City of Edmonds, Economic Development Director

Mayor Gary Haakenson
City of Edmonds

Dear Gary,

I am writing to endorse Marla Miller for the position of Economic Development Director for the City of Edmonds. In the short time that I have known Marla (we met more than 18 months after I started working for the Edmonds School District), I have yet to encounter a greater advocate for economic development in the City of Edmonds. Her priorities while working for the District were clearly aligned with city governments, particularly the City of Edmonds. Marla never missed an opportunity to funnel District resources toward her favorite city and her many accomplishments will be uncovered shortly.

You may recall the recent transaction involving the Old Woodway Elementary property. Marla managed to offer up the entire 11 acre site to a short list of her favorite developers - while few among them could demolish a school full of hazardous elements. Once the top offer was identified, she removed the building from the equation and sold the vacant portion without putting the property on the market. You see, more developers would have been interested in vacant land and would have driven the price way up. She then allowed the City of Edmonds to pay a similar price for the half with the building and allegedly discounted the price of the City's share by the cost of demolition.

Clearly, she has already proven her talent at helping the City of Edmonds. Just imagine how effective she would be if she was working directly for the City. I strongly support her candidacy and appeal to your senses to immediately hire her. The District would save a tremendous amount of money and the City would greatly profit with her on staff. For the sake of our region's children and their educational needs, please contact her for an interview.

Sincerely,

Mark Zandberg
Resident, City of Edmonds

Disclaimer: This letter of reference was not requested by Marla Miller. My endorsement is offered in an attempt to encourage Marla to pursue other professional opportunities and leave the Edmonds School District as soon as possible. The position of Economic Development Director is currently being occupied by Stephan Clifton, on an interim basis, until a qualified individual can be found.