# MONEY TRAIL & DEVELOPER TIES
## Financial Analysis — Mayor Birney, Nelson Legacy Group, and the OFH Site
### Case Reference: OFH-2025-001 | April 2026

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## Campaign Finance Overview

**Mayor Angela Birney — 2019 Election**
- Total raised: **$105,311**
- Opponent (Steve Fields): $23,902
- Ratio: **4.4:1**
- Source: Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) filings

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## Nelson Legacy Group — The Adjacent Developer

**Corporate address**: 16508 NE 79th Street, Redmond, WA
**OFH address**: 16510 NE 79th Street, Redmond, WA
**Distance**: Directly adjacent — shares a property boundary

**NLG Portfolio in Downtown Redmond:**
- **22 contiguous acres** of development land in the downtown core
- **The Charles**: 251 residential units (completed)
- **Phase 2**: 88 residential units + office (planned/in progress)
- **330+ total units** built or in pipeline

### NLG Donations to Mayor Birney ($12,200+ identified)

| Donor | Role at NLG | Total Donated | Dates |
|-------|-------------|---------------|-------|
| William Nelson III | Managing Member | $2,000 | Jun 7, 2019 ($1K); Sep 11, 2019 ($1K) |
| Michael Nelson | Managing Member | $2,000 | Jun 7, 2019 ($1K); Sep 11, 2019 ($1K) |
| Brian Nelson | Managing Member | $1,000 | Sep 11, 2019 |
| Mary Morrow | Managing Member/Owner; OneRedmond Past President | $2,250 | Jun 7, 2019 ($1K); Sep 11, 2019 ($1K); Feb 7, 2023 ($250) |
| Janet McCann | Managing Member (Santa Barbara, CA) | $3,200 | Jun 7, 2019 ($1K); Sep 11, 2019 ($1K); Apr 1, 2023 ($1.2K) |
| Thomas Markl | CEO | $1,500 | Jun 7, 2019 ($1K); Aug 4, 2022 ($500) |
| NLG (organization) | — | $250 | May 28, 2015 |
| **TOTAL** | | **$12,200+** | |

**NLG is the single largest identified donor bloc to Mayor Birney's campaigns.**

Source: PDC filings; `FOLLOW_THE_MONEY.md`

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## OneRedmond Board — The Conflict Nexus

OneRedmond is the City of Redmond's designated economic development partner, receiving a **$300,000 annual city contract**.

**Board members with OFH-relevant connections:**

| Member | Board Role | Affiliation | OFH Connection |
|--------|-----------|-------------|----------------|
| **Angela Birney** | At-Large Member | Mayor of Redmond | Decision-maker on OFH closure and demolition |
| **Tim Overland** | Secretary | CEO, Nelson Legacy Group | Adjacent property developer |
| **Amy Webber** | Member | Agent, Nelson Legacy Group | Adjacent property developer |
| **Mary Morrow** | Past President | Managing Member/Owner, NLG | Adjacent developer; $2,250 Birney donor |
| Steve Yoon | Chairman | Mill Creek Residential (700+ units in Redmond) | Developer interest in Redmond growth |
| Angela Rozmyn | Vice President | Natural & Built Environments (entitlements firm) | Facilitates development approvals |
| Vanessa Kritzer | Public Sector Partner | City Council Member | Voted 6-0 to demolish OFH |

**The Mayor sits on the same board as three representatives of her largest campaign donor — the developer adjacent to the property she decided to demolish.**

Source: OneRedmond board listings; PDC filings

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## Other Major Donors with Development Interest

| Donor | Amount to Birney | Interest |
|-------|-----------------|----------|
| WA Realtors PAC | $2,000 | Real estate industry lobby |
| NAIOP Commercial RE PAC | $1,000 | Commercial real estate developers |
| Waste Management | $1,450 | No-bid contract holder since 1994 |
| AT&T | $1,000 | OneRedmond Board member (via Paolini) |
| Amazon | $1,000 | OneRedmond Board member (via Pravitz) |
| Comcast | $1,000 | Utility franchise holder |

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## The Property Play — Economic Analysis

| Factor | Detail |
|--------|--------|
| **OFH lot size** | 0.64 acres |
| **Assessed value (2013)** | $1,624,400 |
| **Estimated current value** | ~$5,000,000 |
| **Adjacent owner** | Nelson Legacy Group (16508 NE 79th St) |
| **NLG contiguous assembly** | 22 acres in downtown core |
| **Light rail proximity** | Downtown Redmond Link station opened May 10, 2025 — walking distance |
| **New zoning (Jun 28, 2025)** | 144ft height / FAR 8.0 |
| **Development potential** | 300-400 luxury residential units |
| **Estimated development value** | $150M-$250M (at comparable downtown Redmond per-unit rates) |

### The Sequence

1. **Dec 2019** — Ordinance 2982: OFH deliberately not given landmark protection
2. **2017-2023** — $94,370 in maintenance requests systematically denied
3. **Jan 2023** — "Alternate Facilities Plan" appears on internal agendas
4. **Mar 2025** — OFH closed, citing building condition
5. **May 2025** — Light rail station opens (property value multiplier)
6. **Jun 2025** — Site rezoned: 144ft / FAR 8.0 (TOD designation)
7. **Nov 2025** — Council votes to demolish (no budget, no timeline for rebuild)
8. **Mid-summer 2026** — Demolition target

### Prior Pattern: Plymouth Housing Land Transfer (April 2024)

| Factor | Detail |
|--------|--------|
| **Property** | Cleveland Street site |
| **Value** | $5.5 million |
| **Process** | 22-day sprint from proposal to approval |
| **Public hearings** | Zero |
| **Legal pipeline** | Kenny/Sato at Ogden Murphy Wallace / Kantor Taylor |

A community member identified this pattern in a March 24, 2025 email:
> *"You got away with selling Cleveland property to Plymouth Housing."*

The same legal pipeline (Kenny/Sato) executed both property transactions.

Source: `FOLLOW_THE_MONEY.md`; `PLYMOUTH_HOUSING_REPORT.md`

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## PR Spending vs. Building Maintenance

| Item | Monthly Cost |
|------|-------------|
| Stepherson & Associates PR contract | $4,468.75/month |
| Annual OFH capital maintenance requests (averaged) | ~$1,573/month ($94,370 over 5 years / 60 months) |

**The City spent 2.8x more per month on a PR firm to manage the closure announcement than the building's entire annual capital maintenance request would have cost.**

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## OFH Stakeholder Group — Financial Connections

The Fall 2025 "Stakeholder Group" included:

| Member | City Connection |
|--------|----------------|
| **Pat Vache** | **OneRedmond Foundation Treasurer** — same board as Mayor Birney and NLG developers |
| Caroline Chapman | City Parks employee (possibly misrepresented as "former") |
| 9-10 additional members | Sitting on city-appointed boards or commissions |

**73% of named adult stakeholder group members had pre-existing financial or institutional ties to the City.**

Source: Stakeholder recommendation report; board appointment records

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*All financial data sourced from Washington State Public Disclosure Commission filings, City of Redmond budget documents, and records obtained via PRA.*
