On Oct. 20, as I was working in my yard, I was approached by Ms. Sally J. Chen, who is running for Redmond City Council position 4 in opposition to Kimberly Allen.

I was very impressed with Ms. Chen and her positions regarding city government. She is a very passionate fiscal conservative who believes that taxes are excessive and that our money is often being spent and possibly wasted when it should not be. She has spent time attending council meetings to witness the fact that it often seems all too easy for the current council to make new expenditures without first determining if such expenditures are absolutely necessary.

She appears to support slow, smart, well-planned downtown growth and the protection of our local neighborhoods from excessive change as well as from those who might cause harm. She believes in proper representation of the community, a balance of priorities for citizens and businesses, effective transportation solutions and the preservation of our parks and local environment.

Ms. Chen’s personality is warm and outgoing but strong and positive which will facilitate her ability to get things done.

Ms. Chen was born in Taiwan but her family moved to the US when she was an infant and she has worked to become a legal U.S. citizen in the proper way. She is proud of being an American and has a strong sense of community. In my view, she is the kind of citizen that we need more of in our country and in our community. Ms. Chen has demonstrated her commitment to helping the community in that she has volunteered a great deal for the Lake Washington School District and is a very active participant in Countywide Community Forums.

To me, Ms. Chen represents an opportunity to have a fresh look from an energetic, smart person who genuinely wants to try to make a difference and to work in the interest of the individual. Redmond has grown in ways that I do not care for. Growth promises have been broken and in my view this is an opportunity for a fresh look.

Robert Chamberlin, Redmond