• Age: 67

• Marital status: Married

• Children: Four, 10 grandchildren

• Education: Bachelors degree, Business, University of Washington

• Occupation: Consultant, Human Resources and Organization Development

• Campaign Web site: none

• Campaign e-mail: Pat@thevaches.com

• What are the three biggest challenges facing the City of Redmond in 2010?

The biggest challenge facing Redmond is to maintain the community’s character while continuing to develop and grow. It is a challenge primarily because Redmond does not have a monolithic character – it is many things to many different people.

Recently, the Council has had the opportunity to interview numerous candidates for Boards and Commissions. I have talked with even more citizens and have heard over and over again, “I choose to live in Redmond because I like Redmond and what Redmond is.” The follow-up answer to the follow-up question is generally a somewhat different version of what Redmond is. To me, personally, Redmond is the best of all worlds as a small city with a hometown feel and yet a diverse population spanning at least 31 different languages giving Redmond a major city dynamic.

For Redmond to grow while maintaining its home town feeling, we must accomplish several important tasks.

We must insure the economic vitality of Redmond for future generations. In order to insure a sustainable economy, we will need to make certain that we attract and maintain a diverse economic base. As the worldwide economy continues its rapid change, we must be mindful that we are participants in a global economy, and seek out opportunities to continue Redmond’s reach. Encouraging a strong diverse economic base means that we need to continue the growth of Redmond as a place to shop and visit. In 2009, Redmond began the development of an Economic Vitality initiative. Our task now will turn to completing the actions that will be identified in the soon-to-be released report.

We must insure that our transportation system becomes as diverse and technically savvy as our citizens. We can develop a transportation system that works 1) by cultivating differing modes of travel, 2) by insuring that citizens have good transportation choices, 3) by providing opportunities for people to live near their work and play, and 4) by insisting that our travel be smoothly integrated in a regional system.

To be the (best) hometown that we can be, we must pay attention to the human side. Today our town, like so many across the nation, is facing the twin challenges of unaffordable housing and a scarcity of human social services. While the city government is not a provider of either, our decisions can strongly influence the housing and human services. By using appropriate zoning code, developing efficient permitting systems, and by participating in regional housing efforts, the City can do its part in developing an affordable and diverse supply of housing.