.
00:02:29
Speaker
I deal with multiple space systems and I lead their model based systems engineering effort. And a key area of systems engineering is dealing with the interfaces between different things. And wellll we'll get to that later.
00:02:45
Speaker
little bit back about me. I'm originally from Champaign, Illinois, home of the University of Illinois, and I was raised by a university professor, my father, and a public school teacher, my mother. I'm married to my best friend, Isabel, who's she's a Rotarian, and she's devoted her career to higher education.
00:03:02
Speaker
So a lot a lot of teaching going on in our family. um Together, we're raising three children under five here on Mercer
Differences with Opponent Julie Shea
00:03:09
Speaker
Island. And we moved here for the schools, the sense of safety here, and the wonderful parks and open spaces we have.
00:03:16
Speaker
And that's that's what motivates me to run for office. um You can imagine with three kids under five, it's it's already a busy household. And then we both have full-time jobs on top of that. ah that should just Hopefully that conveys just how important my participating in in our local government is to our family.
00:03:34
Speaker
My day job involves analyzing complex technical data to prevent catastrophic failures, and I will continue to bring that same rigor and discipline to city government. My time on Planning Commission did end in December, um but in the nine months since then, I have remained an active public commenter to our Parks Commission, our Planning Commission, and to our City Council.
00:03:55
Speaker
And I actually found and reported two errors in proposed city code, one of which would have allowed emergency shelters island-wide, and the other would have allowed residential developments to possibly have no parking.
00:04:08
Speaker
That's the kind of careful oversight and attention to detail that I will bring to every decision on the City Council. A person very familiar with the Planning Commission meetings while I was on there said, you know, Adam, um you you always ask a lot of questions and it's clear you always do your homework.
00:04:24
Speaker
um While that may slow the meetings down, um that that was appreciated by that person. um So yeah, just wanted to mention that. I thought that was some really great
Challenges Facing Mercer Island
00:04:33
Speaker
feedback that I heard while while out campaigning.
00:04:37
Speaker
um My opponent and I agree on many topics, um supporting seniors, students, families, town center, and supporting the extremely important work of Mercer Island Youth and Family Services.
00:04:48
Speaker
ah but I think we differ in three key ways. First, I bring real city experience from my two and a half years on the Planning Commission. Going back to my day job, it demands precision, and I will work to catch unintended consequences before they become irreversible outcomes in the city.
00:05:05
Speaker
If elected, I'll bring that knowledge, focus, and attention to detail, and I will always be someone who reads the fine print, is not shy to ask questions, and will act decisively in the interest of our community.
00:05:18
Speaker
Second reason um where we differ is in my wanting to protect our single family neighborhoods. I will hold fast, hold firm on our design standards and it will not grant dense density bonuses in the residential areas for construction.
00:05:33
Speaker
My opponent has stated on her website she will balance affordability with character. I, however, will not accelerate changes that will crowd our streets, slow our emergency response, and further strain our town center parking.
00:05:47
Speaker
um We are compliant with the state law for middle housing, and we have no requirement to accelerate that process. I want to see that change happen organically and not be accelerated.
00:05:59
Speaker
um And then just, you know Mercer Island is our only home. um Third, I'll always keep safety first. um On my opponent's website, she said she will balance compassion with community safety.
00:06:12
Speaker
um I see that as something we've seen in some Seattle neighborhoods. Prior to moving to Mercer Island, we lived in Capitol Hill. So we have seen what it's like to live in a denser area and an area where community safety isn't a given.
00:06:26
Speaker
Compassion matters, but community safety is paramount. I'll support our police and I will stand firm against shelters and encampments to keep our parks, homes and businesses safe.
City Council Responsibilities and Public Safety
00:06:36
Speaker
um You know over the past four months, I've talked to hundreds of people at this point.
00:06:41
Speaker
And while we have some differences, what brings all of us Mercer Islanders together is that we love living on this island. And that's because of our neighborhoods, our parks, and our small town feel.
00:06:52
Speaker
And if elected, I will work tirelessly to support that. I have no interest in higher office. um you Even if I did, I wouldn't have the time for it. You know three kids under five.
00:07:03
Speaker
um My focus is solely on so serving Mercer Island families, including my own. and I'm honored to be here today. i hope to earn the vote of those listening, and I'm honored to be a candidate ah for city council here on Mercer Island. Thanks, Adam. Excellent overview and introduction. Thank you. I've generated a bunch of follow-up questions here for you, so here we go. um so I think the the first question I want to ask you, and I think for those of us who've seen your signs around the island, you know the little tab on top,
00:07:34
Speaker
ah highlights something different, you know depending on which sign you look at. And I think it gives us an idea of sort of where your priorities are and you laid some of those out. But I want to ask the first question, you know what are the biggest challenges that you see facing the city of Mercer Island over the next couple of years?
00:07:50
Speaker
Sure. Great question. Thanks for asking, Ben. um I see one challenge as just accommodating the large influx of rules and regulations that have come out of the state legislature in recent years, as well as regulations that have come as a result of the pandemic.
00:08:10
Speaker
um Our city council has been working tirelessly to get those into what we call temporary ordinances. um So that makes us compliant, but it's it's a stopgap measure. And in many cases, those temporary ordinances get renewed and renewed. Now, what needs to happen is those need to be turned into permanent code. They need to go through the public hearing process, lengthy legal review, and then put into permanent code.
00:08:37
Speaker
ah So I see that from a code perspective as a big task um that the city council will face over the next few years. Another one um you know relating also to code and comprehensive plan, right? i've got the I'm looking at this with a ah planning commission experience focus, um is in our comprehensive plan.
00:08:57
Speaker
So every 10 years, the city needs to rewrite its comprehensive plan. And I was a part of that on planning commission. Our city council reviewed that earlier this year and then um agreed on it.
00:09:08
Speaker
ah What happened since then is a lawsuit was brought against the city by FutureWise, alleging that there were many parts of the comprehensive plan that were non-compliant.
00:09:20
Speaker
A ruling came back and some of those were ruled non-compliant. ah So there is some work that our city council needs to do by the middle time ah period of next year, 2026. So that's another challenge.
00:09:33
Speaker
And then I think the third challenge is just maintaining our infrastructure. um
Vision for Mercer Island's Development
00:09:38
Speaker
We've seen it, and despite the fact that our city council has made large investments in our water infrastructure and our water reservoir, and we're still seeing you know pipes break here and there, little you know little emergencies here.
00:09:51
Speaker
um There's also issues with our sewer system that is likely ending it reaching end of life. And just the general maintenance of our in existing infrastructure. um So that's that's ah ah that's a big issue, I think, i mean because at the end of the day, you know that's that's what the city council needs to do. Make sure the city runs. um Make sure we can drive where we need to go.
00:10:13
Speaker
ah We can get water and we can give water back when we're done using it. And a lot of those systems are you know reaching their end of life. So they do need to be replaced in ah and renovated in a thoughtful manner.
00:10:28
Speaker
So thank you for that. So I have a question for you on, you know, you've mentioned several times um various ah regulations that are coming down from the state. You know, housing one is one that everyone's talking about and and specifically housing density. Can you give a little bit of background on the the state laws?
00:10:47
Speaker
And you mentioned that like Mercer Allen's already compliant with state law for middle housing. Can you expand on that? What does that mean for those of us who aren't aware of that? To the best of my knowledge, yes. So two big changes came into effect in the middle of this year.
00:11:01
Speaker
um Number one, we have to now allow, we used to pre prior to this this change, we used to allow one ADU, accessory dwelling unit, um per lot with up to an area, a square footage of 900 square feet.
00:11:16
Speaker
um Now, state law mandates that we allow up to two ADUs with square footages up to 1,000 feet each. And that's that's something talking to people, um people people like that flexibility.
00:11:29
Speaker
um you know It allows people to have you know elderly parents nearby, maybe you know have a little little bit of privacy for them or you know kids coming back from college. So that's something i just want to be very clear about. I'm not opposed to it. I don't want to over constrain those ADUs because people people want them.
00:11:48
Speaker
um Another big housing one, which is probably what everyone's talking about more, is what they call the middle housing law. And that's what was imposed on our – so most of but prime most of Mercer Island is zoned single-family residential. It's ah our star zone with different lot sizes.
00:12:07
Speaker
where the only housing allowed uses are single-family homes. The new state law that came into effect that was well that was passed, I believe, in 2023, we had to be compliant with by the middle of this year. And that's what allows now, as an allowed use,
00:12:23
Speaker
duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, stacked flats, cottage housing, um and six of the nine middle housing types as defined by the state. ah So those are now allowed.
00:12:36
Speaker
And um you know that's the state law. That's what our temporary ordinance says until we can convert that into permanent code. And that's our current state. And so what's your position on that? is Is that something that's a good thing for the community or something that we need to sort of put the brakes on? um So I don't I don't I'm not here to try and slow it down.
00:12:58
Speaker
um Another piece of that state law is that we cannot make the development standards for that middle housing any tighter than it is for single family homes. um But what i advocate for is proceeding here with caution, not relaxing.
00:13:13
Speaker
our residential design standards to accelerate that change. that The change is happening, right? It's the law. I'm not here to say we should flaunt the law, but what I am saying is we shouldn't accelerate these changes. I mean, people move to Mercer Island for that island quality of life. um If we read our comprehensive plan, our residential community is designed, is is specified. It says Mercer Island is principally a single family residential community supported by healthy schools, religious institutions, and recreational clubs.
00:13:44
Speaker
um That's our comprehensive plan. That's the guiding vision for our city. um So accelerating those changes away from our the neighborhoods that we've all moved here for is not what I'm about.
00:13:56
Speaker
And Adam, what what would be some behaviors that you would deem is accelerating? like what So yeah, um loosening our residential design standards or adding density bonuses. So loosening residential design standards, that refers to you know our residential design standards consist of parking requirements, height limits, offsets between property lines, and lot coverage ah rules, as to name a few.
00:14:21
Speaker
um So ways that those would be loosened to accelerate the influx of denser housing would be, let's say yeah we loosen our parking regulations and say per unit of housing, you only need half a parking spot off street.
00:14:34
Speaker
That creates a problem. We're a suburb. People still drive. We don't have solid bus service around the island. So what's going to happen is people are just going to go park their cars on the street. And that erodes safety for pedestrians, children, bikers, anyone else using the street.
00:14:49
Speaker
um Other ones, lot coverage. you know Right now, I believe our limit is 40%. But one could loosen that requirement and say, hey, you can now go cover 70% of your lot with a structure, with impermeable surface.
00:15:00
Speaker
um but Once again, that gives us larger boxes. And from talking to people who've been here longer than I have, in the 2017-2018 timeframe, there was a significant rewrite of our residential design standards to combat the problem of massing in the residential areas.
00:15:18
Speaker
and massing refers to just big boxy homes. um So that was an issue less than 10 years ago. We adjusted our code to make the homes less boxy. um So i wouldn't I don't believe we'd want to see that. And the feedback from my all my doorbelling over the past four months is in line with that. Okay. That's that's super helpful. So the state law requires six of nine types of this housing, but what saying is we don't necessarily have to modify the existing code requirements to make those more accommodative.
00:15:50
Speaker
Exactly. we have no My understanding is we have no obligation to accelerate that change. We cannot make it tougher, but we need not accelerate it. Okay. That's very helpful. I learned learn quite a bit there. Thank you.
00:16:04
Speaker
um So ah my my next question is, how do how do you view – what's your job or role as as city council member? what What are the primary responsibilities you have?
00:16:15
Speaker
I think ah as a city council member, I mean, it's it's keeping the city running, right? um you know Looking at their their agendas. Yeah. A lot of it's kind of boring stuff, right? Signing accounts receivable, recognizing members of our community for exceptional contributions, um you know just managing the city, right? they at They give direction to our city manager, who's essentially the CEO of the city, and she directs all of the city employees. Right.
00:16:44
Speaker
And I also see broader, I see the city council's role as focusing on local issues where we can make the most difference, not to make comments on things happening, you know, across the world or, you know, across the U.S., just to focus on running the city, serving our residents and, you know, of course, adjusting to changes in the legislative environment and making sure that still reflects the needs of of Mercer Islanders.
00:17:12
Speaker
Okay. Awesome. Thank you. um So shifting gears a little bit, I want to ask you about the the new ah public maintenance facility that's going to be on the ballot. I just had a discussion with Mike Ciro.
00:17:25
Speaker
I'll be talking with Dave Rosenbaum um later, and we'll have two episodes later. from from each of them. But from your perspective, um do we need the the maintenance facility? Is it the right fit for the community? um And you know if if not or if so, what would you have done different if you were on the council?
00:17:45
Speaker
Sure. Just give a quick answer. um Yes, we absolutely need the facility. And i am from the data I have reviewed, I i believe it is well fit.
00:17:57
Speaker
Now for full transparency, um I do know that Mr. Ciro is you know one of the opposers of the bond and he is an endorser of me and we don't we don't see eye to eye on this issue and that's okay.
00:18:08
Speaker
We see eye eye on many other issues. um i'm a proud i'm proudly I'm proud to say I am listed as an endorser of Proposition 1. um I have had some discussions with ah city council members about
Impact of Light Rail on Safety
00:18:20
Speaker
it. um They've explained to me how they've come to those decisions and um yeah,
00:18:25
Speaker
I'm happy to go into some of the information that I have heard and that has helped to me make up my personal decision to support. yeah let's go there. Would you mind sharing you know what you see as the highlights and and why you're in favor of doing that?
00:18:38
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. um So my understanding is originally we needed to replace... both our city hall, right, which was end of life and asbestos was found in the HVAC system, and our public service and maintenance areas were also in dilapidated condition. um You know, cinder blocks, not not seismic seismically outfitted yet, small, lots of equipment being stored outdoors. um So my understanding is that this solves the problem.
00:19:07
Speaker
Originally, what I was told is that we were looking at two separate $100 million dollar bonds to get this problem to meet the needs of the city. um What has happened instead is that our city council purchased the property south of i Pediatrics, the old Yellowwood Academy, um for I believe $9 million dollars through eminent domain.
00:19:30
Speaker
And that is to serve as some of the house, you know to house some of our city employees, to create a sort of you know, campus with the proposed public service and maintenance facility.
00:19:40
Speaker
um once Once that was addressed, i think the estimated cost with the want-to-haves and the need-to-haves, I was told was in the $120, $130 million dollars range.
00:19:51
Speaker
And then, you know, a good belt tightening, you know fiscal responsibility was exercised. And a lot of the want-to-haves were removed. And that's what got us down from that $120, $130 down to, i believe it's million ask- Before interest.
00:20:07
Speaker
um Some of the important things I've heard about what what this new public service and maintenance facility will do for us is number one, it will put our police in a proper, you know, give them a proper headquarters.
00:20:21
Speaker
Right now they're in trailers. These are the people out every day out around Mercer Island keeping us safe. And they're in trailers. um I've heard also recently that it hurts with the accreditation of the police department.
00:20:33
Speaker
um They're anticipating if this drags on too long, we may have retention issues with our public so safety officers. And I also heard that because the police is are not able to be accredited, that there may be a negative impact on our home insurance values. Now, this is something I haven't double checked.
00:20:51
Speaker
um but it's something that I've heard. So once again, trying to be fully fully transparent, it's something I heard, but I have not verified yet. um Another great feature I think of it is it puts it puts a face back on the city to the people.
00:21:05
Speaker
um I mentioned earlier, I'm a systems engineer by trade and I look at interfaces and that is a key interface between the city and the residents.
00:21:15
Speaker
um you know That public facing desk for if you need a permit or you to ask a question of the city. um So I think getting that key interface back is essential. And the third one is um it puts a lot of our equipment and supplies undercover from the weather.
00:21:32
Speaker
I mentioned earlier, I grew up in central Illinois. My parents both grew up with farms in their family and we have some family farms back in Illinois and We have sheds for our equipment. Now, our equipment is nowhere near as expensive nor state-of-the-art as what our city has.
00:21:48
Speaker
But we have seen firsthand, you know if you leave equipment out in the weather, um it degrades quickly. So I think putting putting that equipment and those supplies undercover, like salt or sand in the winter, that's key. that's just that's just That's also fiscal responsibility. We've spent all this money on this equipment.
00:22:07
Speaker
We need to protect it from the elements to extend its life. All right. you know that's ah yeah ah Thank you for providing that summary. And I think it's helpful to kind of just get a peek into your brain a little bit about how you rationalize um yeah spending that kind of money and and what the pros and cons are. So thanks, Adam, for spending some time on that. course.
00:22:26
Speaker
um So or early in the discussion, you you highlighted ah two or three differences between you and your opponent, Julie Shea. i I was hoping that you could spend some time to articulate maybe more specifically on issues where you specifically disagree with her.
00:22:44
Speaker
you know You mentioned the the single family neighborhoods a bit, and then also the balance of compassion with with community safety. um so but But maybe there are others. But if you could spend some time on you know where you disagree, i think that would be really helpful for us.
00:22:59
Speaker
I think those are the key issues. I mean, the the key issues in general on Mercer Island are public safety parks and neighborhoods. And it seems like we have differences on two or three of those.
00:23:13
Speaker
um We perhaps may have different visions for our town center too. um I'm happy to talk about some of the things I would like to investigate for our town center. But I really think it boils down to, not i will i do not want to accelerate change in our neighborhoods, any of them.
00:23:30
Speaker
um And I will always put safety first. that's That's just non-compromisable. I come from the aerospace industry. That's the first thing. 90% safe is not good enough. yeah We're talking 99.9 and then some.
00:23:44
Speaker
what's your What's your viewpoint on on public safety today on Mercer Island? but where Where do you think we're at? I mean, I think we're in general good. There's always room for improvement. um Once again, going going back to my four months of community outreach doorbelling, um the biggest complaints were ah some Some parts of our city code have no teeth.
00:24:05
Speaker
ah Trees are getting removed and deer are eating eating um eating gardens and causing potential ah safety issues on the roads for people hitting them.
00:24:18
Speaker
Nobody has said they're worried about petty crime. Nobody has said they're worried about, um you know, finding needles in their yard or having to shoo people away from their property. So I consider that a win.
00:24:31
Speaker
um So I think we're in a pretty good state. um You know, we do have light rail coming. sometime in the future. And I sincerely hope that those fears are overblown. Yeah, that was on my list to talk to you about. so basically, the question is on the town center, what what's your viewpoint on the impact of public safety that the light rail may or may not have when it opens, if it opens? When it opens.
00:24:55
Speaker
and because Because the past two chiefs, the current chief and the previous chief, I spent time with them. both have expressed concerns um when that opens. Okay. Well, I would absolutely defer to their expertise more than my ah
Preserving Suburban Character and Development
00:25:08
Speaker
opinion. um you know they they They know that.
00:25:11
Speaker
area of city operations and issues much better than i um I. mean, I think at the end of the day, it will bring more people to our town center. um Hopefully that's good for businesses and retail.
00:25:24
Speaker
um But, you know, from a mathematical point of view, if we assume a constant rate of crime per persons, you know, you increase the number of persons, you're going to increase the incidence of ah safety related issues.
00:25:38
Speaker
um I think a key part to minimizing those effects is to not make it a destination. Um, one of, and this brings me to one of the toppers I've put recently on my signs. Um, my son and two young daughters, they love riding what they call the Bellevue train, right? We'll drive to the Bellevue park and ride, and we ride the train to Redmond and they they love that.
00:26:02
Speaker
And during one of our, One of our trips, I was talking to one of the security guards. um So these are security guards who work both the Bellevue to Redmond Spur as well as the the west of Lake Washington ones. And then, you know, it's a it's a reasonably easy you duty assignment when you're on the east side. um And one of the guys, yeah he did not know that we were from Mercer Island because he's like, oh, he said, oh, you know, as a security guard, I think all those people in Mercer Island are so, they're overly worried about what light rail will bring. And he said, what what really brings the the trouble that people typically associate with it is if there's a destination, like certain services or emergency shelters. And so that's why I've said
00:26:46
Speaker
And my opponent has matched me a few days later in saying, I do not support bringing low barrier shelters to the island. um if we create If those exist and those would like most likely exist in town center, that creates a pull for the bad actors that are associated with it, right? I mean, definitely people need shelter.
00:27:06
Speaker
They're going to come there, um but then you're going to have you know certain bad actors who are looking to profit off of those people being there and you know engage in a illegal activity. So I think if we can avoid creating a poll, that should significantly help.
00:27:22
Speaker
I've also heard that you know in anticipation of light rail, our police department did staff up an additional officer. um So technically we've been a little heavy on staffing. um So hopefully you know hopeful hopefully there you know hopefully that's overcompensating for what really happens. So I'm i'm i'm hopeful.
00:27:42
Speaker
right. Yeah. Thank thank you for for sharing your perspective on that. ah Personally, I'm excited to be able to take the light rail down to a ballgame. So, you know i think that'll be That'll be a big benefit. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I was focusing on impacts to public safety, but yeah absolutely, especially with World Cup coming next year, that's going to be a lot better than driving 10 minutes and parking a few hundred bucks probably for World Cup. Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, absolutely. there's There's many positives. to So sticking to the town center discussion, um you mentioned ah previously
00:28:16
Speaker
about your vision for the town center. Would you would you share what that is? um We always hear this revitalized town center. And you i did some, i like I like to read history, right? That's how we learn. Like, I want to learn more about how Mercer Island became what it is now.
00:28:30
Speaker
And I was reading Jane Brown's book and there was a chapter in the 90s where they were talking about, oh, we need to revitalize our town center. So that's been a topic for 35 years. um So perhaps this that will always be a topic.
00:28:43
Speaker
um At the end of the day, we are a sleepy suburb. um that's said That's why people move here, a sleepy suburb with great schools. um But I do have some ideas on i how I think we can help our town center, both short-term and long-term.
00:28:58
Speaker
In the short-term part, and once again, i'm I'm leveraging my experience from Planning Commission, it it It comes down to parking again. um I would love to see if the city can investigate the pros and cons of putting some street parking on 77th, east of Riot and west of the crawl space.
00:29:16
Speaker
you know We have personally experienced some issues with finding parking, and it seems like that might be a low-hanging fruit two that could be harvested in the near term. um So I'd like to do a study of the pros and cons of that.
00:29:28
Speaker
um Longer term, I would want to look at our city codes and ensure that any new developments have ample parking. um you know This is, again, in reference, this references to the the development that's going up in between Met Market and QFC.
00:29:42
Speaker
My understanding is that was built under an older code with less required parking. And even then, it didn't quite meet the parking requirements. And it has, from what I've heard, less than one stall of parking per apartment unit.
00:29:57
Speaker
That is not acceptable for a suburb. um and needs i mean It must have at least one. i mean Yes, light rail is coming, but not everybody has the privilege of being able to work in downtown Bellevue or downtown Seattle.
00:30:09
Speaker
I personally work down in Renton. and um you know i don't I can't afford to time-wise to spend two hours to take public transit to work. I have to drive. um so I would think many people still will have to drive even you know moving into future apartment developments.
00:30:26
Speaker
ah So that's definitely long-term. I want to make sure that future developments have ample parking because if they don't, that's not going to prevent people from having cars. All that's going to do is push that parking onto the streets.
00:30:37
Speaker
And then at the same time, taking away parking from our residents and hurting their ability to patronize our businesses. But it's also essentially subsidizing the development of those apartment buildings.
00:30:50
Speaker
And the who's who's subsidizing it? it's It's the residents of the city because- you know It's going onto those public roads that we pay for, and it's taking away our parking that allows us to patronize our businesses.
00:31:02
Speaker
There's some great stuff. Another thing I mentioned on my handouts while doorbelling is I would love to see how we can adjust our city code to encourage the reuse of existing buildings.
00:31:13
Speaker
I think Macrina, the crawl space, and Katanda are amazing examples of that. right These are older buildings um you know that have I guess, serve their purpose. And now new new businesses are injecting excitement and, well, revitalizing the area.
00:31:33
Speaker
um And that's great ah because, number one, that allows them to be, in some cases, to be you more of a a local business as opposed to a franchised business, right? Because the other alternative is demolishing these old buildings and and rebuilding new.
00:31:50
Speaker
And rebuilding new, new construction will always be more expensive. um So the rents would be much more expensive, and perhaps then those business clay cases aren't able to close.
00:32:01
Speaker
So I would absolutely want to see if we can encourage the reuse of existing buildings. um And that's also greener, right? Manufacturing concrete is extremely carbon intensive. You create all the waste of the old building structure.
00:32:13
Speaker
Let's be green, reuse what we have. For restaurants specifically, you know I've been an advocate of parking requirements, both for new development in in the town center, as well as in our residential zones.
00:32:24
Speaker
But perhaps in this one case, to encourage restaurants, perhaps we could look at Do a pros and cons study again of can we reduce the requirements for a restaurant coming into an existing building in terms of parking?
00:32:39
Speaker
um I've heard from someone much more knowledgeable than me on that topic that it's those parking requirements that many times kill the business case for bringing in a restaurant into an existing building.
Evaluating Town Center Projects
00:32:52
Speaker
That's very helpful. I'm curious, in terms of character of the town center, you know you mentioned reusing the existing buildings versus the new ones. But you know clearly, the you know the housing with retail below and and and parking versus the the walk-up, park-out-front style buildings, the older buildings, what do you prefer in terms of character moving forward? Because i know a lot of people have comments either way and thoughts either way, but what how do you envision Mercer Island looking in 10 or 20 years?
00:33:20
Speaker
mean, I guess i I don't really have a personal preference, to be honest. um Definitely, i like the small town feel of the the older buildings, the walk up. But at the same time, I mean, you know, it's it's nice to see perhaps more retail square footage in the newer developments.
00:33:36
Speaker
Yeah. Definitely, if we're building newer developments and they end up becoming taller ah because of some of our growth mandates, um I absolutely would want to see you know ample public spaces, you know ample areas for walkability and bikeability, and and step backs so that we don't have like a seven-story flat-face building.
00:33:59
Speaker
you know As the building goes taller, it gets narrower. So we're getting still getting sunlight down at the road and sidewalk level. Okay. yeah that totally Totally fair. Thank you for your thoughts on that question.
00:34:12
Speaker
I'm going to list a couple of projects that either I've seen or or people you know mentioned to me in conversation. I want to kind of get your thought on them and kind of generally the the direction gone with some of these decisions. So the city put a park in at Island Crest Way in Southeast Florida. I think it's called Cozy Park that experienced some turbulism turbulence with vandalism.
00:34:31
Speaker
made up a new word there, Turbulism. Initial turbulence with vandalism. I like it, strategery. um I wanted to talk to you about a couple of projects um that but the city's, you know, decisions city has made and kind of get your perspective on that going forward. Is that something you would support or or do a little differently? um So we we put a park in at Island Crest Way in Southeast 40th, and it's called the Cozy Park.
00:34:53
Speaker
You know, I personally, I don't think I've ever seen anyone there. We converted the Tully's building that sat empty for a very long time into a parking lot. And then, you know, we recently, an ordinance was passed making most of the town center two-hour parking.
00:35:06
Speaker
So three, you know, three decisions that, you have been made money been spent in in some cases, not in others. But on those on those three issues, you know, do you agree with kind of where the money was spent and the decision made or would you have done something differently? um So i'm I'm not aware of all the details that went into the decisions. um But from what I am aware of, they they seem reasonable.
00:35:29
Speaker
And I'll say reasonable. As I said, big asterisk. I don't know all of the details. As relates to Cozy Park, my understanding is that there was a trouble troublesome house there. um you know There were some unpermitted renovations going on It's a tough area, a high traffic area for going in and out of a driveway.
00:35:49
Speaker
um And actually, i remember we looked at that house at one point um prior to it becoming troublesome and we had issues driving in and out. So I can understand from a safety point of view why it's preferable to not have a house there.
00:36:01
Speaker
um I have heard some of the reasons behind that were sight lines, which kind of makes sense to me too. And I also heard that there was some sound transit money available in a form of, you know, sort of use it or lose it kind of view. um So if if that indeed was correct, what I heard, i mean, yeah, we might as well use that money that's available and use it to provide at least some benefit to the city.
00:36:25
Speaker
I guess it is an open area, but yeah, I haven't seen that area used much Yeah. um As regards the Tully site, I think my understanding of that is, once again, i had heard that there was that that also involved perhaps some sound transit, use it or lose it type of money.
00:36:41
Speaker
um So once again, you know, adding parking in town center on paper should be helpful to help businesses around there. I know there's a a Boba tea area walkable from from that site that I have.
00:36:52
Speaker
Gone parked in that lot and then grabbed some boba tea. Great. ah Because on 27th, I don't think there is parallel street parking. So that helps you know provide some public parking there. um I do know that there were some concerns expressed by some residents about that that was taking away some nice park or open space. um So, you know, pros and cons of it.
00:37:13
Speaker
um In terms of the two-hour parking in the town center, um I actually provided public comment to the city council on that um in favor of that. um you know It was mentioned that many of the other surrounding east side cities have similar policies where you don't need an app. right I think it was council member Weinberg who said parking needs to be easy, and I absolutely agree with him. um they so They cited the elderly or people without smartphones and I would add myself. I'm neither of those, but I have a very old smartphone and I don't want to clog it with a parking app. I just want to park.
00:37:50
Speaker
um So, yeah, I like that they went to ah solution that's easy, doesn't require an app. And I think that two hour parking is just that that just matches everywhere else. um My wife and I were visiting friends.
00:38:02
Speaker
in the Cordelene area as I was writing up that public comment to the city council. And, you know, I was at the library in downtown Cordelene and I look up and, Hey, they've also got two hour free street parking, um, in their town center area, uh, with retail. So it just seems it's matching, matching all the other areas and matching a standard.
00:38:23
Speaker
So that, yeah, that makes sense to me. And I think, yeah, what we don't want is for cars to be able to be parked, the entire day there because that really ends up becoming apartment overflow parking um for you know apartment buildings that perhaps do not have proper amounts of parking.
00:38:39
Speaker
Thanks for the comment. That's very helpful to get your perspective on random items that I threw at you there. Thanks for handling that off the cuff. I appreciate it.
Community Freedoms and Fireworks Ban
00:38:49
Speaker
Of course. So moving on, I had another question that's more of philosophical in nature.
00:38:54
Speaker
i think it was ah two years ago, ah the city temporarily banned fireworks on the 4th of July. And then that turned into more of a, it was a permanent ban. I remember I asked Jake Jacobson at the time you know about that. And he said, well, no one's going to enforce it anyway. you know That was his response to me.
00:39:14
Speaker
And I think for me, I was sort of like, well, that's kind of a bummer, right? I mean, that it's something that people have enjoyed doing for years. I'm not aware of any fire that you know was a result of fireworks.
00:39:26
Speaker
I could understand a temporary ban in a particularly dry time of year, which I believe it was. And we also had the water shortage issue. Yeah, that's what I recall. I think it caused concern, yeah. Yeah.
00:39:38
Speaker
But now it's a permanent ban. Talking with other friends, you know I'm not the only one that is concerned about this. and And really, the philosophical question I have for you is, you know that ban took away the rights of Mercer Island residents be able to light off fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July.
00:39:56
Speaker
um It may seem petty or or not important to some, but you know that was something that right that we had that is now gone. Philosophically, is that something that you support as you know being a reasonable restriction for public safety?
00:40:11
Speaker
Or is that something that you know maybe doesn't make sense and should be relooked at? I will be completely honest here. As as a data-driven person, i don't think I have enough data on the issue too formulate an intelligent opinion.
00:40:26
Speaker
um yeah i like is it Interesting piece of data you mentioned is that you said you're not aware of any fires on Mercer Island from fireworks. that's That would be an important piece of info in making that decision.
00:40:38
Speaker
um I have seen you know along the highways in Seattle during some Fourth of July evenings, um some fireworks or not some some you know some grass fires along the highway. But once again, that's one person's experience.
00:40:53
Speaker
um Also, growing up in in Central Illinois and Champaign, fireworks were always banned. um so i don't you know I haven't come from an area where where that was you know the norm, um lighting off fireworks without with, you know, and being in full compliance with city ordinances. So i I just don't know. But you definitely raise a good point. That might be something to look at.
00:41:20
Speaker
I recall, I think I watched part of that city council meeting and, the you know, there was someone from, believe it would have been Eastside Fire at that by that point. that had spoken in favor of it i don't know what he said so i i just don't know but there are some interesting pieces of information that you mentioned then you know some anecdotal data that i've experienced Okay. fair Fair enough. Yeah. I appreciate that.
00:41:45
Speaker
Well, I you know i'd really appreciate our ah discussion today. youve I've learned a lot. You've shared a lot of great information. um To close, yeah I just want to give you an opportunity to kind of ah recap what we've discussed today and a final word to listeners. And then also please share um where people can go to learn more about you and your candidacy.
Commitment to Mercer Island and Campaign Info
00:42:06
Speaker
Sure.
00:42:07
Speaker
um so you i'm i'm a father of three kids under five um we have a busy household uh i've done two and a half years on the planning commission i enjoyed it i want to come back for more that's why i'm running um and it's really a team effort i mean when i'm out there doorbelling my wife is at home with the three kids three on one completely outnumbered um it's been a ton of work ah hopefully voters can understand that that's how That's how important it is for my wife and I that we're that we're running, that me running is that important that we have you know stretched ourselves thin for the past four months time-wise.
00:42:46
Speaker
um I always get goosebumps when we're driving past some of my signs and my my young kids sing, Daddy sign, Daddy sign. So like that that makes all that hard work worth it.
00:42:57
Speaker
I'm here to serve. And I would just ask voters, give me the chance to continue to serve you in an official capacity as a city council member. Going back to the highlights, my opponent and I, we both give back to the community. I've done so through planning commission in the past and she has done through so through ETA and um my experience however has been much more City Council adjacent so I can hit the ground running I'm the experienced candidate I can hit the ground running and I've already been solving problems with our city codes second I'm going back to what I've talked to people hundreds of people while doorbelling and going back to our the the city comprehensive
00:43:39
Speaker
plan's vision statement, I will protect our single family neighborhoods. My opponent will not. I will hold firm on our residential design standards. I will not grant bonuses for adding density in the residential zones.
00:43:52
Speaker
And my opponent has stated in writing on her website, she will balance affordability with character. Third, I will always keep safety first. That's the main reason we move. Well, one of the prime reasons we moved to Mercer Island.
00:44:05
Speaker
It's safe. It's a great place for families, for seniors, for young adults. um you know safety comes first, aerospace industry, and just my personal philosophy.
00:44:17
Speaker
My opponent has put in writing on her website, she will balance compassion with community safety. Compassion matters, but community safety is paramount. um So experience, neighborhoods, safety, that's that's where I set myself apart.
00:44:32
Speaker
Talk to hundreds of people at this point. We've all got differences, but once again, we all love living on this island and I want to keep it so that we all love to live here. Reserve our neighborhoods, parks, small town feel.
00:44:43
Speaker
You have my word here. I am not interested in higher office. um I'm focused solely on Mercer Island because that is our family's only home. And I want to help this community. Thanks, Adam. Where can folks go to find more information about you?
00:44:57
Speaker
Oh, yes. Thank you. um They can feel free to visit my website. It's www.adam-rogheb, R-A-G-H-E-B, like in boy.com.
00:45:09
Speaker
um There's a link to email me and I can, ah yeah, feel free to drop me an email. I'll answer emails generally after the kids are asleep. So reasonably late at night. All right, Adam. Hey, thank
Closing Remarks: Thanking Adam
00:45:19
Speaker
you very much for joining. I really enjoyed the discussion. Best of luck in your campaign. Yeah, well, thank you, Ben, for your time and for asking some good pointed questions.
00:45:27
Speaker
All right. We'll catch you all on the next one.