Remarks by Lindsay Smolko
19 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 1
- Play at 2:47:58
“Thanks, everybody. I appreciate also the amount of time in engineering design thinking as a STEM teacher. I love that, that everybody out here has done and my fellow council members have done. I'm hearing a lot of good ideas tonight, but I'm also hearing us start to become traffic engineers, and we are not. My skin also crawls at the us versus them Conversation, neighbors versus students, or the school district versus the city, that makes me uncomfortable, and I would love for us to get beyond that quickly. Everyone here wants students to be safe, and I think everyone also recognizes that the…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 3:08:28
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I appreciate my fellow council member King bringing it up because I too has kind of been noodling on that this whole time. I'd like to interrogate the word equivalent in option one that would have us waive the $375,000 in compensation because we're saying the public will receive equivalent value through the 8th Street improvements. So then I just want to make sure, as Councilmember King mentioned, that we're considering that in our weight. I don't know that I would agree with Mayor Whitting about that being a gift. I think we have to ensure that there is truly…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 3:26:39
“keep it brief I get to leave tomorrow for Tulsa to talk about you guys a little bit don't worry I won't name any names but I get to give a TED talk on Friday so I leave tomorrow and I'm going down there to give a speech called in the room where it happens encouraging educators to run for office so interesting councilmember Adler”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 50:21
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 50:50
“Thank you. Hi. Can staff confirm for the record that adoption tonight does not prejudice or predetermine Council's eventual decision regarding stream buffers or riparian management zones?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 51:31
“Thank you. I just wanted that on record. And I do have a follow up question, if I may. If mitigation, this is kind of a flash forward situation, if mitigation fails several years later, who bears the financial responsibility for correcting it?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:06:49
“Thank you. I have three questions. You said there's now a more consolidated list of 14 hazards. Of the hazards identified for Puyallup, you said citizens are most concerned about earthquakes, wildfires, and lahars. Are those actually, scientifically and historically, our most pressing three risks? That's my first question.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:08:31
“Thank you. That answers that first question beautifully. Sorry, that was kind of scary. That was awesome. Nailed it. Second question, or it's more of a comment. And then I guess I really only have two questions. So this one's more of a comment. I'm concerned about the neighborhoods and populations which are least able to recover from these disasters. For example, evacuation instructions aren't equally useful to someone who doesn't own a car, has limited mobility, doesn't speak English, is unhoused, lacks internet access, is elderly, and lives alone. That leads me to my second and final…”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:10:31
“OK. I lied to you. Not intentionally. I do have a third question. This is a promise for this bit. What is the highest impact mitigation project in this plan that we currently don't have the money to do?”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:40:54
“Thank you. I agree with Council Members Kastema and Johnson about the supermajority being strong. And I also think Mayor Whitting's proposed criteria is strong without being a hyper-specific checklist of things. I think it's broad enough, but still gives clarity and definition to what it might mean to earn a key to the city. I would add a third point. Mayor Whitting, you said that there's kind of two options, a supermajority vote or criteria. I think it can be a both and piece. And also, I would propose some sort of stronger community involvement. provide the nominations and written…”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 1:49:52
“So sorry. We don't have microphones in our schools. I don't remember getting something. That does not mean it didn't happen, but I do remember immediately having to do my own research to find out who that person was because I did not know.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:21:43
“Good evening, everyone. As we close tonight, before that happens, I wanted to briefly reflect on where our community is headed right now, because we're in the middle of a very important transition.”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:21:56
“Tomorrow is supposed to be Puyallup's first day of school. I teach in the Bethel School District, and today was day two. So that moment matters. It doesn't just mean students returning to classrooms. It means our neighborhoods are waking up with new routines, families planning their days, and our community getting ready for the school year ahead. And with that return comes a shared responsibility to make sure our schools and the areas around them are safe, welcoming, and prepared for growth. Safety has to be more than a promise. It has to be a practice we support. We've talked a lot about…”
City Council · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 34:33
“Thank you, Mary Winning. Just one question, if I can just have one, that would be awesome. Can staff identify for Council whether any provision we are adopting tonight results in less environmental protection than our existing code? And if so, specifically where and why staff believes that change is supported by best available science?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 35:59
“It's not really even a follow-up. It's a separate question, I guess. Can you confirm that our action tonight does not adopt or endorse the previously proposed changes to the riparian management zones or stream buffers? and that council will have a separate opportunity to consider these after the additional best available science work is completed?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 46:04
“Thank you, Mayor Whitting. I also implicitly trust Barbara for sure, at least to this point. But I do have a question about transparency and communication. Will residents be able to readily see our investment reports? And can we make those reports available through the city's regular financial reporting if it isn't already and it may be already done that way, rather than simply having them available upon request? Can we be proactive about that and just publish them?”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:33:46
“Well, I will echo everything that has already been said. Thank you for being so thorough. It's great to be back in session. And I want to thank those who showed up tonight in person or online. And I ask that you keep showing up. Before we wrap tonight and before other council members get to speak, I want to acknowledge the passing today of Dolly Parton. Like so many people, I knew her first for her music and her moxie, but what I've always admired most was what she chose to do with her success. Dolly grew up in poverty, and because her father could not read or write, she created the…”
City Council · Aug 25, 2026
- Play at 1:47:03
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to address the dependency argument first, directly. The evidence on food security doesn't support it. You know this. People don't use food assistance because it's comfortable. They use it because groceries are expensive and paychecks don't stretch. A food locker doesn't create a need. It responds to a need that already exists in the city. I want to put this $80,000 request in context. Four months ago, this same council approved $149,775.40 for a flagpole, nearly double what we're being asked to consider tonight, funded with existing taxpayer dollars over…”
City Council · Jul 14, 2026
- Play at 3:17:22
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll keep it short and sweet. I just wanted to remind everybody to vote. Check out your mailboxes for your voters' pamphlets and your ballots should be coming soon if you haven't gotten them already. And get out the vote. Thank you.”
City Council · Jul 14, 2026