6 vie for 3 seats on Snohomish City Council

SNOHOMISH — Six candidates are vying for three City Council seats. The hopefuls — at least most of them — are facing questions about the climbing utility costs in Snohomish and how to pay for parks without a property tax hike.

Incumbent Mayor Karen Guzak is being challenged for the Position 2 seat by former City Councilman Larry Countryman.

Guzak, 76, has served as mayor for six years during her two four-year terms on the council. The Snohomish business owner serves a long list of community and regional boards and groups, including those that focus on transportation, health, recreation, affordable housing, feeding the hungry, history and business.

“I really want to make a difference,” said Guzak. “I jumped into this community with an open heart and an open mind.”

Countryman, 74, is a business owner and local volunteer. The U.S. Air Force veteran previously served 12 years on the City Council and has long been involved in city and county politics. He said he’s running again because he has concerns about the direction the city has taken.

“The city has serious problems coming up,” he said. “No matter how nice our city is, if it’s not affordable to live in, it doesn’t do you any good.”

Incumbent Councilwoman Lynn Schilaty faces opposition for the Position 1 seat from political newcomer Alexander Suprenant.

Schilaty, 52, is finishing her second four-year term on the council. The Snohomish native said her personal connections, involvement in the community and schools, and her political experience give her an edge. The learning curve is steep when getting to know the complexities the job.

“City government, I always say, is where the backhoe meets the ground,” she said.

Her opponent, Suprenant, 23, did not want to be interviewed by the Herald. When asked why, he wrote in an email: “It doesn’t matter to me if people know my views or not; I’ve said all I want to the community already.”

Suprenant, an assistant at the Snohomish Boys &Girls Club, hopes to get more people involved in city decisions, according to his Facebook page.

Incumbent Councilman Paul Kaftanski faces opposition from another political newcomer, Zachary Wilde, for the Position 3 seat.

Kaftanski, 59, is completing his first term on the Snohomish council. He has his sights set on economic development, better budgeting the city’s money and improving infrastructure. Kaftanski, the parks director for the city of Everett, said he wants to use his experience in public service to be a voice for Snohomish.

“Where the rubber meets the road is with the people of the community,” he said.

Wilde, 25, said he’s running because neighbors tell him the City Council isn’t listening to people and is making rash decisions. The Boeing project manager said he hadn’t noticed that himself. He has some ideas for making the city safer for pedestrians and wants to annex a northwestern section of town south of U.S. 2.

Wilde and Countryman count themselves among the majority of Snohomish voters who rejected the creation of a Metropolitan Park District in the Aug. 4 primary election.

“Seeing they wanted to raise taxes again this year was a big ‘no no,’” Wilde said.

All three incumbents have taken heat for their support of the parks district. It would have raised property taxes to pay for parks.

Now the council has to find another way to pay for maintenance and new parks projects, and to protect them from budget cuts during economic downturns.

The elected leaders will also have to tackle problems with the city’s water system, which is sourced from Everett and the Pilchuck River. The council is comparing costs of improving aging pipes. It’s considering getting water from only Everett but maintaining rights on the Pilchuck.

If Snohomish goes with the one-source system, it could reduce water bills, according to the city’s preliminary research.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.

Position 1

Lynn Schilaty

Age: 52

Occupation: stay-at-home mother of three

Website: not available

Alexander Suprenant

Age: 23

Occupation: assistant at Boys &Girls Club

Website: alexandersuprenant.com

Position 2