Mayor Penny Sweet knows that she has a lot to be thankful for. “I was blessed 39 years ago by the Grape Choice wine store, which we bought when it was a year old” she tells me. Sweet’s husband Larry Springer (former mayor of Kirkland and current member of the State House of Representatives) worked 6 days a week at the store for a couple years, Penny was a healthcare administrator - a job she held for 31 years.
“In order for us to be successful, the city has to be successful, so we got involved,” says Sweet. The year that Sweet and Springer took over Grape Choice, the city started a Business Improvement District, the predecessor of the Kirkland Downtown Association. It was not a huge success and was disbanded after a year. When it fell apart, business leaders resurrected the KDA. Later, Larry ran for and served on the city council for nine years (four as mayor). When he left Kirkland to run for legislature, Penny ran for mayor again and won (after a previous defeat). Of her leadership role, “It’s the greatest job in the world, it really is,” she says.
The couple has since sold the wine shop, but Sweet is ever grateful for great employees over the years who have become like family. When it came time to move Grape Choice from its former location where the Heathman Hotel is now, to its current place in Marina Park, a parade of customers moved the inventory through downtown Kirkland - a testament to the relationships built at the shop. Over the years Springer and Sweet hosted political functions and charity fundraisers at Grape Choice
Sweet loves that “Kirkland is made up of people who care, our community takes care of one another.” She’s grateful for Washington state as a climate refuge, and she has longstanding passions for environmental issues like solid waste and water quality. She’s grateful to work for a city council that understands that a lot of hard work and listening will be required to move ahead with a good growth plan. The City of Kirkland 2044 Comprehensive Plan update process is underway and will help guide Kirkland’s growth over the next two decades.
“Our land prices are out of this world, that is a significant challenge and there are no easy answers.” Kirkland has more influence in Olympia than just about anyone, “We meet with representatives there 2-3 times per year.” “We are considered to be a leader, particularly in the area of housing.”
Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline have formed a new Regional Crisis Response (RCR) Agency. The agency is a separate legal entity governed by an Executive Board comprised of City Managers or Administrators from each member city. The agency provides mobile crisis response services to better serve community members in the five-city region who experience behavioral health crises. The RCR - Rapid Response team has 13 behavioral health specialists, and a 24-hour mental health crisis center in Kirkland that can help any person in crisis. The model has been used in Arizona for some time and Penny is proud of launching this resource in our area with the leadership of the council. “When you’re on the city council, you have the opportunity to learn and grow in so many ways,” she says.
She and Springer are in their late 70’s healthy, with healthy families for which they’re grateful. They have two golden retrievers as loyal companions. “When I come home at midnight after a city council meeting, they’re waiting for me,” she says fondly. At whatever point her time as mayor is over, Sweet is looking forward to fewer meetings, though she’ll keep being involved. “It all comes down to water and garbage for me.”
In order for us to be successful, the city has to be successful, so we got involved.