Mayoral, council candidates have big ideas for Arlington

ARLINGTON — The general election ballot is packed with mayor and City Council hopefuls whose ideas for the city cover a lot of common ground.

Three City Council positions and the mayor’s seat are up for election Nov. 3. Two people are competing for each spot.

Recruiting stores, curbing crime, balancing the budget and helping the homeless top candidates’ to-do lists. The transparency of city finances and management of the Arlington Municipal Airport are points of contention this year, mainly in the race for mayor.

Mayor Barbara Tolbert, 57, is running against Arlington native Craig Christianson, 58. Both plan to recruit businesses, preserve historic downtown and support programs for the homeless.

They want to fill vacant storefronts. Attracting new businesses is important for keeping downtown lively and for sales tax revenue, they said.

They also want to cut down drug crimes.

“You can’t talk about any city in Snohomish County without talking about the heroin epidemic,” Tolbert said.

Police can’t arrest their way out of the problem, Christianson said. The new Arlington Community Resource Center and other programs need the mayor’s unwavering support. That’s something the candidates agree on.

They don’t see eye-to-eye on managing finances and the airport.

Christianson decided to run for mayor because the city needs a change, he said. He’s worried the public is being left out of the loop on how their tax dollars are spent. He wants to share city documents more widely and make budgeting a more public process.

He also wants to clean up confusion at the airport. State auditors twice found problems with outdated leases, billing and policies. Christianson would move the Community and Economic Development Department out of airport buildings, he said. He also would require more oversight of airport commission decisions or council actions that affect the airport.

The auditor found issues that have been going on for years, Tolbert said, because old policies hadn’t been updated. A lot of fixes already are underway, she said.

She moved community development there to promote efficiency and teamwork. Having the city involved in running the airport helps catch errors and solve problems. It makes sense to have departments with different expertise work together.

She thinks the city is on a solid financial track. During the recession, the city was dinged by the state for overspending and depleting reserves so leaders cut staff to start saving. Now, Tolbert wants to maintain staff and grow reserves by bringing in retail for sales taxes and pursuing grants for city projects.

Christianson is disappointed in city leadership and feels employees weren’t treated fairly during cuts.

“Be an informed voter,” he said. “It’s your town. If you don’t like the way things are going, let’s fix it together.”

Being mayor has unexpected hurdles and it’s important to be a strong voice even when times are hard, Tolbert said. She admires this year’s candidates, she said.

“It takes a lot to throw your hat in the ring,” she said. “We’re a better city because people want to be engaged.”

In the City Council races, Randy Tendering is running against Sue Weiss to keep his seat. The school bus driver is aiming for a second term and sees himself as a representative for blue collar workers. Weiss hasn’t held an elected office but has volunteered with multiple clubs and committees.

Both want to bring more stores to Arlington so people don’t leave for shopping. Sales taxes could be funneled back into roads or police, they said.

Weiss, 56, wants to focus on accountability and make sure the city’s budget is managed responsibly and reviewed by the public.

Tendering, 63, is happy with how the city is being run. When he started on the council four years ago, reserves were almost nonexistent, he said. He plans to continue building a rainy day fund.

Mike Hopson and Jacob Kukuk are competing for the council seat left vacant after the death of Dick Butner in May. Austin DeFreece III, who was appointed to fill the seat temporarily, did not file in time to make the ballot. He decided after being appointed to the council that he would like to continue for the next four-year term, but by then the deadline had passed to get on the ballot. He has announced a write-in campaign.

Hopson, 67, wants to focus on controlling growth. Roads and utilities have to keep pace with development, he said. He also wants to separate the city and airport by making the airport manager accountable to the airport commission rather than the city. To clean up the streets, he’d like to incentivize accessory dwellings, or “mother-in-law houses,” on private property and work with nonprofits to screen homeless families who can rent the houses for cheap.

Kukuk, 26, is running for council to get more young people involved. He wants young professionals and new families to know they have a voice and someone to relate to, he said. He aims to make space for high tech companies in Arlington and start a youth council to consult on decisions that impact teens and children.

Marilyn Oertle, 68, has been on the council for 16 years and is running against Natalie Reed. Reed did not respond by phone or email to requests for interviews.

Oertle, like other candidates, touched on the need for more retail in Arlington and a desire to work with police and social services on homelessness. She supports public art and wants to draw people downtown with events and recreation.

Voters can attend an Arlington candidates forum hosted by the League of Women Voters at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Stillaguamish Senior Center, 18218 Smokey Point Blvd.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

Mayor

Barbara Tolbert

Age: 57

Experience: Mayor, executive director of Arlington Fly-In, former member of multiple committees and chamber of commerce

Website: barbtolbert.com

Craig Christianson

Age: 58

Experience: Retired Seattle firefighter, owner of Arlington Distributing Company

Website: ccformayor.com

Council position 4

Sue Weiss