Your ballot has arrived. Here’s a roundup of what voters will decide west of the Narrows
Ballots for the primary election have been sent out and need to be returned by Aug. 1.
Gig Harbor-area voters will be asked to choose a new parks commissioner and to consider a funding measure for Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One.
Who is running to be on the PenMet board?
The Peninsula Metropolitan Parks Board of Commissioners has five members. They each serve six-year terms.
Amanda Babich, who currently holds position five, has decided not to run for re-election.
The ballot has three candidates who could take her place. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.
Steven Nielson
Nielson, 43, is a senior program quality manager in rocket engine production for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, he told the Gateway.
About 10 years ago he reached out to the city of Orting about volunteer opportunities. When a position opened up on the Orting Parks and Civil Service Commission, he jumped at it, he said.
The position involved the hiring and firing processes for the Orting Police Department and giving the council suggestions for improvements, maintenance and the creation of city parks, Nielson said. He served in that position from 2013-2015.
Nielson moved to the Gig Harbor area in 2018. Shortly after one of his four daughters showed an interest in playing baseball. He decided he’d be the one to coach her team, he said.
Nielson’s been a little league coach with PenMet Parks for the last five years.
“Most importantly while coaching I’m bonding with my daughter,” Nielson said. “But it also gave me the opportunity to get involved with the parks, get familiar with leadership, employees, and with the facilities themselves.”
As a coach in the league and a parent to kids who use the parks, safety is a priority for Nielson, he said.
Some of the parks formerly had live-in hosts, who provided a level of security, Nielson said.
He’d like to explore options that could help keep the parks safe.
“We hear weekly that there’s been another smash-and-grab break-in on a vehicle in the parking lot of Cushman Trail,” Nielson said.
Whether it’s park development projects or land acquisitions, Nielson said he believes it should all be done through the lens of conservation and preservation efforts.
“We live in a very unique part of the world,” he said. “We have an opportunity to impact globally by efforts that we’re doing locally.”
In the four years he’s lived in Gig Harbor, he said he’s also learned about the community’s need for pickleball courts. He said he’s met with a group of supporters that have some ideas for indoor and outdoor court locations.
Nielson’s campaign page is: facebook.com/NielsonforPenMetParks
Billy Sehmel
You may recognize his last name.
Sehmel, 40, is the fifth generation of the Sehmel family and the last to live on the Sehmel family homestead before it was turned into a park, he told the Gateway.
He’s worked in the technology industry for over 20 years.
His first job was as a dial-up service provider, back when we had to connect to the internet over telephone lines, he said.
He currently leads a team of virtualization software engineers at IBM who develop and support a piece of cloud software automation, he said.
His father was an original board member of PenMet Parks.
“I’ve kind of grown up with it in my blood,” Sehmel said.
In 2019 Sehmel brought his technology expertise to PenMet Parks. He volunteered on the Information, Technology and Communications Citizens Committee. During the two years he served, he helped with the organization’s online communication and outreach.
In 2022 and 2023, he was on the Citizens Advisory Committee examining the placement of parks, capital projects, improvement projects, and maintenance projects.
“I think the area needs sports courts, pickleball courts, and smaller fields for the youth,” Sehmel said.
A possible partnership could be with the school district, he suggested.
He’d also like to see strong programming opportunities for adults and seniors.
Sehmel is endorsed by Babich and position three commissioner Laurel Kingsbury, who Sehmel ran against and lost to in 2019.
Board President Steve Nixon also posted on Facebook in support of Sehmel.
Sehmel’s campaign page is: facebook.com/SehmelForPenMet.
Madelyn Hunter
Hunter, 28, has an eye for the arts.
She grew up in Vancouver, Washington.
After graduating college from the University of Puget Sound, she spent time as an event coordinator for a theater in Seattle.
Theater has always been a big part of her life, she said.
She moved to Gig Harbor about six years ago for a marketing coordinator position.
In the position she connected with PenMet Parks, who later asked if she’d like to be a ballet instructor for them.
Hunter started her own ballet class, Tots on their Toes, contracted through PenMet.
Her first class had nine kids in it. A year later she was running six separate classes.
“The money I was getting from ballet classes allowed me to save up to open my own theater company,” Hunter said.
In the fall of 2019, she opened French Toast Theater, also contracted through PenMet.
By 2021 Hunter and PenMet mutually decided to go their separate ways.
Although she was grateful PenMet helped her start her two small businesses, Hunter said she felt PenMet could do more when it comes to health and safety. For instance, she said she thinks communication about a prior bat infestation was lacking, and that there should be more training for employees who work with kids.
Her previous experience with PenMet is what’s motivating her to run, she said.
“I am so excited to make this place as incredible as it can be,” Hunter said. “I just want to be a part of this positive change.”
After her time with PenMet, she didn’t know where she’d move her businesses.
“I thought I was going to lose them,” Hunter said.
The Fox Island community stepped up.
“The people of Fox Island really came through in an incredibly beautiful way to help me find space,” she said.
Tots on their Toes now operates out of the Nichols Community Center and French Toast Theater is at Harbor Fit, she said.
Hunter helped bring Gig Harbor its first large Pride event this year. Pride in the Park had music, food vendors, speakers and activities last month.
Hunter was in charge of the kids zone. French Toast Theater was also a sponsor of the event.
“I wanted to make sure every kid felt loved, respected, and cared for,” she said.
The kid zone had bubbles, clowns, balloon makers, and a chill out zone to hang out or color.
Hunter’s campaign page is: madelynhunter.com.
Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One levy lid lift
Voters will also see a fire levy lid lift up for renewal.
The levy renewal will “ensure our district has adequate funding to maintain the staffing and equipment needed to respond to emergencies across the district,” according to the Gig Harbor and Fire Medic One website.
For a Gig Harbor-area homeowner with a home worth $865,000, they will pay about $276 per year or $23 per month.
A homeowner with a $700,000 home will pay $18 per month.
Fire Chief Dennis Doan said the money will be used for new fire engines and air packs.
Air packs are self-contained breathing apparatuses firefighters wear on their backs to breathe in smoke, Doan said. Eventually they run out of life and need to be replaced. This year they will need to order over 135 packs, he said.
New packs will cost them about $2.2 million total, Doan said.
Some of their fire engines also need to be updated or replaced, he said.
Engines cost about $1 million each, he said.
If the levy renewal doesn’t pass, they risk having to reduce service, according to Doan.
The voters’ pamphlet says no one submitted a statement against the measure.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 1:15 PM.
