Perrow, Woock face off in Gig Harbor City Council campaign debate

Incumbent Gig Harbor City Council member Michael Perrow and challenger Jeni Woock have met before, but usually on opposite sides of the council dais. Now that Woock is running for the seat he holds, they met on equal footing for an early morning debate.

The Thursday morning Public Affairs Forum hosted at Cottesmore of Life Care attracted a standing-room-only crowd to hear the candidates answer questions in one of Gig Harbor’s hottest races this election season. Woock has made a name for herself in the last two years as the founder of Citizens for the Preservation of Gig Harbor, a group that often finds itself at odds with the current city council.

At the morning debate, the candidates were asked questions about the future of downtown, issues facing the city and what it means to sit on the council.

As far as the future of downtown, both candidates spoke of its importance to the city as a whole.

For Woock, downtown is a hot-button issue. Her political activism began with the Citizens for the Preservation of Downtown Gig Harbor, which later became the group that encompasses the entire city.

She said she’d like to see a public fuel dock come to downtown and she wants to foster an environment that makes things easier for the city’s active commercial fishing industry. She’d also like to see more opportunities for human-powered vessels.

Perrow spoke about the importance of downtown to the community as a whole.

“I like to consider the heritage, the character, the quality of life,” he said. “Our identity is based on that harbor, so protecting it is important.”

In matters of city issues, one big one is the amount of growth and development Gig Harbor is experiencing. Woock has been outspoken about the impact of development in the city, particularly when it comes to traffic. Once the housing developments are built, she said, the city must wrestle with issues of infrastructure.

“Citizens have to live here after the developers are gone,” Woock said.

Above all, both candidates spoke about the role of a city council member in the community and how they intend to fill that role.

Woock laid out her motto for public service: “Don’t wait for citizens to come to city hall, get out there (and meet them).”

Perrow said he believes it’s not just about being in the community, but also being trusted to make tough decisions. He used the example of the sewer lift station proposal downtown that would have located the station in Skansie Brothers House. He said was move to the house was “never going to happen” and said that it was about thinking outside the box.

Being on council, he said, is about considering everything and making a decision that best affects the city.

“I’m ready to make tough decisions, and I have made tough decisions,” he said.

To close the debate, Perrow acknowledged his supporters, including the current mayor and a majority of the sitting council members, with the exception of Ken Malich, who tweeted support for Woock during the debate: “Jeni Woock is performing well. She deserves your support.”

Perrow also acknowledge support of former county councilman and current PenMet Parks director Terry Lee, who emceed the event.

In Woock’s opening statement, she stated she had garnered support of her campaign by local firefighters. But a fire department official in the audience clarified her statement. Woock is supported by a firefighter’s union, not the fire department.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Perrow, Woock face off in Gig Harbor City Council campaign debate."