On Jan 3, Redmond Mayor John Marchione announced that he will not seek re-election later this year.
The three-term mayor took office in 2008 and was immediately challenged by a major recession and an affordable housing crisis. During this period of economic instability, Marchione created balanced budgets and earned the city a financial rating of AAA from Standard and Poor’s, according to a city of Redmond press release.
“This is a good time for me, professionally and personally, to pass the baton to the next elected official who will run the city,” Marchione said in the release. “The city’s successes abound — new and improved parks, roads, trails, housing and community events. In 2023, Sound Transit light rail service will connect our residents and employees to the region. Now it is time for the city to engage the community in conversations to build Redmond’s 2050 vision and Comprehensive Plan to manage growth over the coming decades.”
According to the release, Marchione’s accomplishments include building Fire Station No. 17; extending Bear Creek Parkway, 161st Avenue Northeast and 164th Avenue Northeast; transforming downtown into a walkable neighborhood; and moving Bear Creek further away from State Route 520 to enhance fish habitat and control stormwater flows.
Regionally, Marchione served in many leadership roles. He served as chair of the Cascade Water Alliance from 2012-15 and president of the Puget Sound Regional Council from 2015-17, the release states. He participated actively in the Sound Cities Association, taking a turn as president of the board in 2014. He has been a Sound Transit board member since 2008, served as vice chair from 2017-18 and will be chair in 2019.
In addition, Marchione served as a member of the Medic One/EMS Levy Reauthorization Advisory Task Force, the release states. Statewide, he convened technology cities throughout Washington to form the Washington Tech Cities Coalition (WTC2). Nationally, Marchione served on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Infrastructure Financing for Cities Task Force.
“At the end of my term in December, I will have served 12 years as mayor. I love the job. No two days play out the same. I enjoy meeting a variety of people and working on challenging issues,” Marchione said in the release. “I am looking forward to new opportunities and challenges in my career. I am eager to explore where my career will go next.”
Marchione is committed to keeping Redmond and the region moving forward in 2019, the release states. The city will work on enhancing environmental sustainability, upgrading and maintaining the physical and IT assets and preparing for the arrival of light rail to Overlake in 2023 and Downtown Redmond in 2024.
