LFP GovWatch endorses Hammond for contested LFP City Council seat

The Lake Forest Park Government Watch organization has endorsed candidate David Hammond for the only contested seat on the LFP City Council.

Hammond, now a Lake Forest Park Water District commissioner, is running on the November 3 general-election ballot against retired University of Washington administrator Phillipa Kassover for Council Position 4, the position that Jeff Johnson is giving up to run for mayor.

Johnson is running unopposed to replace retiring Mayor Mary Jane Goss. Incumbent council members Tom French and Catherine Stanford also are running unopposed.

The group said October 1 that it endorsed Hammond following an extensive interview with its endorsement committee.

The group noted these factors in Hammond’s favor:

· Better prioritization of City funds, including the need for better management of capital funding.

· The need to implement a performance management and measurement process.

· Regional funding for Washington Highway 522: “Our city and its residents are facing several years of construction,” a GovWatch press release said. “He thinks it is critical to approach this issue as an opportunity.”

· The need for better communication among City Council, administration, and residents, and the need for greater transparency and accountability to LFP residents, as well as a process with greater resident input on City issues.

Hammond is an Air Force veteran, the holder of a degree in public administration and a former accountant with the state auditor’s office and the Washington State Ferry System. In 2010 he became director of internal audit at Sound Transit.

The organization’s press release said that the endorsement was unanimous.

LFP GovWatch calls itself a non-partisan group of LFP residents who are working for the benefit of all the citizens of Lake Forest Park. The group says that it is dedicated to ensuring that Lake Forest Park remains livable, affordable, and sustainable. It calls its mission to encourage, support, and promote a responsible and effective City government.

Ballots for the general election will be mailed Friday, October 16.