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Sammamish Sustainability Commission elects Christie Santadomingo chair; Nick Garson chosen vice chair
Summary
The Sustainability Commission elected Christie Santadomingo as chair and Nick Garson as vice chair in a hand vote and received a staff update on the city’s climate action work plan, including EnergySmart Eastside metrics (about 800 heat pumps installed to date, goal of 1,000 this year) and upcoming outreach and program implementation items that will require budget direction.
The Sammamish Sustainability Commission elected Commissioner Christie Santadomingo as its 2026 chair and selected Nick Garson as vice chair after nominations and a majority hand vote. Members explained the chair and vice-chair roles are one‑year commitments intended to support meeting planning, outreach and coordination with city staff.
Commissioner Christie Santadomingo, a science teacher and the commission’s green team lead, was nominated and elected by a majority. Commissioner Nick Garson was elected vice chair by voice/hand vote; the commission discussed transition support and noted the outgoing chair would meet with the new chair before the April meeting.
After leadership elections, Rose, the city’s sustainability coordinator, presented the city’s sustainability work plan and progress on several programs. Rose said Sammamish participates in EnergySmart Eastside — a regional heat‑pump program shared by six Eastside cities — and reported program metrics: the coalition has installed “over 800 heat pumps” across participating jurisdictions and expects to reach 1,000 installs this year; the program reports approximately 28,000 metric tons of CO2e reductions and said 68% of supported heat-pump installs served low- and moderate‑income homes. Rose said a renter pilot is underway to extend heat‑pump support to income‑qualified renters and landlords.
Rose also reviewed other work-plan priorities: solid-waste recycling events scheduled in April, a community repair event in July, implementation steps for a right‑of‑way tree study, and a planned Urban Forest Management Plan update that will require consultant support and budget direction from the council. She asked commissioners to track questions for a April question-and-answer matrix and offered to bring program staff for deeper technical briefings (for example, a dedicated EnergySmart Eastside presentation later this year).
Commissioners discussed how the commission will engage with council during the upcoming biennial budget cycle and noted the electrification study and other initiatives will require council direction to advance. With time running short, Rose said staff will circulate a Q&A matrix and talking points to help commissioners support outreach at Earth Day and other events. The meeting adjourned following a motion and voice vote.
