Hello fellow Islanders.

I’m writing to encourage your vote for Craig Reynolds for City Council. I got to know Craig well when we served together on the Planning Commission. I wholeheartedly supported his first bid for the Council and am supporting him again.

Craig is super smart, cheerful, and fun to work with. He is the guy in the room that did all of the homework and remembers what he studied. We relied upon Craig for insightful questioning and independent conclusions. He’s a respectful communicator and collaborator who listens carefully to community input and looks for ways to address concerns. We worked on updating the Comprehensive Plan, the Critical Areas Ordinance, and the Shoreline Master Plan, among other topics. Craig showed particular leadership in protecting the natural environment.

I have since observed Craig in many City Council meetings. He continues to be defined by the core characteristics that I originally experienced when working with him.

Craig has a degree in mathematics from MIT and earned a Fellowship with the Society of Actuaries, an organization which he served as president. He has a 38-year career as an actuary focusing on understanding, forecasting, quantifying, and mitigating financial risks for some of the largest financial services firms in the world. Craig knows that the best way to provide full City services is to make sure that the City operates in an efficient manner as a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars. There will always be significant financial constraints, risks, and opportunities coming before the Council. Craig’s background makes him superbly capable of addressing these matters. I will feel very confident with Craig’s leadership on the Council when decisions are made about a new city hall.

Craig values the special character of Mercer Island and will work to keep it beautiful and safe. He emphasizes collaboration with regional governing bodies and responsibly negotiates in our interest. He works to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion, to encourage housing options, and to mitigate climate change.

The Council has accomplished a great deal during Craig’s term and he has carefully contributed to all of these important gains. He has exercised particular leadership in many areas, for example in the development of the City’s first Climate Action Plan, ensuring that the strategies included in the final plan would enable us to reach our greenhouse gas reduction goals. It is a good plan and doable.

The Council works collaboratively but sometimes there are disagreements. While differing votes are taken, usually the members are not widely divergent in the underlying goal for the betterment of Mercer Island. While a great deal is made of opposing votes, the differences are usually nuanced. I recommend listening to meetings via video to gain personal insights into issues and votes.

Craig brings strong, principled, positive leadership. I trust Craig and believe that we benefit greatly from his service on the Council. Please join me in voting for Craig!

Your ballot must be postmarked by November 7 or placed in the ballot drop box at the Community Center before 8pm on November 7.

Thank you for considering.

Carolyn Boatsman, Mercer Island