Political vets vie for council spot

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, September 9, 2001

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

Most Sept. 18 primary contests for the Snohomish County Council feature battles between political newcomers.

Not so in District 4.

The fight for the Republican spot in the general election for the south county district features a veteran of state politics against a veteran of local politics.

Both argue their experience makes them the better candidate.

Dave Schmidt, a four-term state representative, said his time in Olympia will help him understand complex financial issues facing the county and lobby for the county’s interests in the Legislature.

"You’ve got to know that process really well," said the 47-year-old who lives north of Bothell.

Pam Pruitt, a two-term Mill Creek city councilwoman and one-term mayor, sees Schmidt’s legislative experience as a liability since the legislature has suffered from gridlock. Pruitt said her time as a city official showed her skill at working local issues.

"I have a really strong track record for finding solutions," she said.

The two agree on the top issues in their campaigns: traffic and growth.

Both say the county council’s recent overhaul of an ordinance restricting a type of development common in their district was misguided.

The tighter limits on how many homes could go on a single acre, and other changes, will drive up the cost of housing and make it hard to increase housing density in urban centers, Schmidt said.

"If you want transit to work you need to have reasonable density," he said.

Pruitt said those reforms just shift the problem to other areas, and what’s really needed is a more comprehensive look at development.

But the two differ on whether to increase fees paid to offset traffic impacts from new development. The council is expected face that contentious issue soon.

Pruitt said she wanted to look at ways of getting developers to simply pay for things such as a new turning lane in a nearby road, rather than with cash. But the fee increase will also warrant a "serious look," she said.

Schmidt, however opposed any increase. The fees simply translate into higher housing costs, he said.

The two have also received endorsements from different sides on the growth debate.

Schmidt has earned the endorsement of the Snohomish County-Camano Real Estate Association, and thousands of dollars in donations from members of the development industry.

The Realtors backed Schmidt because of his positions on housing and transportation issues, said Mike Pattison, the association’s lobbyist.

"I think they felt his experience in the area could help the county get transportation funding and solve transportation problems," he said.

Pruitt has raised thousands of dollars from development interests as well, though she is the largest-single donor to her campaign with a $5,000 contribution. But she has also earned the support of environmentalists, with an endorsement from Citizens for Environmental Responsibility, an Edmonds-based political action committee.

"Pruitt recognizes that Snohomish County is in trouble, and Dave Schmidt is supported by the very development interests that brought us neighborhoods that look like sardine cans," said the group’s executive director, Steven Greenebaum.

The winner of the contest will face Democrat Dave Gossett in the general election Nov. 6. Gossett, the Mountlake Terrace mayor and a long-time analyst for the county council, has no Democratic challenger. But the primary is still an important gauge of support, he said.

"I figure that I’d be really happy with 45 percent (of the primary vote) and if I can get 40 I’m still in the game," he said.

You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.