Marysville’s appointed mayor faces political newcomer in November election

MARYSVILLE — Mayor Jon Nehring and political newcomer Kelly Wright will face off in the Nov. 8 election.

Nehring, 41, was elected to the City Council in 2001 and appointed mayor in June 2010 after Dennis Kendall stepped down.

Wright, 48, works for IDS International, a national security consulting firm that has worked in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He served on the city’s Salary Commission from 2003 to 2009.

Nehring would like to be elected to his first full term as mayor, which is a full-time job. It does not look like there will be significant budget cuts in the upcoming budget process, he said. The city also has healthy reserves.

“It is solid enough to get us through any minor downturns in the economy and any emergencies that we have come up,” Nehring said.

Wright said the central Marysville annexation in December 2009 prompted him to run for the position.

He was in Afghanistan at the time and read online about the annexation. The city didn’t put the annexation to a vote and was not legally obligated to do so.

“I had honestly just come from telling some locals that the legitimacy of their government came from their election and that they should never forget that,” he said. “We forced through such a massive annexation … without seeking the consent of the people who were going to be annexed.”

Wright said he is also running for office to give voters a choice.

Nehring said he has spoken with residents who live in the annexed area and hasn’t heard many negative comments.

“I have probably knocked on several thousand doors personally just in the annexation area,” he said. “They always tell me they’re getting the better police protection now.”

The city also plans to improve roads and put in sidewalks in the annexed area, Nehring said.

The candidates disagree over whether an I-5 overpass that is being built at 156th Street NE is needed.

Nehring said the project has been discussed since he started on the council. He believes it will help relieve traffic congestion at the Lakewood Crossing shopping center and attract business development in the area.

The overpass wasn’t something every business that is part of a local improvement district funding half of the project wanted, Wright said.

“They’re going to have their property taxes raised, they don’t want it and it is of no benefit to their business,” he said.

Both candidates share concerns about a proposed coal terminal in Bellingham potentially doubling the number of trains that go through the city. Both have their own ideas about how to deal with train traffic.

Nehring said he would like to see an eastbound and a westbound lane added on Fourth Street near the highway on-ramps. Wright would like to see overpasses built over the tracks at several locations in the city.

“I think it’s unlikely that Marysville opposition will stop this project and I think we need to be planning for getting over the train tracks,” he said. “We need at least one, probably two overpasses over the train tracks. That’s really our highest traffic priority.”

The overpass solution has been looked at and is unconventional and costly, Nehring said.

“You cannot effectively build overpasses over railroad tracks,” he said. “It would look silly and it just doesn’t make sense for a city like ours.”

Nehring wants to bring manufacturing jobs to north Marysville and work to revitalize the downtown area.

Wright said he was surprised to learn a plan for Wal-Mart to build a store at the northwest corner of 64th Street NE and Highway 9 was moving along and that construction on the store was scheduled to start this year.

The mayor’s current salary is $111,000.

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.

Marysville mayor candidates
Jon Nehring
Age: 41
Occupation: Incumbent Marysville mayor
Website: www.marysvillemayor.com
Priorities: Fiscal stabilty including the city’s budget and economic development; relieving traffic congestion; and public safety.

Kelly Wright
Age: 48
Occupation: Local government subject matter expert for IDS International
Website: www.bettermarysville.com
Priorities: Solutions to the train traffic problem; better financial stewardship; building a stronger sense of community.