Mayoral election and Grand Connection in It's Your City

Published March 10 2026

Mo Malakoutian's election as mayor and continuing preparations for the Grand Connection are featured in the spring issue of It's Your City, going to residential and business addresses in Bellevue this week.

Voting unanimously, the City Council elected Malakoutian mayor and Dave Hamilton deputy mayor at its Jan. 6 meeting. "Our residents expect a lot from us-safety, quality of life and a city that feels welcoming and fair," Malakoutian said immediately after the election. "Our best decisions are when we listen well and keep the people at the center of our work."

When Link light rail starts crossing Lake Washington on March 28, it will serve as a catalyst for Bellevue's own Grand Connection, a nonmotorized corridor through downtown that will cross over Interstate 405 to Wilburton. The Crossing will help fuse neighborhoods across the freeway and enhance regional connections to downtown, light rail, trails and beautiful public spaces.

The spring It's Your City also covers:

• Shared bikes returning as the city works to select a vendor to operate shared scooters and seated scooters as well here
• Proposed speed limit reductions for all Bellevue streets with a posted limit of 30 mph or higher, to reduce serious crashes
• The Better Buildings program offers residents and businesses help making commercial buildings and multifamily housing more sustainable.

It's Your City is published three times a year, usually in early March, early July and early November. You can see past online issues of the resident newsletter at It's Your City.