Lyndon Heywood

1. What area of Bellevue should the city focus more on and why?

For me, this election is all about communication. We can’t hold our city accountable for their actions when government transparency comes in the form of 600-page long budgets and a comprehensive plan that’s largely incomprehensible. The city website has become a black hole for outdated information, our open houses are – for many of us – closed and access to our government can be glacially slow and discourage any meaningful dialogue. Too often, dealing with our city is more painful than it is productive.

Unless we put some serious focus on this, Bellevue will never get the most out of our staff, our resources and our citizens.

2. What social services do you think are lacking in the city and how would you work to bring them here?

Bellevue doesn’t appear to be particularly lacking in social services. But of course, I only speak from my own perspective. It is important to ensure social services, whoever provides them, are affordable and accessible to all. When the city provides services alongside the private sector – kid’s programs for example – we should ensure the city uses its unique position to provide a competitive marketplace that keeps everyone’s prices realistic.

3. How has your involvement with the city prepared you to serve on the city council?

I am a Bellevue citizen who not only has applied to sit on city commissions, but also I’ve also applied to the city for building permits. I’ve driven, ridden and walked down Bellevue’s roads, jogged along our trails and chased burglars down my street whilst calling the police. I’ve played tennis at Robinswood, planted plants in city allotments and sent my kids to city summer camps. I’ve drunk Bellevue’s water from my faucet and I’ve watched it flush my toilet. I’ve applied to paint pictures on Bellevue’s ugliest concrete walls. I’ve eaten in our downtown restaurants, shopped in our neighborhood malls and drunk beer in our tucked away pubs. And whilst doing all this, I’ve been paying my share of taxes, charges and fees.

THIS is exactly how my involvement with the city has prepared me to serve on the City Council. It’s the viewpoint from which anyone should approach civic service – as an end user – and taking this perspective makes me as prepared as anyone can ever be.