Brad’s claim: Penny is selling Kirkland to the highest Bidder
Penny’s Response:  I hate negative politics. However, I am also willing to defend myself from lies when they are directed at me. I am running for Kirkland City Council because I have a deep and abiding commitment to our community and the people who live here and I will serve with intelligence and integrity.

Earlier in this campaign I was slammed with a negative blog intended to tarnish both my own and my husband’s name. I was able to divert damage by simply sharing the truth.

Now my opponent has chosen to imply that I would put the interests of developers or casinos or realtors ahead of the best interests for Kirkland. That is simply ridiculous.

I have received donations from those organizations and from hundreds of individuals and businesses as well. But there are no strings attached. I would never “sell” a decision or a vote.  I have the support of so many diverse organizations and individuals because I am balanced, reasonable and demonstrate common sense. This is the kind of representation we need on our city council.

Brad’s claim:  Penny will build high rises on Kirkland’s waterfront and turn Kirkland in Bellevue.
Penny’s Response:  I believe we need to clearly define the limits on building heights in our downtown and then partner with land owners and developers in achieving a beautiful downtown through redevelopment and restoration. Having owned a business in downtown for 25 years, I know the charm the scale and feel that our downtown can achieve. I’m not interested in having a store in a Bellevue style downtown. If I did I would have moved to Bellevue, having been recruited to do so more than once. However, a look at our downtown from the water is not so charming. We have dilapidated backs of buildings in need of restoration. There is zoning in place now that limits heights along our water front to a maximum of two stories and I support that restriction.have a deep and abiding commitment to our community. I am a passionate advocate for small, locally owned, family businesses in our neighborhood business districts where I have owned and operated my own business with my husband for over 25 years.

I believe living and working in a community implies a commitment to stewardship, something I take very seriously. I have been actively involved in issues, events and projects that impact our businesses, neighborhoods and the whole community since Larry and I made the decision to live here.

Brads Claim: He brings up a discredited attack blog from two weeks ago and continues to misrepresent.
Penny’s Response: In his interview with the Kirkland Reporter (October 22, 2009) my opponent, Brad Larssen, references an anonymously posted malicious blog that I now must assume he was involved in creating. Please see the blog and my response as reported in Kirkland Views. The intent was clearly to damage the reputation my husband and I have worked for 25 years in Kirkland to create.

My first experience with Brad was when I ran for city council in 2007. He was on the endorsement interview team for the 45th District Democrats. He proceeded to interview me despite the fact that he had already publically endorsed my opponent. He didn’t have the character or the courage to either excuse himself or make me aware of his predetermination. I found out immediately after the interview when my opponent’s literature was distributed at a 45th District Democrat’s meeting with Brand’s endorsement prominently featured.

At the October 20, 2009 city council meeting when the question of propriety in the selection of an attorney for an investigation of a council member was raised, Brad Larssen was shown to have full knowledge of the relationship that existed between the 45th District Democrats, members of the Kirkland City Council and that attorney. A person/candidate with integrity would recognized the obvious conflict of interest that existed and should have asked his supporters on the Kirkland City Council to choose another attorney.

Brad has stated that I will turn Kirkland into Bellevue. He has stated that I want to build high rises along the waterfront in downtown Kirkland and cites campaign donations from property owners and developers as proof. He has gone door to door disparaging me with misinformation and attempting to scare people into voting for him. I have clearly stated my position on downtown development, and frankly neither I nor my supporters have any interest in a “Bellevuesque” Kirkland. It’s simply a bad idea.

Someone with his professed political experience (experience about which he has never been specific) would never have done these things unless that experience was as malignant as the approach he is using in this campaign.

Someone with integrity would never have done and said these things. What our council needs right now, more than anything are members who actually have integrity.

This is the kind of cheap political hackery that we unfortunately have come to expect in larger scale partisan races but would never have imagined in Kirkland. It makes sad.

Article / Kirkland Views: In the City of Kirkland, politics has Become a Bloodsport