King County candidate filing week ended May 16 with more than two applicants in a race for the local Congressional representative.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-9th) seeks re-election against three challengers, one of which should be very familiar to Newcastle voters.

Former Newcastle resident Mark Greene, who last year unsuccessfully ran for Newcastle City Council, is one of the candidates who hope to unseat Smith. Greene now lives in Federal Way. Democrat Don Rivers and Republican Doug Basler also filed for the 9th Congressional seat.

In the state Legislature, Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-41st) will run for re-election against Alex O’Neil, who did not identify a party affiliation.

Rep. Tana Senn (D-41st) will seek to retain her seat against Republican Bill Stinson, of Bellevue. Senn, a Mercer Island City Councilwoman, was appointed to the seat in September, replacing Marcie Maxwell, who left to join Gov. Jay Inslee’s education team.

Stinson, a University of Washington political science student, will look to become one of the state’s youngest legislators ever.

Lastly, Newcastle resident Julia Garratt will run unopposed to maintain her spot on the King County Superior Court. Inslee appointed her to replace retiring judge Patricia Clark in October.

Puget Sound Energy’s proposal to replace the current 115 kV overhead power line with 230 kV lines on taller poles does not consider the negative impact on our community. Overhead power lines do not belong in residential areas for the following reasons:

•  Exposure to electromagnetic fields has been linked to increased rates of certain cancers, such as leukemia in children and cancers of the lymph and diseases of central nervous systems in adults.
• Inhaling charged particles/pollutants around power lines has been linked to an increase in free radicals and many adverse health effects, such as cancer.
•  interference with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.
•  power line noise.
•  aesthetics.
•  impact on views.
•  All of the above contribute to significantly reduced residential property values.

Overhead power line supporters say studies of electromagnetic fields on health have been inconclusive. Studies of tobacco smoke were also inconclusive for decades before undeniable links to cancers and other serious health conditions were identified.

The EPA and the EU have developed recommendations and regulations for limiting exposure to EMF, as have 29 forward-looking nations and several states in the US. They would not do that unless EMF was of serious concern.

Power line “M” runs in the same easement as 50-year-old fuel pipelines to SeaTac. This easement goes through dense residential developments. An accident when replacing the current H-poles with the proposed taller steel monopoles would be catastrophic.

The average dollar/square-foot home value in Newcastle is higher because people paid more for homes with views of the Cascades and Mount Rainier. The proposed taller monopoles and wires will destroy these views for more homes, which will drive down the values of those homes and also affect the average dollar/square foot. Declining home values are the beginning of community decline.

Assuming PSE’s demand forecast for this area is realistic and not driven by other motives, I request the increased capacity be met with community-friendly solutions rather than the 230kV (and even higher voltage later) overhead line, which will destroy the quality of life and property values of Newcastle residents.

A. Roosme

Olympus neighborhood

Community made Big Book Sale a big success

The Friends of the Newcastle Library wish to thank everyone in our community, and the surrounding areas of Bellevue and Renton, who helped to make our second Big Book Sale a resounding success.

The donors who gave thousands of books and the buyers who were happy to find and purchase them each contributed greatly. A small but dedicated group of volunteers made the connection between donors and buyers possible.

Over the three and a half days of the sale, we were able to raise almost half of our annual budget. Every cent that we raise is dedicated to support programs at the Newcastle Library.

Our second annual meeting is coming up May 28. We will celebrate a year of solid accomplishments, topped by having received our official nonprofit 501(c)3 status from the IRS. Please join us in the meeting room at the Newcastle Library, starting at 7 p.m.

Again, a big thank you to the reading and learning community that we serve!

Julia Hunter, president

Friends of the

Newcastle Library