# Angela Birney: Campaign Promises vs. Reality

*Compiled from voter pamphlets, campaign website (electangelabirney.com), State of the City addresses, endorsement questionnaires, city records, PDC filings, and news reporting.*

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## THE PROMISES (In Her Own Words)

### 2019 Voter Pamphlet
> "I've led the effort to change all council meetings to live video, relocate our community center, increase tree canopy goals and protect open space, fund pool improvements, implement our Cultural Inclusion ordinance, and build more affordable housing. As Mayor, I will keep working locally and regionally to protect our environment, promote small business, and create a more inclusive, affordable, and equitable community."

### 2023 Re-Election Voter Pamphlet
> "During my first term as Mayor, I kept our community safe and informed during the pandemic, maintained our city's AAA bond rating, built a new senior and community center, supported investments in housing at all income levels, implemented our environmental sustainability action plan, and invested in multi-modal infrastructure for all community members."

### Campaign Website Vision (2019)
> "I will reach out, listen, discuss, and most importantly communicate. Communication and building community will be a major focus for me as Mayor... By harnessing best practices, we will proactively make top-level information easy to find, details always accessible, and every voice heard."

> "I will ensure a high level of integrity among everyone at city hall."

> "Accountability goes beyond [the bond rating]. I will ensure a high level of integrity among everyone at city hall. By putting our community first and executing a strong communication plan, there will be better clarity than ever about how your investment in Redmond is working for you."

### 2023 Campaign Announcement
> "I'm proud of the work I've done in collaboration with regional and state leaders to find innovative solutions to our most challenging problems. By representing our community and our priorities, we've supported small businesses, addressed the homelessness challenge, increased housing supplies, expanded behavioral health solutions, and invested in public safety."

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## PROMISE vs. REALITY: SIDE BY SIDE

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### 1. AFFORDABLE HOUSING

**PROMISED:**
- "Build more affordable housing" (2019 pamphlet)
- "Supported investments in housing at all income levels" (2023 pamphlet)
- "Increased housing supplies" (2023 announcement)
- Called affordable housing "the critical regional challenge" (CuriosityBased interview)
- "I'm excited to work with others across the nation to help guide actions that will improve housing capacity" (redmond.gov)
- Housing Action Plan adopted 2021
- Redmond 2050 plan targets 30,000 new homes by 2050

**REALITY:**
| Metric | Number |
|--------|--------|
| Affordable units produced (2017-2023, 6 years) | **310** |
| Market-rate units produced (same period) | **~2,000+** |
| Affordable as % of total | **~13%** |
| King County target for units at 50% AMI or below | **70%+ of all new housing** |
| Inclusionary zoning requirement (until Nov 2024) | **10% at 80% AMI** (barely "affordable") |
| New requirement (adopted Nov 2024) | **12.5%** (still far below need) |

**The luxury flood:**
- Mill Creek Residential alone is building **~1,610 luxury units** across 5 Modera-brand projects in the Redmond area
- Modera rents: Studios from $1,820, 1BR from $2,104, 2BR from $3,176, up to **$6,341**
- **Zero documented affordable housing component** in any Modera project
- Mill Creek's chairman **Steve Yoon sits on the OneRedmond board** that Birney also sits on

**The Nelson Legacy Group giveaway:**
- 22-23 acres of downtown Redmond approved for development
- Project One: 244 units, only **25 affordable** (10.2% -- the bare code minimum)
- Got a **bonus 8th story** from the city in exchange for a small park
- Displaced Grand Peking Restaurant (demolished), Aqua Quip (relocated), food truck operator (relocated)
- NLG donated **$21,000+** to Birney's campaigns across both cycles
- NLG holds **2-3 seats on the OneRedmond board** where Birney also sits

**The tax giveaway:**
- In 2023 alone, the city forgave **$12.0 million in property taxes** via MFTE for 3 developments
- Those 3 developments produced 564 total units, only **65 affordable** (11.5%)
- That's **$184,615 in forgone tax revenue per affordable unit**
- Statewide MFTE tax exemptions: $80M in 2018, projected $137M by 2023

**The Plymouth Housing deal -- the one "affordable" project:**
- Kenmore rejected this project (6-1 vote) after 3 public hearings and a 9-hour meeting
- **22 days later**, Redmond City Council approved it 5-1
- No public hearings, no open RFP, no public comment before the vote
- City committed **$8.7 million** ($5.5M land + $3.2M cash)
- Allows private drug use, no drug testing, permits some registered sex offenders
- Single adults only -- no families
- Only ~11% of Plymouth Housing residents are veterans
- Safe Eastside organizer: "We oppose the process -- the way it was done. There was no public comment allowed."
- Birney: "Exchange of property for something like this is always very quick." (It's not.)

**What happened to residents:**
| Metric | 2017 | 2025-2026 | Change |
|--------|------|-----------|--------|
| Median home price | ~$743,000 | ~$1,450,000 | **+95%** (~doubled) |
| Median rent | ~$1,700-1,800/mo | ~$2,490/mo | **+38-47%** |
| King County homeless count | 11,643 | 16,868 (2024) | **+44.9%** |
| Unsheltered | 5,485 | 9,810 (2024) | **+78.9%** (nearly doubled) |

**VERDICT: BROKEN.** She promised affordable housing. She delivered luxury towers for developers who fund her campaigns, while home prices doubled and homelessness surged 45%. The one affordable project she fast-tracked was another city's reject, rammed through without public comment.

---

### 2. TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

**PROMISED:**
- "I will ensure a high level of integrity among everyone at city hall" (2019 campaign website)
- "There will be better clarity than ever about how your investment in Redmond is working for you" (2019 campaign website)
- "I think we've been very open and transparent" (KOMO News interview)
- "Every voice heard" (2019 vision statement)
- "Led the effort to change all council meetings to live video" (2019 pamphlet)
- Bob Yoder endorsement: "Angela leads thoughtfully with integrity, ethics and trust"

**REALITY:**

**The OneRedmond conflict of interest:**
Birney sits on the OneRedmond board alongside the developers who fund her campaigns and receive city contracts. She has **NEVER recused herself** from any vote involving these people's companies.

| OneRedmond Board Member | Company | Birney Connection |
|------------------------|---------|-------------------|
| **Steve Yoon** (Chairman) | Mill Creek Residential (developer) | ~1,610 luxury units in Redmond |
| **Tim Overland** (Secretary) | Nelson Legacy Group (CEO) | NLG donated $21K+ to Birney |
| **Amy Webber** | Nelson Legacy Group | NLG holds 2-3 board seats |
| **Katie Kendall** | McCullough Hill PLLC (land use law) | Gets developers their permits in Redmond |
| **Angela Birney** | City of Redmond (Mayor) | Votes on contracts for board members' companies |
| **Vanessa Kritzer** | City Council President | Also on the board |
| **Menka Soni** | OneRedmond Foundation VP | Also on City Council (won Nov 2025) |

**No-bid contracts:**
- Feb 2023: $300,000 to OneRedmond. Consent agenda, 7-0. No competitive bid.
- Mar 2025: $300,000 to OneRedmond. Consent agenda. No competitive bid.
- Birney voted for both without recusal.

**Campaign finance -- the donor overlap:**
| Donor Network | Total to Birney | % of All Donations |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Legacy Group (8+ people) | **$21,675** | 9.5% |
| Real estate/development industry | **$42,621** | 18.8% |
| OneRedmond board members + companies | **$32,405** | 14.3% |

The people who fund her campaigns sit on the board she sits on, and she votes them city contracts.

**COVID cover-up (2020):**
- COO Maxine Whattam allegedly ordered fire command staff not to disclose positive COVID tests
- 5 people on fire command staff tested positive in mid-March 2020
- Councilmember Varisha Khan: employees were "ordered verbally to stay quiet"
- KUOW broke the story
- Fire Chief Tommy Smith was **terminated 13 days later**
- Smith received **$95,778 severance** with a **non-disparagement clause** (can't talk about what happened)
- City hired investigator Jayne Freeman for $49,999.99 (just under the $50K threshold requiring council approval)
- Freeman found "insufficient evidence" but was **also tasked with identifying the whistleblower**
- Birney denied everything: "The city did not instruct the command staff to stay quiet"

**Social media blackout (November 2023):**
- After daughter Rachel was filmed tearing down Israeli hostage posters at USC
- Birney shut down campaign website, made X/Twitter private, went dark on all social media
- Took **12 days** to issue a statement
- Legal experts noted a public official making social media private raises First Amendment concerns
- The "transparent" mayor went dark when transparency was inconvenient

**VERDICT: BROKEN.** She promised integrity and transparency. She sits on a board with her donors, votes them contracts, covered up a COVID outbreak, fired the fire chief who might talk, hired an investigator to find the whistleblower, and went dark on social media when her family made news.

---

### 3. SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT

**PROMISED:**
- "Promote small business" (2019 & 2023 pamphlets)
- "Supported small businesses" (2023 campaign announcement)
- $300K contracts to OneRedmond justified as "small business support services"

**REALITY:**
- The OneRedmond board is dominated by **large developers**, not small business owners
- Nelson Legacy Group's development **demolished Grand Peking Restaurant** and displaced Aqua Quip and a food truck operator
- Downtown construction boom (8+ simultaneous projects) disrupted existing businesses
- City staff presented to PSRC on "business displacement challenges" -- acknowledging the problem they caused
- Community feedback: businesses need **affordable commercial spaces** and **help with relocation costs**
- City is only now reviewing "anti-displacement and affordable commercial tools" (Redmond 2050) -- 6 years into her tenure
- The $300K "small business support" contracts go to OneRedmond, whose chairman runs a luxury apartment company (Mill Creek) and whose secretary runs a development firm (Nelson Legacy Group)

**VERDICT: BROKEN.** She promised to promote small business. Small businesses were demolished and displaced to make room for luxury developments by the companies whose executives sit on the board she sits on.

---

### 4. PUBLIC SAFETY

**PROMISED:**
- "Invested in public safety" (2023 announcement)
- "Kept our community safe" (2023 pamphlet)
- "Continue to bring... safety, stability, and resources for anyone in crisis" (2022 levy pitch)
- Put a public safety levy on the 2022 ballot

**REALITY:**
| Metric | Trend |
|--------|-------|
| Property crimes (2023) | 2,371 (rate: 3,021 per 100K) |
| Property crimes (2024) | **2,520** (increased) |
| Violent crimes (2024 rate) | 118 per 100K (**4% increase** YoY) |
| Police officers | 79 sworn (2023) -- WA ranks **LAST in nation** for officers per capita |
| First new officers since 2007 | 4 hired in 2025-2026 budget (**7 years into her tenure**) |
| Public safety levy (Nov 2022) | **FAILED** -- voters rejected it |

- Population grew 23.6% but police staffing was essentially frozen for her entire first term
- She waited until her second term (2025-2026 budget) to hire 4 new officers -- the first expansion since **2007**
- Washington state ranks **dead last** out of 50 states in officers per 1,000 residents (1.35)

**VERDICT: MIXED TO BROKEN.** Crime increased, policing stayed flat for 7 years, voters rejected her levy, and she only added officers in year 6. The behavioral health initiatives (Thrive program) show effort, but the core numbers went the wrong direction.

---

### 5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & "EVERY VOICE HEARD"

**PROMISED:**
- "Every voice heard" (2019 vision)
- "I will reach out, listen, discuss, and most importantly communicate" (2019 campaign)
- "Largest community engagement effort ever conducted in Redmond" (Redmond 2050)
- "Very open and transparent" (KOMO interview)

**REALITY:**

**Plymouth Housing -- zero public comment:**
- $5.5M public land transfer, 22 days from first discussion to approval
- No public hearings, no RFP, no public comment before the vote
- OneRedmond pre-announced the approval **before the public process was complete**
- Safe Eastside: "There was no public comment allowed"

**Silver Cloud Inn -- no prior input:**
- King County purchased the hotel for $28.25M to house 144 homeless individuals
- No prior public input before the announcement
- Residents packed a council meeting to protest after the fact
- Birney: "No, I would not stop this from coming in"

**Salary Commission -- disbanded when inconvenient:**
- Independent commission proposed raising council pay
- Birney **disbanded the commission** rather than let the process play out
- Later reconstituted after backlash

**Social media blackout:**
- Made X/Twitter private, shut down campaign website (Nov 2023)
- The "every voice heard" mayor silenced herself when the conversation got uncomfortable

**VERDICT: BROKEN.** The biggest decisions -- millions in public land, homeless shelters, salary commissions -- were made without public input, or public input was ignored. "Every voice heard" unless the voice disagrees.

---

### 6. ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

**PROMISED:**
- "Protect our environment" (both pamphlets)
- Environmental Sustainability Action Plan
- Carbon neutrality by 2050 (community) / 2030 (city operations)
- 40% tree canopy by 2050
- Climate Mayors Steering Committee
- Fleet electrification (50% by 2030)

**REALITY:**
- ESAP adopted unanimously (Sep 2020) -- this is real
- LEED Platinum Senior/Community Center -- genuine achievement
- Fleet electrification underway (10 EVs, 5 electric park vehicles, 7 PHEVs, 38 hybrids)
- First electric fire engine in state on order
- Joined 50 municipalities opposing EPA rollbacks (Feb 2026)
- Eastrail completion -- real infrastructure

**BUT:**
- Approved massive development boom that increased traffic, construction emissions, and impervious surfaces
- No accounting of net emissions impact of adding 15,000+ residents and luxury towers
- Tree canopy goal is 2050 -- conveniently after she's long gone

**VERDICT: PARTIALLY KEPT.** The sustainability plan and green building commitments are real. But approving thousands of luxury units while claiming environmental leadership creates an unresolved tension she never addresses.

---

### 7. GROWTH MANAGEMENT

**PROMISED:**
- "Redmond's growth and change must be welcoming and inclusive, enhancing our quality of life" (both pamphlets)
- Valued "focused development in urban centers while preserving suburban neighborhoods" (2015)
- "Live where they work" (2023 State of the City)
- Redmond 2050 comprehensive plan

**REALITY:**
| Metric | 2017 | 2023 | Change |
|--------|------|------|--------|
| Population | 64,953 | 80,280 | +23.6% |
| Home prices | ~$743K | ~$1.45M | +95% |
| Rents | ~$1,750/mo | ~$2,490/mo | +42% |
| Housing units built | -- | ~2,300 est. | 87% luxury |
| Residents citing overdevelopment as top concern | -- | **26%** (2021 survey) | #1 concern |
| Residents citing cost of living as top concern | 13% (2019) | **21%** (2021) | +8 points |

- Growth overwhelmingly benefited developers, not residents
- 26% of residents cite growth/overdevelopment as their #1 concern
- "Live where they work" is fantasy when median home price is $1.45M and studios start at $1,820/mo
- Traffic congestion returned to pre-pandemic levels despite light rail

**VERDICT: BROKEN FOR RESIDENTS, DELIVERED FOR DEVELOPERS.** Growth happened. Quality of life declined for existing residents. The people who benefited are the ones who fund her campaigns and sit on her boards.

---

## THE BOARD WEB -- WHY THIS MATTERS

All of these broken promises connect back to one structure:

```
BIRNEY (Mayor, At-Large on OneRedmond Board)
    |
    sits alongside
    |
STEVE YOON (OneRedmond Chairman) = Mill Creek Residential
    -> 1,610 luxury units, zero affordable, rents up to $6,341
    
TIM OVERLAND (OneRedmond Secretary) = Nelson Legacy Group CEO  
    -> $21K+ donated to Birney
    -> 22 acres downtown, bare minimum affordable
    -> Displaced 3+ small businesses
    
AMY WEBBER (OneRedmond Member) = Nelson Legacy Group
    -> Another NLG seat on the board
    
KATIE KENDALL (OneRedmond Member) = McCullough Hill PLLC
    -> Land use law firm that gets developers their permits
    -> Jack McCullough donated $1,000-1,200 to Birney

CAROL HELLAND (Planning Director, Gov Affairs Committee)
    -> Approves the permits
    -> Chairs ARCH (the affordable housing funding body)
    -> Brought the Plymouth Housing deal to Redmond after Kenmore rejected it
```

**The Government Affairs Committee** -- where the deals actually happen -- seats developers and city officials at the same table:
- **Tom Markl** (Chair) -- Nelson Legacy Group CEO, donated $2,000 to Birney
- **Steve Yoon** -- Mill Creek Residential
- **Katie Kendall** -- McCullough Hill (land use permits)
- **Mary Nelson Morrow** -- Nelson Legacy Group (family heir)
- **Carol Helland** -- Planning Director (approves permits)
- **Melissa Stuart** -- City Council President
- **Amy Tsai** -- Chief Policy Advisor to the Mayor

Self-described mission: *"laser-focused on a business-friendly City of Redmond"*

---

## THE ENFORCEMENT GAP

| Body | Can Investigate Birney? | Why Not? |
|------|------------------------|----------|
| WA Executive Ethics Board | **NO** | Explicitly excludes municipal officials |
| PDC | Campaign money only | Can't touch governance decisions |
| City of Redmond | Self-policing | She runs the city that investigates her |
| King County Prosecutor | SOL expired | Most violations have 1-2 year window |
| State Auditor | Can audit, can't prosecute | Refers to prosecutors who don't act |
| FBI/DOJ | Federal crimes only | Needs federal nexus (HUD funds?) |

**The only real tool: Citizen action complaint (RCW 42.17A.775)** -- any person can sue in Superior Court if PDC doesn't act in 45 days. Defendant pays your legal fees if you win.

---

## TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| Nov 2015 | Elected to City Council, Position 5 |
| 2018 | Elected Council President |
| Nov 2019 | Elected Mayor |
| Mar 2020 | COVID cover-up -- fire chief terminated, $95K severance + gag order |
| Sep 2020 | Environmental Sustainability Action Plan adopted |
| Jul 2021 | Silver Cloud Inn purchased for homeless housing, no prior public input |
| 2021 | Housing Action Plan adopted |
| Nov 2022 | Public safety levy FAILS |
| Feb 2023 | $300K no-bid contract to OneRedmond |
| Mar 2023 | Space District announcement |
| Nov 7, 2023 | Re-elected with 71% of vote |
| Nov 8, 2023 | Rachel Birney hostage poster video goes viral (day after election) |
| Nov 2023 | Shuts down campaign website, makes social media private |
| Nov 22, 2023 | Issues statement 12 days later |
| Jan 2024 | Kenmore rejects Plymouth Housing 6-1 |
| Feb 2024 | Redmond approves Plymouth Housing in 22 days, no public comment |
| Nov 2024 | Redmond 2050 plan adopted (raises inclusionary zoning to 12.5%) |
| Mar 2025 | Another $300K no-bid contract to OneRedmond |
| 2025 | First new police officers hired since 2007 (4 officers, year 6 of tenure) |
| May 2025 | Light rail opens in downtown Redmond |

---

## SOURCES

- King County Elections Voter Pamphlets (2019, 2023)
- electangelabirney.com (campaign website, via Archive.org)
- WA State PDC contribution data (data.wa.gov)
- City of Redmond meeting minutes (redmond.granicus.com)
- City of Redmond official pages (redmond.gov)
- OneRedmond leadership page (engage.oneredmond.org/leadership)
- KOMO News, KIRO 7, KUOW, Seattle Times, Redmond Reporter, The Urbanist, PubliCola
- Safe Eastside (safeeastside.com)
- Fix Homelessness (fixhomelessness.org)
- King County Regional Homelessness Authority PIT counts
- Neilsberg / Census Bureau population estimates
- NeighborhoodScout, Redfin, Zillow (housing data)
- Zumper, RentCafe, Apartments.com (rental data)
- Mill Creek Residential project pages
- National League of Cities (nlc.org)
- WSDOT Multimodal Dashboard

---

*Three Public Records Act requests filed targeting PDC complaint records, City of Redmond ethics/recusal records, and King County property/prosecution records. See:*
- `legal/PRA_REQUEST_PDC_BIRNEY.md`
- `legal/PRA_REQUEST_REDMOND_ETHICS_BIRNEY.md`
- `legal/PRA_REQUEST_KING_COUNTY_BIRNEY.md`