Puyallup vote could truly change council
MELISSA SANTOS; The News Tribune
The days of uncontested City Council races in Puyallup have come to an end.
Each council position up for election this year in Pierce County’s third-largest city attracted three candidates – something that hasn’t happened in 10 years.
The Aug. 18 primary whittled the pool of nine candidates down to six – two for each position.
The Nov. 3 election has the potential to dramatically change the dynamic on the seven-member council, whose members have split 4-3 in the past two years over everything from support of the city manager, to changes in voting districts, to preserving government transparency.
Here’s a look at the candidates.
Council District 1, Position 2
Incumbent Councilman George Dill faces a challenge from Tony Aho, who works in admissions for Pacific Lutheran University.
On his Web site, Dill bills himself as an independent voice who understands the importance of working well with his peers. He was one of three council members who voted against appointing Gary McLean as city manager in January 2008 and earlier this year voted to fire him.
Dill said Thursday that one of his strengths is taking time to respond in-depth to concerns brought to him by individual citizens.
He said if he’s re-elected, he’ll continue to push for infrastructure improvements in his district, which comprises the older, northern end of Puyallup.
“It’s our streets, our sewers, our water system – they’re falling apart,” Dill said. “We need to give more attention to our community and our infrastructure, instead of focusing on parking garages and downtown.”
Dill said his experience on the council since 2006 separates him from Aho.
“He’s put out nothing but he’s for mom and pop and apple pie and public safety – just generalities,” Dill said. “I’ve put out definitive positions.”
Aho said he, too, is concerned about failing roads and sewers, but also wants to boost economic development and help area businesses. Part of that would include addressing parking issues downtown.
Improving political cooperation could go a long way toward attracting new businesses, Aho said.
“Some businesses and developers don’t want to come to Puyallup just because they see the division on the City Council - the bickering that seems to be more about personal agendas than the issues and the topics,” Aho said. “We’re going to have to change the perception of the council to build those partnerships and mend those relationships.”
Aho also said he’d bring “youth and energy” to the council. Right now, five of the seven members are over 60.
“As a working professional with young children, I bring that perspective,” Aho said.
Council District 2, Position 2
Rick Hansen is seeking another term after he was appointed to fill a vacant seat in January 2008.
He faces retired police officer Christopher Taylor.
Hansen voted against City Manager McLean’s appointment last year and voted to remove him from his position earlier this year.
Hansen said one of the biggest things he’d like to do is hold a public vote to decide whether council members should have term limits. Three members of the current group have served more than 15 years each.
“I think part of the issues on the council come from the fact that certain people have been there such a long, long time,” Hansen said.
He said he’s also passionate about improving transparency. He and fellow Councilman John Knutsen have complained publicly about not getting information they request from city staff, as well as how slowly they think the city responds to citizens’ information requests.
“I want to make sure that we’re open and that when the public wants information, that we get it to them quickly,” Hansen said. “It’s one thing to listen to people talk about transparency, and its another thing to live what you’re saying.”
Taylor said one of his primary goals is to improve communication between council members. He said he feels Hansen and some other council members have gotten caught up in personal rivalries that influence their votes.
“He’s divisive and he continues to be,” Taylor said of Hansen. “I’m not going to partake in the infighting. I believe I see people voting yea or nay depending on how other people vote, and that needs to go.”
After 30 years in the Tacoma Police Department, Taylor said he also has strong ideas for how to improve public safety in Puyallup.
He supports starting a neighborhood-based group like Tacoma’s Safe Streets in Puyallup to help fight crime. The Puyallup Police Department would be closely involved, he said.
Once those community bonds are formed, Taylor said, “If someone comes into the neighborhood that doesn’t belong, they’re going to be noticed, and they’ll leave.”
Council District 3, Position 2
Longtime Puyallup Councilman Mike Deal isn’t seeking another term after 20 years in office, and both candidates running for his seat – John Alexander and Kent Boyle – haven’t tried their hand at public office before.
Alexander, a former Army Ranger turned business development consultant, said he wants to bring a younger perspective to the council. At 32, he has lived in Puyallup since 2005.
“I think if you’ve been living in the city your whole life, it’s hard to see what you need to do to bring the city on par with other cities,” Alexander said.
Some of his priorities include curbing homelessness, managing urban growth and revitalizing the business district along River Road. Neighborhood traffic safety is also a big citizen concern he’d like to address, he said.
In the past, Alexander has needled the council about a lack of transparency. He said he would like to explore creating committees that could examine issues in depth before bringing them to the larger council for a vote. That could give citizens more opportunities to weigh in, he said.
“A lot of times we have some serious issues that come up and we don’t seem to have enough time to explore them,” Alexander said. Boyle, who hosts a morning radio show and has lived in Puyallup most of his life, said he’s running with the hope he can help heal rifts between council members. He thinks his background in communication could be beneficial.
“I just think we have a stalemate right now with what’s going on,” Boyle said. “Until something happens to end that stalemate, we’re not going to move forward.”
The main issue Boyle said he would like to address is traffic congestion on South Hill.
“Anyone who drives there knows you can start on one end of Meridian and by the time you get to the other you could have had a baby and had the kid start school,” Boyle said. “There needs to be real pressure put on maintaining some kind of traffic control.”
Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058
melissa.santos@thenewstribune.com
candidates for Puyallup City Council
COUNCIL DISTRICT 1, POSITION 2
George Dill
Age: 75
Occupation: Current city councilman, retired Army chief warrant officer, former business and accounting instructor at Pierce College
Family: Married, two children
Education: Master of Business Administration, Pacific Lutheran University; Bachelor’s degree, University of Puget Sound; associate degree in real estate, Fort Steilacoom Community College
Campaign contributions: None reported.*
Web site: vote4dill.com
Tony Aho
Age: 36
Occupation: Assistant director of admissions, Pacific Lutheran University School of Education.
Family: Married, two children
Education: Master in Education Administration, PLU; Bachelor in Business Administration, PLU; Associate’s degree, Green River Community College
Campaign contributions: Contributed: $9,852; Spent: $6,067
Web site: www.tonyaho.com
COUNCIL DISTRICT 2, POSITION 2
Rick Hansen
Age: 62
Occupation: Current city councilman, property manager and business consultant
Family: Married, four children
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Washington
Campaign contributions: Contributed: $4,560; Spent: $2,840
Web site: www.rickhansen.info
Christopher Taylor
Age: 59
Occupation: Retired Tacoma police detective
Family: Married, two children
Education: Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Central Washington University; Associate’s degree from Tacoma Community College
Campaign contributions: None reported.*
Web site: www.christaylorforcouncil.com
COUNCIL DISTRICT 3, POSITION 2
John Alexander
Age: 32
Occupation: Business development consultant
Family: Unmarried, one daughter
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political economy, University of Washington; pursuing Master in Business Administration at Colorado State University
Campaign contributions: Contributed: $7,012; Spent: $6,792
Web site: www.alexander4council.com
Kent Boyle
Age: 54
Occupation: Radio host at MIXX 96.1 in Olympia.
Family: Married, one daughter
Education: Graduate of the radio broadcasting program at Bates Technical College. Various college media classes.
Campaign contributions: None reported.*
Web site: www.kentboyle.com
*Candidates who pledge to spend $5,000 or less, and who do not intend to collect more than $500 from any single contributor, do not need to report individual contributions.
