I am pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Maple Valley City Council. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Maple Valley during the past four years. While we have made a lot of progress in that time, there is still much more work to be done.

Our city still faces challenges with traffic problems, business development, youth involvement, and public safety. I have dedicated my time on the city council to solving these issues, and with your help, we can continue to make progress.

Traffic Problems:  Our neighboring city of Black Diamond is set to add around 6,000 houses in the next two decades, which will add over 10,000 more cars on our existing roads; many of which will travel through Maple Valley. Commute times have already increased recently, and we must plan now in order to head off a traffic crisis. I will continue to press for more funding from state and federal sources to widen roads, create bypasses, and reduce traffic congestion.

Business Development:  We must do a better job to partner with the business community, and make Maple Valley an attractive destination so we can improve our retail tax base. Currently, our city is still too dependent on building new houses to fund basic operations. A balanced approach is needed though, so we can keep the small-town feeling we have here, where everyone feels safe and wants to be involved in the community.

Public Safety:  Our police department recently acquired Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for several patrol vehicles, and they saved two lives in the City of Maple Valley. We must continue supporting our law enforcement and fire department by keeping them financially sound and continuing the high level of service we expect for our 24,000 citizens. Our city has been recognized several times as one of the safest cities in the State of Washington, and one of my top priorities is to keep it that way.

Youth Involvement:  I often hear young people say there is not enough to do in our city.  Our young people need more youth-oriented places to keep them busy and safe.  I voted to partner with King County Parks, the State of Washington and the Ravensdale Foundation to add two more sports fields to the Ravensdale Park. This partnership increased our available park facilities, and is a great first step in getting our youth involved in positive activities. We must continue to build partnerships with outside organizations to increase quality youth programs in our city.

I want to continue to serve our community as a Maple Valley City Council member because I see where we can greatly improve our performance in these and many other areas. As your council member, I will continue to work for the best interests of the entire community.  I would appreciate your vote on November 3, 2015.

Thank You

Sean P. Kelly