I have long been a critic of the way Snoqualmie Valley is treated by King County Executive Ron Sims. I have often said we are the playground for the rest of the county and heaven forbid that we may want to actually live and work in our community.

Regulations have been crammed down our throats and I would bet even our county representative, Kathy Lambert, feels like the odd person out with the current County Council.

So when this idea of an Unincorporated Area Council was first floated a few weeks back, I thought it was a great idea. When I look at the entire Valley, Fall City always seems to lack representation of any kind. At least in Snoqualmie and North Bend the mayors can bend the ear of the county executive.

Having a unified voice makes sense. Let’s assume that the county wanted to locate a sex-offender facility in Fall City. Would the community know how to react in a strong enough way to alter the county executive’s thinking? Has he written off Snoqualmie Valley because of our typically Republican view points? As we continue to deal with growth issues, is there any group in Fall City that has the clout to get county staff to listen?

Maybe it is adding just one more layer of bureaucracy to the mix as my good friend Judy Kelley stated, but I wonder if the current layer is effective by itself.

The downside is that a group like this is only as effective as those willing to put the time in to make it work. People in the Valley have always been willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in for their community. But this is different, this is dealing with a county that tends to ignore its eastern section and do things to us, not for us.

I think the idea is worth considering and would encourage further discussion and exploration. Fall City’s current clout doesn’t appear to be enough, according to some recent events. Maybe this will strengthen the community’s position in the county executive’s eyes.