Editor’s note: Maple Valley Mayor Noel Gerken submitted this letter following the Monday meeting when he was elected to the seat by the City Council.

Welcome to the first meeting of the new City Council. Thank you for attending and witnessing your local government in action. Your participation is essential to good government.

This is an exciting and historical time in Maple Valley. A new council is seated, which will soon have three new members and has new leadership.

It is a watershed moment.

It also provides opportunity for a new direction. I believe this council will forge a new direction, a direction that reflects the desires and needs of our residents.

I believe this council is passionate about Maple Valley and will look to the future, respect the past and attend to the present as we govern. We will continue to improve your city government. I hope to see change in the following areas:

• Pro-active governance, we can be more pro-active, which includes understanding and anticipating the needs of our citizens and businesses.

• Transparency and accountability, these are the foundations of democracy. They are essential to good governance.

• Televised council meetings – which I support, and the council will consider later this year – would help to get more folks involved in their local government.

• Community outreach, we will strive to represent all residents equally and fairly and will improve outreach to residents, businesses and property owners and work with them to build consensus and support on key issues.

• Forward-thinking planning – planning our future is critical to our long-term success. In the next two years we will continue working and hopefully complete planning for the Donut Hole, The Four Corners sub-area, the Brandt property and the Hayes Pit site. We expect to begin planning for the north sub-area and a new City Hall on the Legacy site. These planning actions are critical to our future and will help shape the city for future generations.

• Efficiency – we will work to make your city government more efficient. We will work collaboratively with the city manager and his staff, our professional experts, to identify and implement improved processes.

• Regional, state and national engagement – we will actively seek and obtain county, state and federal funding for important projects. Serving on regional committees helps this process. I hope we can increase our presence on regional committees.

• Partnering with private, public, government, and non-profit organizations – we can provide infrastructure and services more efficiently with smart partnering. The souteast King County commuter rail study group, which partners Maple Valley, Covington and Black Diamond, as an outstanding example. Developing City Hall on the Legacy site will likely require a public-private partnership.

These are the areas I hope for progress in the next two years.

Noel Gerken

Maple Valley mayor