Qualifications:
1. Strengths.
What makes you the best
candidate to be Mayor of
I believe my experience as an elected representative for the
people of
2. Weaknesses.
Many in our neighborhoods feel that the choice of Mayor this year will be between vision/leadership and administrative experience. What do you perceive as your weakest attribute of the two and how will you address this?
Vision/Leadership includes the ability to describe where you
want to go in a clear manner that people understand and agree with and will
want to follow. Administrative
experience is a skill necessary to properly run any group of people. I think a good mayor should have all of these
qualities and I believe that I do.
Growth and Planning:
3. Consistent Development Process and
Neighborhood Input.
The spot rezone process that was recently
used for the Squalicum Lofts proposal created an
unfair situation pitting neighbors against the developer, Planning staff, and
policy makers in an unpredictable process.
Without changes, other neighborhoods and developers will be similarly
affected in the future. What are your
observations of this process and what would you propose as Mayor working with Planning staff to protect the integrity of Comprehensive
Plan goals and policies, neighborhood plan updates, and a meaningful proactive
exchange of ideas with stakeholders?
There are improvements that must be made to the development
process. If criteria are developed and
agreed to by the staff and the Council they must be used. You can’t have predictability if the Council
makes up their own rules as they go.
When the City removed the land use regulations from the neighborhood
plans it drastically reduced the predictability in the comprehensive plan. Homes are the largest investments most people
ever make. Predictability is essential
for anyone to have faith in land use planning.
The problem with communication with the city of
4. Urban Center Infill.
Do you support the Comprehensive Plan’s direction of infill housing created through Urban Centers and if so, how can this method be expedited in order to take pressure off leap-frogging in inappropriate areas?
Lake Whatcom Watershed:
5. Watershed Comprehensive Plan.
How will you move the community to
embrace an overriding vision with specific goals for stormwater management and
land acquisition in the Lake Whatcom watershed that will effectively and
immediately maintain and then, eventually, further reduce pollution levels?
Bellingham has worked toward the protection of Lake Whatcom
for many years. Tens of millions of
dollars have been spent in property acquisition in the watershed. The largest problem currently is storm water
runoff into the lake. Until we have a
system to control runoff we won’t be able to solve this problem.
6. Funding Choices.
In last week’s Cascadia Weekly Gristle
Column, Tim Johnson declares Bellingham has two waterfronts demanding our
community resources. As Mayor, how will
you prioritize and provide direction for Lake Whatcom drinking water protection
versus cleanup and redevelopment of the salt waterfront?
Budgeting is always a matter of prioritization. We absolutely must have clean safe drinking
water. Redevelopment of the former
Georgia Pacific site is a rare opportunity to reconnect Bellingham to its waterfront. We certainly would like to do both. Which is the higher priority? Certainly the drinking water supply.
Waterfront
Redevelopment:
7. Harbor Cleanup.
Describe, briefly, the key features of the cleanup plan favored by the Port of Bellingham for “New Whatcom,” the adjacent waterways, and the ASB and are you satisfied with this plan/agreement? Have you read the Interlocal Agreement (and the three Supplemental Agreements) between the City and the Port and is it a “fair’ agreement for both parties?
The “Waterfront” redevelopment plan
proposed by the Port of Bellingham is basically to take a polluted industrial
site and develop it into an area that can be used for housing, offices and
commercial uses. In order to do that
various levels of cleanup are required.
The city of Bellingham and the Port have entered into interlocal
agreements to describe the responsibilities of both parties. I have read and helped develop these agreements. It is essential that everyone involved
understands their role. If the
relationship between the City and the Port is not “fair” it will not go
forward.
8. Infrastructure:
What is your “back of the envelope” list of Capital needs and your guess as to the cost? By how much would your list exceed the borrowing capacity of the COB? At what point would the amount borrowed lead to higher interest rates? What would be your priorities?
The city of Bellingham has a non voted
debt capacity of $103,029,728 of that non voted capacity the City has used
$32,802,613 leaving a balance of
$70,227,115 available. Bellingham
also has a voted and non voted debt capacity of $171,716,213 of that the City
has used $34,342,613 leaving a balance of $137,373,600. If Bellingham substantially increases its
debt we will also lose our Aa1 credit rating.
A lowered credit rating will increase the cost of borrowing to the city.
9. Redevelopment of the Waterfront:
Will the economic benefit exceed the cost for the average Bellingham taxpayer and under what conditions? What will the impact of this redevelopment be on the adjacent neighborhoods and how would you go about minimizing them?
Redeveloping the waterfront will not occur overnight. The City has spent money to spur development
in our downtown; this “priming the pump” was successful. We will need to invest money on the
waterfront. As our redevelopment plan is
developed we have to ensure that investment pays dividends commensurate to the
cost.
Recreation:
10. Parks, Trails, and Open Space.
Besides the dedicated
funding of the Greenways III levy, how would you suggest the City balance its
parks, trails, and open space system so that north Bellingham is better
represented? Is this a priority issue
for you?
As the Meridian/Cordata area is
infilled the City must ensure that a system of parks and trails are part of
that development. A system of parks and
trails are essential to all Bellingham neighborhoods.
Emergency Response:
11. Utility lines.
Our neighborhoods
have large industrial high-pressure gas pipelines and high voltage power lines
running through residential areas. There
are houses connected directly to the gas lines, still at high pressure. These were installed to service industries in
the area. They pose tremendous danger in
case of earthquake. The Cascade Natural
Gas franchise agreement will be renegotiated for a new term during your tenure
as Mayor. PSE's agreement can be
reopened after January 31, 2013. What
should new agreements with any utility company provide for to protect our
neighborhoods? How important is this
issue to you? Are you prepared to ask
these companies to reopen the contracts now to provide safe service?
We learned how important pipelines are
when we lost three young lives in the Olympic Pipe Line explosion. I believe it is essential to correct any
unsafe condition at the first opportunity.
Personnel Management:
12. Finance Director Role.
What is the role you see of an
appointed Finance Director in decisions related to the large financial impacts
of the Lake Whatcom watershed and the waterfront redevelopment?
The role of finance director is responsible for the
financial stewardship of the monetary resources of the city. It is vital that the finance director
understand and be able to advise the Mayor and City Council about the impacts
of any financial decisions.
13. Advisory Committees.
What skill
set and geographic balance do you look for as a Mayor in the makeup of the
Planning Commission and other advisory boards?
Does it concern you that all current members of the Commission live
south of Whatcom Creek?
The primary skills required as a member of the Planning Commission is an understanding of land use and zoning issues. It is also necessary to have a grasp of the importance of individual neighborhood character and the vision of the direction Bellingham wants for its future. Finding people with these qualities is extraordinarily difficult. I would prefer to have commissioners from all areas of the city but “gold is where you find it”.