The M~Theory

The M~Theory blog looks across the landscape of political and social issues and examines how they impact Bellevue, our region and beyond. It's namesake is the theory that unifies the five superstring theories, providing us with answers to our universe's oldest riddles.

Bold Ideas to move Bellevue Forward

September 27th, 2009 at Sun, 27th, 2009 at 9:15 pm by mmarchand

I love speaking about bold ideas. Bold ideas are what get people in government thinking about what is possible instead of being shackled to the current the political agenda. And when people on the campaign trail ask me about my bold ideas for Bellevue, I am more than happy to indulge them. Among my favorite ideas include:

  • Performing a “Priorities of Government” Exercise.  This will enable us to create goals, devise strategies, and make performance core to budgeting while better describing what we are doing and how much it costs. It will also be a forcing function to better align council and staff on the agreed upon future vision of Bellevue.
  • Driving a “Twin to Win” strategy with Seattle. We must work with the new regional leaders – especially the incoming Seattle Mayor and County Executive –  on a plan to execute that recognizes that a rising tide floats all boats. This includes getting a Bellevue representative on Sound Transit’s board.
  • Establishing a Local Economic Development Commission.  Much like Bellevue’s transportation and planning commission, this body would support certain business areas so that we fill vacancies and support local businesses while maintaining the character of the local neighborhoods.  
  • Fast Track Innovative County Programs. Let’s bring innovative programs to Bellevue that are already occurring within our region. Top of my list are the Park & Ride Plug-In Pilot Project that promotes electric vehicle and the YWCA Family Village that provides affordable housing and family services.
  • Creating a formal Board of Tourism.  This board would be the driving force behind branding and packaging Bellevue so that we may attract more businesses, events and visitors each year.
  • Augmenting Bellevue’s current online resources. Bellevue’s Web presence needs to be more akin to the states “Access Washington” – intuitive, navigable and the one stop for all that is Bellevue.

What happens in November will come down to two choices: Bellevue can do things the same way we have – predicated on past behaviors and policies –  or look to new ways to approach problems, realize solutions and move Bellevue forward.  Now is the time to take these bold ideas and make them a reality.

mmarchand Michael Marchand has spent more than 20 years working on behalf of governments and government agencies, Fortune 100 corporations and nonprofit organizations in the areas of public affairs, advocacy, policy enagement, regulatory affairs, issues positioning and public relations. He has served in senior-level roles for Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the honorable Gov. Gary Locke and has worked on behalf of clients including MasterCard, American Express, Ernst & Young, Prudential Securities, Lucent Technologies, and both NBC and CBS television networks. Marchand received a bachelor of arts degree in government from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and is a CDC-trained expert in crisis, emergency and risk communications, and is a skilled mediator. He currently resides in Bellevue with his wife, Beth, their three kids and two dogs.

More articles by mmarchand >
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