3 fresh faces for city of Puyallup

Next month’s election will mark a new era in Puyallup city politics, no matter who triumphs at the polls.

Three incumbents, including two with more than 30 years combined on the council, aren’t running again. That means there will be at least three new faces – nearly half of the seven-member council – on the dais next year.

In all, five seats are up for election Nov. 8. One is uncontested; Councilman John Knutsen has no competition for his District 1 seat.

Two of his council colleagues – longtime members Kathy Turner and Don Malloy – face term limits and can’t run again. They both joined the council in the 1990s, and one or the other has filled the council-selected mayor’s post for most of the last decade

Turner, the current mayor, holds the at-large council position, while Malloy represents District 3.

A third council member, Tami Brouillet, who’s finishing her first term, isn’t seeking re-election to her District 2 seat.

In general, candidates vying to replace them and fill the other contested seat said they’d work to bring civility back to the council, which has gained a reputation in recent years for personality conflicts and bickering.

John Palmer and Charley Stokes, who are running for Brouillet’s seat, both say they’re skilled at working with different personalities.

District 3 candidates Robin Ordonez and Tom Swanson also tout their collaboration skills.

And John Hopkins and Tom Smillie, who are running for District 1, Position 2, separately pledged to push for greater transparency in city government and to heed input from residents.

In those races, candidates seem to have some common ground.

In the city’s at-large council race, however, Nicole Martineau and Steve Vermillion are a study in contrasts, and their race has gotten personal.

AT-LARGE: THE WHOLE CITY

Martineau was appointed to the council in January 2010 and said she’s accomplished a lot during her short tenure representing District 1: helping bridge a multimillion-dollar budget gap without layoffs, wrapping up litigation and making the transition to a new city manager.

She said Puyallup is a good place to live and she’ll work to keep it that way by pushing for fiscal responsibility, maintaining and replacing aging roads and utility systems, supporting social services and protecting natural areas.

“I think unfortunately in the last few years, we (as a city) have been given a reputation we don’t deserve,” she said. “It’s time for us to move forward and create a new future.”

Vermillion is running on a platform of change. He said the city has too much debt and has been too entangled in needless litigation. The city should look at consolidating resources, such as moving the municipal court to a city-owned building, and also cut waste from the budget before looking to raise rates or taxes, he said.

Vermillion said the council must ask tough questions and research issues thoroughly before signing off, and do a better job listening to residents.

“I’ve heard more and more people say we need a radical change,” he said. “I think there needs to be an ethical base change on the council.”

Martineau, he said, is as an extension of the city’s “old guard.”

How nasty has the campaign gotten? Among other disputes, Vermillion recently accused Martineau of voting against a labor contract for corrections and parking enforcement officers because the officers union endorsed him.

He references the Oct. 4 vote on his campaign website, and said in an interview that it’s an example of the practices he’s trying to get rid of.

Martineau said she voted against the contract because it wasn’t yet clear how it would fit into the city’s overall budget picture. The council didn’t have its first session on the city manager’s recommended 2012 budget until last week.

She said it’s personal shots like this that have put the council in the place it is now.

“I think it’s sad and I think it’s unfortunate, and I don’t think it’s a good leadership quality,” she said.

DISTRICT 1: NORTH END

In District 1, which covers the city’s older, north end, candidates Hopkins and Smillie both say aging roads and utility pipes and other infrastructure are areas of concern.

Hopkins said he would push to eliminate fat in the budget before raising rates to pay for them.

“You have to look at every single line item in the budget,” he said. “Do we need that many planners? Is there a more efficient way of handling our jail?”

He said he’ll work to preserve neighborhood character in District 1, and says that his business experience would be an asset on the council. He owned an electrical contracting company for nearly 20 years before retiring and did general contracting. He also had an art gallery downtown about a decade ago that went out of business.

Hopkins is partners with Councilman Rick Hansen in some downtown property, but said that relationship wouldn’t affect his decision-making.

Smillie said utility rates might have to increase to pay for infrastructure needs because the city would have to take on more debt if utility systems failed. He also said the city should ensure that its infrastructure can handle new subdivisions or annexations before it allows them.

He’s regularly attended council meetings for years and is familiar with city issues, he said. He also knows what it’s like not to feel listened to by the council, he said.

“That’s my whole (reason) for running. We have got to have some council members who listen to the citizens, and it has to be more than one or two,” Smillie said.

In 2009, he was one of several upset residents who spoke at a heated council session in which extra police officers were called for backup.

DISTRICT 3: SOUTH END

Swanson proposes restructuring the city’s budget system, including instituting regular performance audits.

He also said he wants a greater variety of housing options – at reasonable prices – for families and others.

“Somebody should be able to afford to live in the community they grew up in,” Swanson said. “(City officials need to ask), ‘What do we do, as far as growth goes, to ensure families can do that?’”

Swanson, who is married with a young son, said he’d bring the perspective of working families to the council. They’re often under-represented in government, he said.

Ordonez, Swanson’s opponent in District 3, said growth planning will be a key issue in the coming years.

He likes the idea of a Transfer of Development Rights program that preserves natural areas in exchange for development incentives – such as greater building heights – elsewhere. (In Puyallup, downtown is being looked at as a so-called “receiving area.”)

But, he said, the preserved land should have some tie to Puyallup. “If we’re going to allow TDR, it should be beneficial to the city,” he said.

He said his years of experience in public works and utilities would help him make informed decisions on the council.

DISTRICT 2: CENTRAL PUYALLUP

Palmer, who’s running for the District 2, Position 1 seat, also sees growth planning as a critical issue. He said he’s been a leading advocate for farmland preservation in the Puyallup area, especially near the Shaw Road bridge.

He doesn’t want Puyallup to become overgrown but feels development in places like downtown and River Road makes sense, he said. He also favors using design elements that are environmentally friendly and calm traffic when improving neighborhood roads.

“I think we do need to invest in our streets, but when we do it should be in a green and safe way,” he said.

Stokes, his opponent in District 2, said growth in the city should be organic and not forced by developers.

A program like TDR could be successful, he said, but “the devil is going to be in the details.” He said he doesn’t want to see towering buildings downtown.

He said he does want to see council members pay more attention to what residents think and to “not be so insulated in the job that they forget to keep their ears open to the people who make up the city.”

Stokes said he’ll make himself available to residents via phone, email and regular, informal meetings in the district.

Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street

CANDIDATES

AT LARGE

Age: 34.

Family: Married and adopting a child.

Job: Puyallup City Council member and part-time paraeducator.

Civic experience: Active with groups including the Pierce County Regional Council, Tacoma-Pierce County Clean Air Task Force and Salvation Army.

Money raised: $11,710.

Website: www.electmartineau.com.

Age: 63.

Family: Married with two adult children.

Job: Management consultant.

Civic experience: Helped lead groups including the Vietnam Dustoff Association and the Northwest chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.

Money raised: $6,068.

Website: www.stevevermillion.com.

DISTRICT 1, POSITION 2

Age: 63.

Family: Married with three adult children.

Job: Semi-retired property manager.

Civic experience: Helped lead Puyallup Main Street Association and served on the Pierce County Landmarks Commission.

Money raised: $13,200.

Website: www.electjohnhopkins.com.

Age: 60.

Family: Divorced with an adult son.

Job: Retired from BNSF Railway.

Civic experience: Served on Puyallup’s parks and recreation advisory board, volunteered with FISH Food Bank and earned Master Gardener designation.

Money raised: Chose mini-reporting, so he won’t raise or spend more than $5,000.

Website: electtomsmillie.wordpress.com.

DISTRICT 2, POSITION 1

Charley Stokes

Age: 63.

Family: Married with two adult children.

Job: Retired Boeing production supervisor.

Civic experience: Served on the Puyallup Planning Commission from 1998–2007.

Money raised: Chose mini-reporting, meaning he won’t raise or spend more than $5,000.

Website: http:/stokes4citycouncil.wordpress.com.

Age: 49.

Family: Married with a 12-year-old daughter.

Job: Senior policy adviser for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Civic experience: Current chairman of the Puyallup Planning Commission.

Money raised: Chose mini-reporting, meaning he won’t raise or spend more than $5,000.

Website: www.palmerforpuyallup.com.

DISTRICT 3, POSITION 1

Robin Ordonez

Age: 65.

Family: Married; he and his wife have six kids between them.

Job: Retired civil engineer.

Civic experience: Serves on the Puyallup Planning Commission.

Money raised: $4,176.

Website: www.robinordonez.com.

Tom Swanson

Age: 33.

Family: Married with a 1-year-old son.

Job: Council assistant to County Councilwoman Joyce McDonald.

Civic experience: He’s served on the Puyallup Planning Commission and Puyallup/Sumner Chamber of Commerce board.

Money raised: $12,675.

Website: www.electtomswanson.com.