UPDATE: Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak refuses to recuse himself. Details here.

CENSE requests recusal of Mayor

Complaint cites bias

UPDATE 15 October: Bellevue Mayor Chelminiak refuses to recuse himself. Details here.

The attorney for CENSE, Rick Aramburu, has requested Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak to recuse himself from the Energize Eastside appeal hearing that will be held at City Hall next Wednesday (October 16, 6:00 pm).

The complaint cites biased and prejudicial information published on the City’s “Electrical Reliability” web page. The City doesn’t mention contrary points of view and data provided by experts and volunteers opposing the project. There is no information about the five appeals that have been filed against the decision of the Hearing Examiner. There is no notice of the time and date of the upcoming appeal hearing.

The formal complaint submitted by CENSE describes how the permitting process has been biased in Bellevue. The mayor is ultimately responsible for safeguarding the impartiality of the City’s permitting process. Our efforts to promote accurate analysis and transparent data will encourage the remaining cities of Newcastle and Renton (and perhaps Redmond, in the future) to examine the project in a more balanced and unbiased manner.

Letter and Attachments

• Letter to Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak (PDF 0.5 MB)
• Attachment A (PDF 1.8 MB)
• Attachment B (PDF 1.9 MB)
• Attachment C (PDF 2.1 MB)
• Attachment D (PDF 2.5 MB)
• Attachment E (PDF 0.5 MB)
• Attachment F (PDF 2.3 MB)
• Attachment G (PDF 2.1 MB)