Q&A WITH THE CANDIDATE

What do you feel is the most important issue in Shoreline today?
Our economic vitality. To provide the highest quality police services, roads, stormwater systems, parks and recreation programs, and social services, Shoreline must have a reliable revenue base that does not overtax homeowners. The next four years will be difficult ones, with projected budget shortfalls. The City needs Council members experienced in budget management and program development, two areas that have been my professional responsibility at Sea-Tac Airport for the last 10 years. I am able to work collaboratively with all Council members, to engage the community, and to make timely decisions that preserve our quality of life.

How do you think the City should be developed economically?
Sensibly, responsibly, in line with community values. Two elements are critical to economic development: support for businesses to grow and expand, and a robust plan to attract new businesses that can provide goods and services not now available in Shoreline. Development should be focused along our arterials (Aurora and Ballinger) and in certain subareas after thorough community involvement. In some cases, to provide a viable climate for business growth, the City will have to invest in infrastructure as we did so successfully with the first phase of Aurora. This will take funding partnerships with both State and federal agencies.

What role should the City play in shaping new comprehensive housing strategies?
A central role, in partnership with community organizations. All partners must be involved: community, business, educational, charitable. Particularly important will be partnerships with the County Housing Authority, Housing Finance Commission, and developers interested in housing investments. The Council’s Housing Strategy Committee is a good start, studying housing concerns and engaging the community in finding solutions. Any strategy must address affordability (so our children can live in Shoreline, and we can afford to stay), compatibility (new housing stock must fit our neighborhoods), and availability (new housing should match community needs, which are not just for single family homes).

The lawsuit against Council members John Chang, Maggie Fimia, Robert Ransom and Janet Way has been settled. What's your opinion of the suit and the settlement?
The local newspaper editorial boards did their research into the court records. My opinion is right in line with theirs and with State Auditor Brian Sonntag's and local Enterprise columnist Evan Smith's. I've reprinted some excerpts below.

• Seattle Times, September 17
  "Shoreline city taxpayers have paid dearly for the arrogance of some of their elected officials who did not care about conducting the people's business in public.
  
  "The fault lies with the stubbornness of the accused council members, who still have not admitted wrongdoing despite compelling evidence. A violation of the act carries a penalty of $100 per person per violation. If they had paid the fines, they would have been out a nominal amount of money."
• Tacoma News Tribune, September 17
  "It's bad enough when local-government officials get caught making decisions in private that, according to state law, should be made only in open public meetings.
  
  "But it's much worse when taxpayers have to foot hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills to defend officials accused of such misconduct.
  
  "…the Shoreline officials were deliberately being devious and excluding other council members from the decision about Burkett. "At best, the defendants' maneuvering was shabby; at worst, it was illegal. Shoreline taxpayers will pay a high price either way. "
• Tacoma News Tribune, September 18
  "Sad to say, holding round-robin meetings without a quorum in order to circumvent the open meetings law is not an unusual tactic in local government. The Shoreline Four knew perfectly well what they did was devious and unethical. If they had simply accepted fines, Shoreline taxpayers would have been far better served. "
• Enterprise, September 28
  "When the city's legal fees began mounting, one or more of them could have said, 'The city's money would be better spent on other things. While our intent was good, we see that our actions violated state law. We apologize and ask that the plaintiffs drop their suit.'
  
  "…A year earlier when the suit was first filed, they could have said something like, 'We don't want this lawsuit to detract from our job of running the city. The plaintiffs say they'll drop the suit if we apologize. We worked for the best, but the way we did it violated state law. We apologize to our fellow council members and to all Shoreline citizens.'
  
  "Don't those who brought the suit deserve some blame? For what? For trying to keep the council's majority honest?"
• State Auditor Brian Sonntag to the Washington Coalition for Open Government, September 21, 2007:
  
  "Sometimes, agencies simply don't want to be bothered. For them, it's easier to deny a public records request than take the time to fulfill it.
  
  "Worse, we do find instances in which public officials deliberately shut the doors and run a government as if it were their own private club that serves their comfort.
  
  "And we identify situations where they want to hide from public scrutiny of potentially controversial decisions or from decisions where they directly benefit.
  
  "For example… when four members of the Shoreline City Council met in secret to plot replacing the city manager. The former mayor and a former council member took the four to court for violating the Open Public Meetings Act. They settled the lawsuit just last week, and the city must pay $159,000 . . . . in taxpayer dollars . . . . for legal fees.

Why you are seeking this City Council position?
I am committed to winning the seat on the Shoreline City Council to be vacated by Rich Gustafson and working with a new majority to return civility, common sense and prudent fiscal management to the Council. I believe I have the community and business experience to give leadership to the City Council.

What are your qualifications for the job?
I have a B.A. in Politics, a Masters in Education, and an Executive Management Certificate from UW's School of Business. I successfully managed my own business for years and have worked at the Port of Seattle for the last 14 years, currently responsible for Sea-Tac's landside businesses. I am also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and the Better Business Bureau and a mediator with several community Dispute Resolution Centers.

My involvement in the Shoreline community began as soon as we moved to Shoreline over 20 years ago. I was active in the PTA and the Art Docent program in several schools and was a member the Shorewood High School Site Council. I served on the Shoreline School Board (1996-2001) and the Shoreline City Council (2004-2005).

As part of my environmental commitment, I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation, an important regional asset about to become part of Shoreline's great system of parks, and currently serve as the Chair of its Finance Committee.

As a council member what would you do to maintain financial stability in Shoreline?
There are many steps that we as a Council should take, among them:

• Ensure that all projects undergo life cycle analyses so that we know their true O&M costs
• Aggressively pursue economic development opportunities to attract new businesses and assist current ones to expand
• Apply stringent oversight to all requests for new programs ... no more last minute submittals at Council meetings
• Work cooperatively with staff to explore all possible internal cost savings
  As a council member how would you ensure the city provides quality services and facilities?
• Regularly survey the community about City's services and facilities to determine their priorities and levels of satisfaction
• Require regular performance reports from City departments on services and facilities
• Encourage staff to partner with neighboring communities for services and facilities when appropriate

As a council member what priority would you give to parks and recreation facilities?
They would continue to be a top priority, particularly ensuring that the bond-funded properties are operated on a sustaining basis. Several other steps I would pursue include:

• Review the fee structures for recreation facilities on a regular basis
• Pursue alternative funding and grant opportunities such as County Conservancy grants
• Engage the community in support of parks through membership in organizations such as Friends of Saltwater Park and the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation