3 strong choices for voters
Published 10:14 pm Thursday, September 23, 2010
Lake Stevens has seen its population roughly double in the past four years, with three annexations adding more than 7,000 new residents. A bigger annexation on the Nov. 3 ballot would add another 10,000, bringing the city closer to its long-held goal of creating “one community around the lake.”
The city is growing for the right reasons — community cohesion, efficient delivery of services, better access to local government — but such rapid expansion also brings challenges. To steer such change effectively, Lake Stevens needs highly intelligent, energetic and dedicated leaders on its city council.
Fortunately, that describes many of this fall’s candidates for council. Three races are on the ballot, with just one incumbent seeking re-election.
That candidate is Kathy Holder, and she’s an easy choice for Position 6. A former U.S. Army officer who now works as a paraeducator for the Lake Stevens School District, Holder was elected two years ago after being appointed to fill a council vacancy. She currently serves as council vice president, testimony to her leadership skills. She served previously on the parks board and helped organize the 2006 Northlake annexation, successfully convincing her neighbors of the benefits of joining the city.
Holder is challenged by Tony Charity, who declined to be interviewed by the editorial board.
The other two races are for open seats being vacated by Heather Coleman and Tom Hartwell, who both decided not to seek re-election. In the race for Coleman’s Position 1 seat, we endorse Kim Daughtry over Michiko McBride. In a closer call for Hartwell’s Position 7 seat, we recommend Will Brandt over Marcus Tageant.
Daughtry, who became a leadership coach during a 25-year Navy career and now runs his own home-restoration business, says he has attended every council meeting for the past two years. Clearly, he’s familiar with the issues facing the city, and would hit the ground running as a new council member. It’s notable that he has been endorsed by all the city’s current elected officials.
McBride, a lifelong Lake Stevens resident, is clearly passionate about the city, but could use more political seasoning, perhaps by serving on a city board.
Brandt is another impressive candidate. He helped organize the Soper Hill annexation in 2007, and currently serves on the parks board, where he was a driving force behind the effort to make city parks smoke-free. An energy efficiency analyst for Puget Sound Energy, Brandt comes across as smart and even-tempered, with a good record of leadership.
Tageant could also serve ably. He owns three businesses, and currently serves as vice president of the Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce. His passion for the city comes through in his statements and his work. In a relatively close race, however, we think Brandt has more to offer.
