Welcome to Kirkland Views!

Posted by Rob Butcher on Monday, April 28, 2008, 16:37

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News, Information and Views on the City of Kirkland.

Recently, I was searching the web to find information about a development planned for downtown Kirkland. I visited the City’s Planning Commission and DRB websites, but I had neither the time nor desire to read through 300 page documents full of municipal code acronyms and other mumbo jumbo. I wanted to learn about the subject, not write a dissertation.

I also found community sites that had very different information. I quickly realized that in order to learn what was really taking place, I needed to invest a great deal of time in seeking out information and wading through a lot of baloney before I get to the core of the matter. I thought to myself, since I am looking this stuff up anyway, why not share what I find with others?

So, what started as a desire to learn more about one development has grown to become Kirkland Views - your online source for news and views on what’s happening in Kirkland (shameless plug). We plan to provide news, information and perspectives you wont find elsewhere.

When the public is uninformed (or misinformed), bad public policy is often adopted by the government. It is our responsibility as citizens to learn about the issues and speak out when we disagree with what is happening to our city. If we do not, we have only ourselves to blame. Here are a few thoughts on the subject of good governance that I find to be true:

citizen participation is necessary for good governance

the more information the public has available, the better

whenever in doubt, trust the people over the beaurocrats, the consultants or the special interest groups

closed doors should always be opened

if you wouldn’t like to see (fill in the blank with your hair-brained idea) published on these pages, then you probably shouldn’t be doing it

the government serves the people, not the other way around

Postings on these pages will vary in frequency, so do check back regularly (or you can subscribe by email here!). We will do our best to tackle the tough issues that you may not find in our local papers.

Please join us in the conversation and post your opinions and ideas. The information on these pages is meant to help inform you and your neighbors of the news and events that shape our city.

If you are still wondering what the heck this website is all about, mosey on over to our About page for a tad more information.

Thanks for visiting!

Cheers,

Rob Butcher

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