Guest Opinion: Redmond City Council Challenges Bellevue, Kirkland Councils to NAMI Duel

The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides exceptional support services for all people with mental illnesses regardless of circumstance. In addition to providing individual assistance, NAMI works to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Perhaps no group will benefit more from reducing the stigma of mental illness than elected officials. With that in mind, and also the goal of raising funding for this very effective agency, members of the Redmond City Council have challenged members of the city councils of Bellevue and Kirkland to a participation event this Saturday at the . The walk begins at Kirkland at 9:30 a.m. and goes down Lake Street to and back, a level 5K walk.

The Redmond Council, an elite seven of members deeply involved in community activities, want to provide an example for lesser councils to follow.

Obviously we had to challenge Kirkland. While they have home field advantage, their council members seldom finish their first macchiato before noon.

Bellevue was a potentially formidable foe, but members have school-age kids at home so their Saturday mornings are spent driving their SUVs from dance lessons to little league.

Scoring is based on real participants involved in the walk. An actual currently serving council member is worth five points, a spouse or significant other is worth three points, and any other human willing to claim association is worth a point apiece.

Three official teams have been set up on the NAMI Walk site: bellevuecouncil, kirklandcouncil and REDMONDCOUNCIL. You can sign up to walk, pledge online, or simply show up and register on-site and declare your affinity at the time.

This is about bragging rights on the Eastside, and really neither Bellevue nor Kirkland has had much to brag about recently. In the end, the final score will depend on citizens like you who support the 21 various members claiming to favor mental health. Red ropes or Jolly Ranchers are available for anybody signing up for Redmond. This is the perfect warm-up for Beat the Bridge on Sunday.