Outgoing Redmond Councilman Reflects on 24 Years of Service

Richard Cole has been a fixture in Redmond politics for nearly 30 years, much of that as a Redmond city councilman, and as council president for his last four terms in office.

But in the days following his final city council meeting on Dec. 13, Cole says he’s still thinking about what he’ll do next, but he has plenty to reflect on.

Cole brought his financial expertise as a CPA for Boeing to his tenure at the council, advocating for long-range financial planning that he says is often lacking in municipal governments.

“I’ve made a difference in the financial health of the community,” he says, adding jokingly, “Quite frankly, I’m a cheapskate.”

All joking aside however, Cole says his goal has been good financial stewardship as Redmond has grown over the years.

“I try to spend the tax-payers' money the way I spend my own.”

Cole advocated for the city switching to a two-year budget process to free up city staff for other work, and recently encouraged a change in the city’s capital planning process that he considers a finance achievement for Redmond. Now, the city will look at its capital project budget with a much longer view, forecasting 20 to 30 years in the future.

“When you go out longer, you realize, in 15 years I’ll need two new fire stations at Overlake, and in 15 years the senior center will be obsolete,” Cole said.

By considering long-term needs as a matter of course, the city can keep an eye out for property to acquire and plan for such future expenses, he said.

During the Dec. 6 city council meeting, several current and former city officials shared their thoughts on Cole's legacy, and many mentioned his sense of fiscal responsibility.

"(The city) is managed very well fiscally, largely due to your efforts," said Michael Bailey, Redmond's finance director. "Many of the things that you hold dear, you've managed to put in place, and they'll be here for a long time."

Though the council has supported many of his financial initiatives, Cole acknowledges that he has often been a dissenting voice on council decisions, a reputation he says he doesn’t mind. Cole said he’d rather vote no on something he feels strongly about rather than just go along with the group, even if a piece of policy is certain to be approved.

“If everything goes through council on a 7-0 vote, you ought to fire six of us,” he said.

Even so, Cole also believes in supporting the outcome of council action whether he voted for it or not.

“In my opinion it’s very important, once you make a decision you want to always be rowing with the same oars,” he said. The council members can argue strenuously over an issue at the meeting, then go out for coffee the next day, he says.

For Cole, the council is still very much in the present tense, and other than perhaps spending more time with his four daughters and beginning to clear out a mountain of paperwork he’s built up over his decades-long tenure, he says he hasn’t quite shifted out of that mode.

“When I retired from Boeing, the biggest change in my life was sleeping. Immediately, it was such a luxury,” he said. Cole is somewhat of an information and political junkie as well, and has spent a “horrendous” amount of time on the computer since he retired from Boeing six years ago, but now he won’t have 20 or so council-related emails in his inbox every day.

Despite his retirement, Cole definitely will remain a visible and active community member. He is part of the committee preparing to help Redmond celebrate its centennial and says he’s happy with the recognition he’s received from the community.

One person he didn’t even know recently stopped him in the grocery store and thanked him. “That’s been rewarding, that people have expressed appreciation for my years of service,” he said.

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Caitlin Moran contributed to this report.