Remarks by Naren Briar
43 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 2
- Play at 2:54
“With pleasure. Whereas Hispanic Heritage Month, established in 1968 and expanded to a month-long observance in 1988, honors the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities with roots across the Americas, Spain, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and whereas September 15th marks the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, followed by Mexico on September 16th and Chile on September 18th, Bellevue is proud to celebrate the diversity of identities within the Latino community, including to those who identify as…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:47:07
“Thank you, Mayor. I want to begin by extending my gratitude for the fiscally conservative and really responsible approach you've had in crafting this, considering state legislation and the economic impacts of the Iran war and so on. A friend of mine involved in a city in New York mentioned that their mid-sized city is starting off with a $33 million deficit, and it took great pride in responding with, I hope you figure that out because I have no idea what that's like. So thank you again to all the department leads for their meticulous work as well. While neighboring regions have unfortunately…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:48:34
“OK. So I just want that distinction to be crystal clear in how we communicate that publicly as well. I see a really thoughtfully put together program. And there are some key areas that I'm interested in, like transportation and understanding what the right level of investment looks like. But I understand, of course, there's time for that next week. I'd also like to ask, how are your department heads feeling, considering they had to be more mindful of their spending? Do they feel confident and well-equipped? Raise your hand with I. No, I'm just kidding. Do you have an answer to that?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:49:27
“Of course. And how are the police departments feeling as well? Do they feel well-supported and properly resourced? Great. We are getting a thumbs up for those who are watching online. OK. How have we managed to convert part-time positions to full-time in the midst of these tough economic conditions? I know that you had touched upon it lightly, but I just want to sort of reiterate that point.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:50:26
“Excellent. Thank you. And so for this matrix that you put together, I'm very, very grateful, especially with the various scenarios that are laid out. And I don't want to get too granular into this, but it seems like the third. Actually, Mayor, please cut me off if I'm getting too granular. Is my understanding correct that the third scenario provides the most investment in neighborhoods?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:50:48
“OK. Thank you. And lastly, can you tell me about sustainability? What are we doing there?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:52:24
“Okay, excellent. So this actually opens up the path for more policy and allocation discussions.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:52:31
“And then what I will end with is that I'm excited to talk about transportation, but of course I do know that tonight will be rather more high level, so I will hand it off now to you, Mayor. Thank you so much.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 13:35
“Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act recognizes the important role of service animals, dogs individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities and protects the rights of individuals who rely on them to access public spaces and participate fully in community life. And whereas service dogs provide essential assistance to people with disabilities, supporting greater independence, safety and confidence at home, at work and throughout their communities. Whereas in Bellevue and throughout our region, service dogs support adults, children, veterans, and seniors by performing…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 31:33
“Thank you, Deputy Mayor and Council Members. Good evening.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:27:21
“Yes, thank you so much. Number two in the US, number four in the world. I'm just blown away. And a public library is a pinnacle of any educated civilization. I mean, I walk into the Bellevue Public Library, the one in downtown, just because it resets my nervous system. Something about walking in there just really calms me, and smelling the books, and people watching, which is weird. But you should try it sometime. And I can't believe that we also have like the biggest library sortation system in the U.S. ahead of New York City. Mom, Donnie better watch out because we're doing it so much…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:03:05
“Thank you, Deputy Mayor. I really appreciate all the work and deliberation that's been placed into this. I'll start with a high-level overview of what I believe we should be comporting ourselves towards. So this is a state minimum proposal. I do think we could take municipal freedom to potentially increase the scope here. I want us to approach a city that is entirely walkable. Council Member Newenhouse mentions taking a more minimal approach in implementing the minimum that the state requires, and I generally agree with him, but I think in this particular case, I would diverge just a little…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:17:58
“Yes. Sorry. This was, I wanted to respond to, um, I think a misconstruction of what I had said earlier, if that's permitted to do that now or after. Sure, go right ahead. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. I believe it was Councilmember Sumidurira who brought up a point about people with disabilities potentially being excluded by removing minimums. I did just want to clarify for the record that Austin, Texas eliminated their minimum parking and In doing that, they explicitly carved out exceptions for people with disabilities, and not only that, went further to include provisions for service vehicles so…”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:21:27
“Deputy Mayor, I would appreciate an opportunity to get some staff analysis and perhaps have a few options presented to us in October.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:30:04
“Yes. Sorry. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Nick, can I just have you reiterate Is that allowed?”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:30:14
“And the full list being not that we all agree on that, but just options for those contentions.”
City Council · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 6:17
“Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Whereas August is recognized nationally as Black Business Month, a time to celebrate the innovation, entrepreneurship, and lasting contributions of Black-owned businesses that strengthen communities and expand economic opportunities, and whereas Black-owned businesses play an important role in Bellevue's dynamic economy, creating jobs, enriching the city's cultural fabric, and contributing to the innovation and entrepreneurship that help our community thrive, and whereas Bellevue is strengthened by the diversity of its residents, businesses, and entrepreneurs, and the…”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 57:29
“I'll start with the fact that I remember arguing with my parents about pursuing the arts and they told me the arts were just a hobby and I'll never be able to find a place to live. And I just feel so vindicated because I could be like, actually, the city of Bellevue is doing everything to create affordable housing and attract artists. So thank you so much for the work that you're doing. I appreciate that there's public benefits. I think it was slide 13. You don't have to go back, but it said in particular some of the conditions were public space dedicated to community building. The end goal…”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 1:46:50
“Thank you, Deputy Mayor. I'll keep my comments brief and just begin with extending my gratitude. Conducting this complex and cross-functional collaborative work is not easy. And moreover, building predictable, scalable, and reproducible systems is not, I wouldn't say it's native to government, but I think we here in Bellevue are set aside regionally and are beating even national standards because of the work that you're conducting. So thank you so much.”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:14:13
“Thank you so much for this incredible work. I too am excited alongside all of my colleagues that have spoken. For the safety KPI, safety as a term is a bit vague. I just wanted to understand what specifically is being measured. For instance, the number of accidents or what were, I think you had mentioned that all of these contentions have benchmarks that we're measuring against. I just wanted to get some further information on that if it is available.”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:15:39
“I see. If WSDOT is not providing that data, or it's not a part of the funnel that goes through WSDOT and FIRE is providing that data instead, are the two ultimately going to be reconciled?”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:15:58
“Okay. Okay. So we're doing it in-house. That's good. Okay. And then the other question I had is I know that there are some portions that were blocked out on the geofencing of the scooters, and that includes the downtown park, according to the map that I saw. I'm forgetting which slide it was, but just wanted a quick yes or no on that.”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:16:18
“Okay. So Bellevue Downtown Park will be...”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:16:22
“Okay. I think this makes sense. All right. I'm excited. Thank you so much for the incredible work that you've conducted. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Yes.”
City Council · Aug 4, 2026
- Play at 2:16
“To the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
City Council · Jul 28, 2026