With a turn of the page, we usher in the new year. I predict 2015 is going to be a good one for Federal Way.

Our community is positioned to make enormous changes in the coming years because of the collective vision of our residents; the hard work, dedication and expertise of city staff; our city’s positive relationships with representatives in Olympia and in “the other” Washington; and the efforts of city officials.

As a City Council member, I am prohibited from speaking for my colleagues or anyone else at City Hall. So as I write this, I am thinking about my personal perceptions of the state of the city, and I am enormously thankful for all who contribute at a high level and in any way they can to making our community a better place to live.

The culmination of my first year as an elected official in 2014 on the heels of a year as an appointed Council member in 2013 makes me proud of being a small part of the transformation our city is undergoing.

I ran my campaign on the thought that our city is better than our image would indicate, so I put my branding and marketing experience to work by initiating a rebranding campaign. In conjunction with Councilmembers Honda and Duclos, we formed an ad hoc rebranding committee that has now been successfully transitioned to city staff.

This year, we will see that vision come to fruition. The end result will be that the pride we feel in our city will come through to all who live and visit here. This will enable city staff to more effectively attract businesses to Federal Way, resulting in more jobs at all levels being created and located in the city.

I also ran my campaign on attracting satellite college campuses to the city for the same purpose: to attract businesses and jobs. This year the City Council voted to make this concept an official city sanctioned initiative and the city is now actively engaged in this effort.

The promise of this initiative, in my view, is that Federal Way residents will one day be able to obtain their college and graduate degrees in our city! This is an exciting future to imagine. In conjunction with other projects already in progress or being considered, the college initiative is positioned to attract and create corporations, jobs, upper end retail and restaurant establishments, to create a walkable downtown, and further enhance our image.

But, the best result is that it has the potential of lifting up all residents to a higher standard of living derived through its anticipated benefits.

The positive transformation of Federal Way has already begun through these and many other initiatives and efforts by my colleagues on city council, the mayor and by residents. This year will see this momentum continue, with some efforts coming to fruition and new ones being started.

As my first year as an elected official comes to an end, I wanted to say thank you Federal Way for allowing me to serve you during this exciting time for our city. Together, we are making history.

Kelly Maloney, Federal Way City Council