Edmonds Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

This is my final column as mayor of our fine city. It may sound corny, but 90% of the time it has been pure fun! The other 10% ... maybe a little less! While I have been in and... — Updated 12/19/2019

As I wind down eight years as mayor of this wonderful community, there are obviously many wonderful and happy experiences on which to reflect; and yes, of course, there have also... — Updated 11/21/2019

I started this column the day after our annual chaotic, yet fun-filled, Halloween celebration. As usual, we had thousands (estimated 8,000) of kids, parents, grandparents, and... — Updated 11/7/2019

Driving to the office from home this past Monday, I was struck by the sight of the first snow of the season on the Olympic Mountains. Simply spectacular! And of course with that,... — Updated 10/3/2019

I don't know if you are as tired of hearing about the "coming recession" as much as I am, but I think we should have the courage to just schedule it so we know when it will happen.... — Updated 9/20/2019

No, not just the coming primary election. We also need to gear up for the November general election. Many of you probably have had neighbor discussions, read the Edmonds Beacon,... — Updated 8/1/2019

Here we are in the middle of July, working on the 2020 budget that won’t be presented to the council until the first part of October. So why are we starting so early? Well... — Updated 7/14/2019

Notwithstanding last week's City Council vote to discontinue work on the Edmonds Street Waterfront Connector, a flurry of public speculation and/or misinformation continues,... — Updated 6/27/2019

Over the past few weeks, there’s been a steady stream of articles and opinions about the Edmonds Street Waterfront Connector. Unfortunately in the mix has been a fair amount of... — Updated 5/30/2019

Do we all know Edmonds is an Arts Community? You bet we do! We know we have something new called a "Creative District," the first in the state. We know we have the Edmonds... — Updated 5/10/2019

I have written before about several large projects the community currently has in play. All have made good progress and are all in various stages of development. Yet they do not all... — Updated 4/12/2019

Well, having never before announced I would not run for a third term as mayor, I wasn't sure what the community reaction would be. As you can imagine, reactions were varied... — Updated 3/15/2019

Many of you have wondered whether I will seek another term as mayor of Edmonds. I have spent considerable time with my family and a handful of friends weighing the decision for... — Updated 2/6/2019 Full story

Oh my, yes, we do have an expansive staff in the mayor's office! Seven years ago, we began with two in the office and now, seven years later, we are way up to two in the office.... — Updated 1/13/2019 Full story

Last Sunday late afternoon, my wife and I stopped at Scott's restaurant at the county line for an early dinner. I suspected the Seahawk crowd would have dissipated and there... — Updated 12/21/2018

When I was 4 years old, my parents decided to move from Genesee, Idaho, to Spokane. When we left Genesee, there was well under 700 people, a true farming community with a bank, a... — Updated 12/5/2018

A couple of times a year we, as citizens of the United States of America, have the privilege of voting. Yes, we are in an "off-year" election, a phrase that, quite frankly,... — Updated 11/2/2018

In a few short weeks, a delegation from our sister city, Hekinan, Japan, will join us to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our sister-city relationship. The relationship began 30... — Updated 10/15/2018

In our personal lives, we have all experienced the death of friends, relatives and loved ones. Usually such passings manage to spread themselves out. But occasionally they are group... — Updated 9/15/2018 Full story

The second year I was mayor, I vividly remember making the first of many trips to Olympia during the Legislative session to meet with our local legislators on important issues... — Updated 8/17/2018

Like so many communities in this booming region, Edmonds is considering a housing strategy to address increasing concerns about the lack of affordable housing in our city for a... — Updated 7/6/2018

This column was updated on Wednesday, June 20: This past weekend, we in Edmonds had the perfect weekend. The weather was perfect, and the sun and warm temperatures made the city... — Updated 6/19/2018 Full story

I'm sure many of you read our city's two publications, the Edmonds Beacon and My Edmonds News. I look to both to find what's going on in town well beyond what I see and... — Updated 5/22/2018

They tell me the rumor is true ... summer is coming! Only in the past few days when the temperature has crawled all the way into the 60s, and now the low 70s, have I thought there... — Updated 4/27/2018

I had a three-hour layover in Seoul, South Korea, so why not start the next column? This after six very busy (sometimes intense), but enormously rewarding, days in Hekinan, Japan,... — Updated 4/13/2018 Full story