John Galvin Enters City Council Race and Plans to Run Against Councilwoman Nancy Whitten

Editor's note: This story, originally published in May, is being reposted so that the Aug. 16 primary candidates are side by side.

Now, there are two.

Sammamish psychologist John Galvin entered the City Council race on Thursday, saying that he plans to run against incumbent Nancy Whitten.

His announcement follows Wednesday's news by that he also would like to be elected to the seven-member body. Vance has said he plans to seek the seat being vacated by Councilman .

In his announcement, Galvin said that he will make his final decision on whether to run in June. As of now, he is in the race against Whitten.

"She has served Sammamish for many years and all should be appreciative of her dedication," he said in an email.

"Nevertheless, I can ensure Councilmember Whitten that she will be engaged in a very energetic, issue focused election and that she will  have opportunities to demonstrate to citizens that she has the energy, commitment and vision to justify a third term in office."

Sammamish Patch has contacted Whitten for a comment. This story will be updated if she has thoughts about the election or Galvin's intention to run.

Galvin also blogs on Sammamish Patch and can continue to do so should he file formal papers with King County elections to be a candidate.

One of his concerns, which he outlined in a nine-page candidate statement, is the sustainability of Sammamish - something he questions. He also supports the city having an economic development plan.

"An unsustainable city economy means Sammamish will not be able to maintain parks, roads, and current levels of service," he said in his statement.

He also believes that if the city does not find new sources of public dollars, city services might need to be cut by 2014.

"A bedroom community without a diversified economic base with lower taxes is not sustainable and cannot provide a high level of services," he said in his statement.

He also voiced concern about the city possibly building a community center and using a utility tax to support it.

While the funding mechanism to support a possible community center will be debated in public, he wants to make sure that residents have the opportunity to make their concerns known about any tax.

He has lived in what is now Sammamish since 1997.

Editor's note: John Galvin's nine-page candidate statement is attached to give voters as much information as possible. He is running against Ramiro Valderrama and Jim Wasnick. To learn more about the candidates, read one-on-one Sammamish Patch interviews with each person: , and . 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.