The election is Nov. 2. Here are the candidates running to be mayor of Bonney Lake
This year, Bonney Lake voters will get to decide if they want to keep 15-year incumbent Neil Johnson Jr. as mayor or give Michael McCullough, a public defender for King County, a chance to run the city.
Bonney Lake has a population of over 20,000. There are about 13,900 registered voters in the city as of Oct. 1, according to the Secretary of State’s website. The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Johnson became the city’s mayor in 2006. He ran against four opponents including the incumbent at the time. Previously, he was a city councilmember from 2002 to 2005.
“My whole goal as running for mayor is to keep Bonney Lake moving in a solid direction,” Johnson said.
Johnson said there are still a lot of plans he wants to finish and be a part of, so he wanted to serve four more years before handing the reigns to someone else. The city employees and working environment are what bring him back, he said.
A project he wants to continue working on is implementing more parks while upgrading others in the city. For instance, he said Allan Yorke Park — a summer hotspot — needs gates so it can be closed off when necessary.
Getting the city through the Great Recession in 2008 is one of his biggest achievements, he said. Pushing through the COVID-19 pandemic while seeing an increase in sales tax revenue is another, he said.
In 2007, one of Johnson’s goals was to get a Costco for the city. He was able to watch that goal come to fruition in 2018, he said.
“I’m gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Johnson said. “I have a solid record.”
Aside from being the mayor, Johnson also works at Rotary Offset Press as a sales manager. Rotary Offset Press is a printing, mailing and data management company based in Kent. He has been working at the company since 2004.
Johnson moved to Bonney Lake in 1991. He grew up in the Seattle area.
McCullough is a public defender for the King County Department of Public Defense. He also used to work at the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office from 2002 to 2003. Work is no longer as time-consuming for him as before so that prompted him to run for mayor, he said.
“I’ve always had it in the back of my mind,” McCullough said.
It is time to have a change in leadership, McCullough said. If elected, he wants to make sure the city government is transparent and accessible to residents. Talking with some residents, he said he believes the City Council needs to do more to seek feedback from them.
“We have developed a reputation … of having a council that basically tells our citizens what they’ve done as opposed to saying: ‘This is what we are wanting to do. What’s your opinion on this?’” McCullough said.
Bonney Lake has been going through “growing pains,” McCullough said. There has been a lot of focus on national chains and developers coming to the area, he said.
McCullough said he wants to offer more support to small businesses in the city and figure out why it is difficult for them to survive. Residents have also voiced concerns about their water and sewer bills rising, which is an issue he said he wants to address.
McCullough was originally from Texas and moved to Washington in 1999. He settled in Bonney Lake in 2007.
