On Tuesday, May 11 (6 to 8 p.m.), the City of Kent will host an open house at the Kentridge High School Library, 12430 SE 208th St., Kent. This will be the city’s final open house before annexation takes place July 1, 2010. The annexation will add approximately five square miles and 24,000 residents to the City of Kent, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Washington.

For more information, visit the City’s Annexation Web page, email the city, or call the annexation message line at 253-856-5777.

The City of Kent is hosting an open house to discuss the Panther Lake annexation on Sat., Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Sunrise Elementary School (multi-purpose room, 22300 132nd Ave. SE, Kent, WA).

The annexation was approved by voters on Nov. 3, 2009. Panther Lake will become a part of the City of Kent effective July 1, 2010, making Kent the sixth largest city in the state. Panther Lake is located east of Kent’s current city limits and includes Benson Hill and Panther Lake. The area is approximately five square miles and contains about 24,000 residents.

For more information about the annexation, visit the city’s website,  call the annexation info. line at 253-856-5777 or send an email to the city.

The city has also created a document with Annexation General FAQs. You can download it here: annexation_faq.

This November 3, the City of Kent will vote on several races in its general election. To learn more about the candidates in the contested races, please visit their individual websites (see below) or visit the candidate blogs on the Kent Reporter site:

Mayor – City of Kent

Suzette Cooke, encumbent, is running for a second term.
Jim Berrios, KSD school board president, opposes Mayor Cooke.

Kent City Council and Kent Municipal Court

Opposed Seats

Council Position #4
Dana Ralph
Dennis Higgins

Council Position #6
Elizabeth Albertson
Geoff Koepp

Unopposed Seats

Council Position #2
Jamie Danielson, running for a second term

Municipal Court Judge Position #1
Robert McSeveney

Municipal Court Judge Position #2
Glenn M. Phillips

Proposed Panther Lake Annexation

In addition to these races, the Panther Lake Annexation Area has made it to the November 3 ballot. For more info., visit the King County Election website.

In addition, rumor has it that three “meet the candidate” forums and/or political debates are scheduled. As soon as these have been confirmed, iLoveKent.net will add them to our calendar and update this post.

For more information about other King County elections, registering to vote or voting by mail, please visit King County Elections online.

The City of Kent is considering annexing the Panther Lake area of Kent to the city. A citizens group has been formed that favors the annexation. To read why this group is in favor of the annexation, visit their website.

According to the “why” page of Annex2Kent.com, the top issues include Safety, Convenience and Savings.

The following documents were provided for iLoveKent.net by Annex2Kent co-chair Marvin Eckfeldt. Inclusion of these documents is for informational purposes only and does not indicate an endorsement of the annexation by iLoveKent.net. If anyone from the Kent community would like to present an opposing viewpoint, iLoveKent.net will post that information also.

Citizen Annexation Fact Sheet

Annexation Flyer

Merchant Letter

Voter Pamphlet Explanatory & Pro Statement