For City Council Candidate Ramiro Valderrama, Goal is to Build Partnerships With Residents

For Ramiro Valderrama, working in more than 70 countries is an asset in his candidacy for the .

Another strength that he said he brings to his campaign is serving as spokesman for Citizens for Sammamish. It is a group of residents that studies local policy issues, debates their merits and makes their concerns known to elected leaders and other residents.

In the - the graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point faces , a psychologist, and , a technology executive.

All three are vying for , which Councilwoman Nancy Whitten holds. She is running for Position No. 2 in this year's election.

Valderrama "is committed to preserving the quality of life, especially as our city and state face economic challenges and cutbacks that will require us to prioritize our needs and to make sound choices," according to his campaign statement.

He is banking on his corporate roles with , KPMG, Oracle and SAP to help determine city policy priorities - should he be elected to the City Council. Also in his experience: Participating in U.S. programs to support the development of governments around the world.

Since 2004, he and his family - his wife and four children - have lived in Sammamish. In his role with Citizens for Sammamish, he and other group members have examined the issues of community services, finance, , critical area ordinances and transportation.

"The city needs representatives who will not only listen and understand critical issues, they also need to be able to work with and balance opposing views and competing demands," Valderrama said in his campaign statement.

He hopes his international business experience, work with Citizens for Sammamish and his overall background will help build better relationships with residents in the city.

"Ramiro's vision for the future is to continue to build partnerships between our citizens and city government that will lead to more effective and transparent decision making and a culture of accountability in how resources are used," according to his campaign statement.

"He will work to help the city prioritize and rationalize services to ensure that our citizens are effectively served now and into the future."

Editor's note: To learn more about the candidates, read one-on-one Sammamish Patch interviews with each candidate: , and . Valderrama's full campaign statement is attached to this story as a PDF. You also can go directly to each candidate's campaign website. Valderrama's campaign website is www.valderrama4council.com. Wasnick's campaign website is www.wasnickforsammamish.org. To learn more about Galvin, visit www.voteforgalvin.com. Primary ballots need to be postmarked or turned in at designated locations by Tuesday, Aug. 16.