Focus Letter

Dear Neighbors,
Where has this year gone? Didn’t we just ring in 2011? I know I’m not alone in feeling that the years are going by much too quickly. Even so, we at the City have accomplished much and look forward to more in 2012, Redmond’s Centennial year.

The City was founded on December 31, 1912. Back then, 300 pioneering loggers, farmers, merchants and businessmen shared a vision of creating a home for their families. To honor these brave pioneers and all those who have come after, the community is partnering with the City in planning many fun and informative celebrations throughout the year.

The centennial festivities began at this year’s Redmond Lights on Saturday, December 3. This winter festival is uniquely Redmond’s in celebrating our cultural diversity and our beautiful river landscape. This year it also served as the beginning of our Centennial celebrations for 2012.

Throughout 2012, community organizations and the City will host various events to tell the story of our city. The Redmond Historical Society is planning something special, as is the Redmond Library. Commemorative art will be installed and Derby Days will have a special “old-time” theme. All this will culminate at a community celebration on December 30, 2012 to officially “ring-in” our next century.

What Redmond is today is because of all who went before; what Redmond will be tomorrow is up to us. Our pioneering spirit remains strong in our fundamental values of working together to innovate and create a place we want to call home. As Mayor, I will continue to work with residents and businesses as we journey towards our vision for a city that is connected, vibrant and fiscally responsible.

One exciting move in this direction is the designation of Redmond as the state’s Interactive Media and Digital Arts Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ) by the Washington State Department of Commerce. The role of an IPZ is to connect public, private and education partners to create collaboration between research, workforce training, employers and entrepreneurs within a specific geographic area. The program’s goal is to lead to new technologies, marketable products, company formation, job creation and other economic opportunities.

Through this partnership with enterpriseSeattle, Microsoft, Redmond Economic Development Alliance, UW – Bothell and DigiPen Institute of Technology, Redmond will recruit new businesses, provide a supportive business environment with access to a trained workforce and support research and commercialization of technologies related to interactive media and digital arts.

I’d like to close with a thank you to the over 400 residents who participated on our citizen satisfaction survey (the results will be available early next year). Your thoughts provide a statistically valid sample of what all Redmond residents are thinking.

As always, please contact me with any questions, suggestions or issues at mayor@redmond.gov or 425-556-2101.

Sincerely,
John Marchione 
 

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Form of Government 

Redmond has a strong Mayor/Council, non-partisan form of government. Seven council members and the Mayor, all representing the community at large, are each elected directly by the people for staggered four-year terms. The City Council adopts the City budget, establishes law and policy, approves appropriations and contracts, levies taxes and grants franchises.