Council Roundup: Robinson elected to third term as mayor

Plus, Malakoutian voted deputy mayor, wildland fire program report and legislative preview

At its first meeting of the year Tuesday, the City Council unanimously elected Lynne Robinson to a third term as Bellevue’s mayor, the first time in Bellevue’s 71-year history a councilmember has been voted mayor three times in a row.

The council Tuesday also voted unanimously for newcomer Mo Malakoutian to serve as deputy mayor. Robinson and Malakoutian will serve a two-year term expiring at the end of 2025.

First elected to the council in 2014, Robinson was deputy mayor in 2018 and 2019 before her colleagues on the council elected her mayor in 2020 and 2022. Previously she held a seat on the Parks & Community Services Board for five years; chairing the body from 2011 to 2013. In Bellevue’s history, only Richard Foreman (1980) and Cary Bozeman (1994) were elected mayor three times, but not sequentially.

Malakoutian, a senior program manager with Amazon, was elected to the council for the first time in November. He had served for six years on the Planning Commission, including a stint as chair.

Bellevue’s mayor presides over council meetings and study sessions, helps set the meeting agenda, represents the city at public events, and acts as the primary spokesperson for the council. Bellevue’s councilmembers are elected at-large and the council then selects a member to serve as mayor and one to serve as deputy mayor.

Bellevue operates under a council-manager form of government, with the seven-member council hiring a city manager to oversee all city operations. More information is available on the Councilmembers page and in the video replay.

Wildland Fire program expands 

The Bellevue Fire Department is meeting an increased threat of wildfires with an expanded Wildland Fire program. With specially trained firefighters and a new fire engine designed to operate in rough terrain, the department was able to safely extinguish 320 fires that started in brush, grass and other vegetation last year.

Five of the state’s worst fire seasons have been in the last 10 years, with the second most fire starts in history in 2023. A recent analysis by the state Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service indicates Lakemont, along with parts of Clyde Hill, Medina, Newcastle and the Points communities, all of which are served by Bellevue Fire, are at risk of wildland fires.

In a report to the council, Fire Chief Jay Hagen and Deputy Chief Dave Beste noted that 40 people in the department are trained for wildland fire deployment.

To fight large-scale fires, the city has agreements to assist and receive assistance from the DNR, Redmond Fire Department and Eastside Fire and Rescue. The Bellevue Fire Foundation solicits private donations for equipment needed by the Bellevue department such as the brush truck.

To prepare for the 2024 fire season expected to start in May, the Fire Department will launch refresher training in the spring.

More details about the Wildland Fire presentation are available in the council materials.

State legislative session previewed  

With the state Legislature to convene for a 60-day session Monday, Jan. 8, staff reported on city priorities related to the action in Olympia. Like most Washington cities, Bellevue weighs in on bills that can have a big impact on the city.

Genesee Adkins, Bellevue’s chief of external affairs, said the city will focus its efforts on legislative actions related to housing and land use, as well as funding for transportation infrastructure, including the Mountains to Sound Greenway and Interstate 405. The city will also seek support for purchase of an electric fire engine.

Regarding affordable housing, the city is providing comments on possible revisions to House Bill 1110, which requires Bellevue and other cities to allow more middle housing (duplexes, fourplexes, etc.). The city also will offer input on possible changes to transit-oriented development regulations, since TODs are among Bellevue’s most significant new projects.

More information about Bellevue’s legislative agenda is available in council materials and the agenda report.