Annexation to Bellevue finally makes sense

Published 9:33 am Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I see the powers that be in Bellevue are building momentum for annexation of Eastgate and I believe this time the city will succeed. Frankly, it should succeed. The time has come and it makes more sense to be part of Bellevue than a pocket of county surrounded by Bellevue. But I also believe the voters should go into our new status well informed.

The reasons for opposing annexation in the past need not be rehashed, except to say that they had nothing to do with not wanting to pay our “fair share” of the city’s debts. Last time around, we refused to assume any portion of the city’s debt that was incurred while we were unrepresented in the decisions and our neighborhoods did not benefit from the city’s then-projects.

The City of Bellevue does not have the best track record in taking annexed areas to its bosom. Just ask the folks who agreed to annexation on the condition of creation of an East Bellevue Council with input into land use issues. The City Council betrayed those people’s trust, campaigning shamelessly to marginalize and finally dissolve this representative body.

Please excuse me if this land owner doesn’t thank the city for its largesse in taking us on at a loss. It’s true the tax base in this pocket of residential zoning will not support itself if considered in isolation. But this is because the city previously annexed the commercial areas in Factoria and Eastgate Plaza that should be considered organic to the Eastgate Addition. The absence of a sufficiently robust tax base led to us abandoning an attempt at independent incorporation some years ago. And the shape and content of this pocket as a tax entity was Bellevue’s doing.

I’ve lived at a Bellevue address for an aggregate of 33 years, first in Lake Hills and now in Eastgate. It was a wonderful area to grow up in the 50s and 60s and an equally fine place to raise my own children. My wife and I welcome annexation and would gladly sign the petition. I look forward after all this time living at Bellevue to finally live in Bellevue.

But the folks who haven’t lived here most of their lives should go into this with their eyes open. They should understand that, just like any other communities, there are up and down sides to being part of the City of Bellevue. And one down side is the condescension displayed by the City Council and others toward the non-wealthy areas like Eastgate.

Michael McDermott, Bellevue