Kemper Freeman Explained

Kemper Freeman
State House1:Washington
Term Start1:January 8, 1973
Term End1:December 31, 1976
Birth Name:Frederick Kemper Freeman Jr.
Birth Date:23 October 1941
Spouse:Betty Austin
Children:Amy Schreck and Suzanne McQuaid
Parents:Frederick Kemper Freeman Sr. and Clotilde Freeman (née Duryee)
Known For:Kemper Development Company

Frederick Kemper Freeman Jr. (born October 23, 1941)[1] is the active chairman and CEO of Kemper Development Company,[2] which built and operates Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, and Lincoln Square, all located in Bellevue, Washington. Kemper represents the third generation of the Freeman family, who have been involved in the growth of the Bellevue community since 1897.[3] He is a former Republican member of the Washington State House of Representatives from the 48th district[4] and publicly active in conversations about traffic and transportation in Bellevue.[5]

Freeman family

Kemper Freeman Jr. is a third-generation resident of Bellevue, Washington. His grandfather, Miller Freeman, was active in state politics and public affairs, including promoting the development of a bridge connecting Seattle, Mercer Island, and Bellevue, and acting as a driving force in anti-Japanese discrimination, agitating for what he called a "white man's Pacific coast".[6] [7] Beginning in 1907,[7] Miller Freeman was a prominent voice calling for the segregation or deportation of Japanese immigrants, whom he saw as a threat to white prosperity.[8] He founded the Anti-Japanese League of Washington in 1916 and was a vocal proponent for the state's 1921 alien land laws, the 1924 Immigration Act, and the 1942 incarceration of American citizens of Japanese ancestry in concentration camps during World War II.[6]

Freeman Jr.'s father, Frederick Kemper Freeman Sr., led the development of what is now Bellevue Square, which opened in 1946.[9] He also was involved in building Bellevue's first hospital, Overlake Hospital Medical Center. Kemper Freeman Jr. was born on October 23, 1941. He married Betty Austin in 1965 and has two daughters, Amy Schreck and Suzanne McQuaid.[10]

Career

In 1973, Freeman Jr. was appointed to a vacant seat in the Washington State House of Representatives as a Republican representing the 48th district. After serving for three years, he resigned from the seat to focus on his business in building and development.[11] He then began working full-time on the expansion and enclosure of Bellevue Square with his father, which re-opened in 1981. In early-1980, Freeman Jr. founded the Kemper Development Company, which has overseen the continued expansion of Bellevue Square as well as development of:

In total, the three properties (Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, Lincoln Square) makeup the Bellevue Collection, covering approximately 50 acres of land in downtown Bellevue. In 2016, Bloomberg reported all of Freeman's holdings had a worth of "about $2 billion" of which Freeman and his two daughters owned a majority stake.[13]

Political involvement

Freeman Jr. often speaks out against mass transit. In 1995 and 1996, Freeman Jr. led a campaign opposing the creation of a regional transit authority which later became Sound Transit, arguing "the automobile has won".[14] [15] In 2004 and 2008, Freeman backed state initiatives to convert HOV lanes and bus lanes to general traffic.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Freeman has been a consistent opponent of Sound Transit's light rail plans. In 2002, the Freeman-backed group Sane Transit sued Sound Transit after the 1 Line was reduced in scope, alleging that a reduction in project scope required the agency to put the issue to another public vote.[20] [21] [22] In 2008, Freeman campaigned against the plan to bring light rail to downtown Bellevue,[23] and backed city council candidates in an effort to route the new light rail line alongside the I-405 freeway, away from population centers.[24] Freeman sued Sound Transit in 2009, arguing that the use of the I-90 HOV lanes for light rail was illegal. The suit was ultimately rejected after being appealed to the Washington State Supreme Court.[25] [26] In 2011, Freeman supported Tim Eyman's Initiative 1125, a proposed tolling measure containing a subtle clause prohibiting any "non-highway purpose" for I-90.[27] [28] In 2016, Freeman spent $210,000 in opposition to Sound Transit 3, making up two-thirds of the nearly $316,000 donated to the "No on ST3" campaign.[29] Freeman called the plan a "major calamity", criticizing the plan's timeline, cost, and scope.[30]

Freeman's motivations stem from a belief that cars provide significantly more personal freedom than transit. He believes that socialist nations have failed in part due to their reliance on public transportation.[31] Critics have accused him of being motivated by classism, arguing that a 2005 comment about the Southcenter mall indicates his disdain for those who can't afford to shop at Bellevue Square: "When you walk through the [Southcenter] mall, the way the customer dresses just to shop there — the light blue and pink hair curlers, the shoes that flop, flop, flop along — it’s a completely different customer," said Freeman. "Yet we are 12 miles apart."[32] [33]

He was also opposed to the Sound Transit 3 mesure in 2016, calling it a "boondoggle".

Community involvement

Freeman Jr. holds leadership appointments in several community and economic development organizations in the Bellevue area, including:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: McRoberts. Patrick. October 29, 2006. Freeman, Frederick Kemper, Jr. (b. 1941). HistoryLink. December 26, 2012.
  2. Web site: Executive Profile: Kemper Freeman Jr.. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Bloomberg. December 26, 2012.
  3. News: Stang. John. Cover Story: Kemper Freeman Jr.. December 26, 2012. Seattle Business Magazine. June 2012.
  4. Web site: Hoemann. Thomas A. State of Washington: Members of the Legislature, 1889 ñ 2009. State of Washington: Members of the Legislature. State of Washington Secretary of State. December 26, 2012.
  5. News: Lang Jones. Jeanne. Retail mogul Kemper Freeman talks shop. January 3, 2013. Puget Sound Business Journal. February 10, 2012.
  6. Web site: Bellevue's anti-Japanese history 'censored' at city-run arts festival, artists say . Margo . Vansynghel . March 17, 2020 . . Cascade Public Media.
  7. Book: David Neiwert. Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right. January 20, 2016. Taylor & Francis. 978-1-317-26060-8. 160.
  8. News: Deport Japanese. July 26, 1919. Seattle Star. March 16, 2019.
  9. News: Brodsky . Sascha . Kemper's Lincoln Square Adds to Seattle Suburb . December 26, 2012 . Shopping Centers Today . December 2005 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121006072141/http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct1205/Shopping_seattle_kemper.php . October 6, 2012 .
  10. News: Long . Katherine . Kemper Freeman is suing to stop light-rail expansion to Eastside . December 26, 2012 . The Seattle Times . May 1, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141009041418/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2011756951_kemper02m.html . October 9, 2014 .
  11. News: Lindblom. Mike. Kemper Freeman Jr.: Bellevue's man on the move. January 3, 2013. The Seattle Times. May 15, 2002.
  12. News: Park. Clayton. Glitzy remake for Bellevue Place. January 3, 2013. Puget Sound Business Journal. June 16, 1996.
  13. News: Metcalf. Tom. A Billionaire Real Estate Mogul Can't Find Love in Hillaryland. March 3, 2020. Bloomberg. November 29, 2016.
  14. News: Schaefer . David . Murakami . Kery . March 15, 1995 . Transit plan derailed: Pierce, Snohomish county voters say no to $6.7 billion proposal . A1 . The Seattle Times . January 25, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180119063248/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950315&slug=2110262 . January 19, 2018 .
  15. News: Schaefer . David . Ervin . Keith . March 6, 1995 . A long road to opposition: Kemper Freeman Jr. vs. the RTA . A1 . The Seattle Times . January 25, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20081007220138/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950306&slug=2108601 . October 7, 2008 .
  16. News: Pryne . Eric . February 3, 2004 . Voters may decide on opening Washington HOV lanes . https://web.archive.org/web/20041122005153/https://itd.idaho.gov/Transporter/2004/020604_Trans/020604_HOVlanes.html . November 22, 2004 . . B4.
  17. Web site: Initiative 883 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214074119/https://www2.sos.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/text/i883.pdf . February 14, 2024 . February 14, 2024 . WA Secretary of State.
  18. Web site: Villeneuve . Andrew . June 16, 2008 . Eyman makes appointment to turn in signatures for I-985 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130123152759/http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2008/06/eyman-makes-appointment-to-turn-in.html . January 23, 2013 . February 13, 2024 . Cascadia Advocate . Northwest Progressive Institute.
  19. Web site: November 4, 2008 . State of Washington Voter's Pamphlet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214074655/https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/Voters%27%2520Pamphlet%25202008%2520General%2520Election.pdf?uid=64b883c94715e . February 14, 2024 . February 14, 2024 . Washington Secretary of State . 11.
  20. News: Dudley . Brier . October 8, 2000 . Who's in the fight against light rail . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201015041006/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20001008&slug=4046810 . October 15, 2020 . February 13, 2024 . The Seattle Times.
  21. Web site: Cohen . Josh . November 28, 2007 . Sound Transit (King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240121165712/https://www.historylink.org/File/8002 . January 21, 2024 . February 13, 2024 . HistoryLink.
  22. Sane Transit v. Sound Transit . 151 . Wn.2d . 60 . 64 . The Supreme Court of Washington . March 4, 2004 . https://casetext.com/case/sane-transit-v-sound-transit . January 10, 2019 . After the voters rejected Sound Transit's 1995 proposal for a $6.9 billion, 16-year regional transit plan, Sound Transit promulgated a second, less ambitious plan in May 1996..
  23. News: June 7, 2007 . Group forms to fight light rail . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080601210457/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003738555_webtraffic07m.html . June 1, 2008 . February 13, 2024 . The Seattle Times.
  24. Web site: Barnett . Erica C. . September 15, 2009 . Freeman Backs Anti-Light Rail Slate on Eastside . live . March 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210306043449/https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2009/09/freeman-backs-anti-light-rail-slate-on-eastside . February 13, 2024 . PubliCola.
  25. News: Lindblom. Mike. Kemper Freeman loses latest bid to stop light rail over I-90 bridge. December 26, 2012. The Seattle Times. March 9, 2012.
  26. Web site: State Supreme Court: Light rail OK on I-90 bridge Local & Regional Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News KOMO News. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130915052213/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/State-Supreme-Court-Light-rail-OK-on-I-90-bridge-223504111.html. September 15, 2013.
  27. News: Westneat . Danny . October 25, 2011 . Eyman's secret war on light rail . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120204220011/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2016606680_danny26.html . February 4, 2012 . The Seattle Times.
  28. Web site: Sanders . Eli . October 26, 2011 . Kemper Freeman's Road Rage . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240209213520/https://www.thestranger.com/features/2011/10/26/10480022/kemper-freemans-road-rage . February 9, 2024 . February 13, 2024 . The Stranger . Freeman became a generous patron for initiative peddler Tim Eyman, giving Eyman $1.1 million to run this fall's Initiative 1125. That $1.1 million constitutes about 90 percent of all the money behind the measure, which purports to be about limiting the state's tolling authority, and does contain a lot of language about tolls, but also contains fine print intended to halt light rail to Bellevue..
  29. News: Lindblom . Mike . Millions spent on Sound Transit 3 campaign — by those who would benefit . May 5, 2024 . The Seattle Times . October 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240505085955/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/employers-contractors-unions-bankroll-sound-transit-3-push/ . May 5, 2024.
  30. News: Moreno . Amy . Developer: ST3 is 'a major calamity' . KING 5 News . September 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161016203308/http://www.king5.com/news/traffic/developer-st3-is-a-major-calamity/317493266 . October 16, 2016.
  31. News: Barnett . Erica C. . June 11, 2007 . Freeman: Transit Proponents Are Socialists, Terrorists . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20070620184607/https://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/freeman_transit_proponents_are_socialist . June 20, 2007 . February 13, 2024 . The Stranger.
  32. News: Large . Jerry . April 24, 2005 . Southcenter comments draw wrath of readers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201025113418/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20050424&slug=jdl24 . October 25, 2020 . February 13, 2024 . The Seattle Times.
  33. Web site: Goldstein . David . January 29, 2010 . Presumption Junction: where light rail intersects with Kemper Freeman’s shameful family history . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150125063722/http://horsesass.org/presumption-junction-where-light-rail-intersects-with-kemper-freemans-shameful-family-history/ . January 25, 2015 . February 13, 2024 . horsesass.org.
  34. Web site: Tateuchi Center Campaign Co-Chairs. Tateuchi Center: A King County Cultural Asset. King County, Washington Government. December 12, 2012.
  35. Web site: Who we are-PACE. May 25, 2022.
  36. News: Staff. Overlake Service League names 8 to Advisory Council. January 3, 2013. Bellevue Reporter. March 27, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305055201/http://www.bellevuereporter.com/community/89331492.html. March 5, 2016. dead.

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