Paine Field, waterfront a concern to Mukilteo council candidates

Published 12:19 pm Saturday, October 23, 2010

MUKILTEO — Candidates for two open City Council seats say there’s a lot at stake in the years ahead.

They’re concerned about annexation, whether and how to fight commercial jet traffic at the nearby Paine Field, and the future of both Japanese Gulch and waterfront development.

Incumbent Kevin Stoltz’s $2,888.52 in reported campaign contributions leads the pack and exceeds the combined totals of the other three candidates in the race.

Stoltz, seeking his second term, said he’s proud of his efforts to add a pedestrian trail connecting Fifth Street and Mukilteo Lane and his work on the council’s transportation committee.

“I think we really got a lot of things moving forward,” Stoltz said.

His challenger, Patty Cooper, a retired 911 dispatcher, said she’s opposed to commercial jet traffic at Paine Field. She also wants the city to focus more on bringing well-paying jobs to town.

“We need to promote jobs here,” she said. “Especially aerospace. We need a technical college, so students can get technical training right on the job.”

In the other council race, Richard Emery, who was appointed to the council in February, faces newcomer Ed Kunigonis, a Boeing security manager who says council members need to pay closer attention to the wishes of all city residents, not just those who show up to council meetings.

The four-year term pays $6,000 a year.

Position 1

Stoltz and Cooper differ on whether the city should annex unincorporated areas near Picnic Point and along Highway 99. Cooper supports the annexation proposal and Stoltz opposes it, arguing that it would add undesireable sections of Highway 99 to the city.

“If we don’t annex sooner or later … it’s going to be some other entity that’s going to make the zoning decisions,” Cooper said.

That annexation, which was approved by the Washington State Boundary Review Board for Snohomish County earlier this year, is on hold because Snohomish County Fire District 1 is challenging that approval in court.

Stoltz has received campaign contributions from fire district and city fire department unions.

Like Mayor Joe Marine, who has endorsed her campaign, Cooper said she’d like to see a new street connection to the waterfront to ease the burden on the busy Mukilteo Speedway and ferry terminal.

City officials have discussed the possibility of carving a new road to connect Seaway Boulevard next to Paine Field, to the waterfront. So far, however, no studies have been funded.

“That will free up our beautiful downtown area,” Cooper said. It is simply becoming more dangerous and truly (is) a public safety issue.”

Cooper’s campaign Web site is www.votepattycooper.com. Stoltz’s campaign Web site is www.kevin4mukilteo.com.

Position 2

Richard Emery may be the sitting council member, but he’s actually running his first campaign.

That’s because the council appointed Emery late last year to fill the seat vacated by Marko Liias, who was elected to the Legislature.

Emery said he got involved in city politics because of his concerns over the future of Japanese Gulch, a forested ravine on the edge of city limits.

He’s co-founder of the Mukilteo-based nonprofit organization Japanese Gulch Group, which advocates preserving the gulch.

Emery is opposed to the city’s latest annexation proposal, arguing the city needs to focus on its own issues before bringing more people into the city.

As the city works on upgrades to Lighthouse Park, Emery said there isn’t a single solution to a parking shortage in Old Town and along the waterfront.

He supports adding more park-and-ride lots along with car and van pools as temporary solutions. He said he opposes building a new road to the waterfront to accommodate ferry travelers.

Emery thinks such a road, which so far is only an idea, would be the wrong move.

“We’ve never been able to pave our way out of congestion,” he said. “If we think about doing it again, we’ll find ourselves in the same spot — with two highways that are equally congested.”

Kunigonis said residents he’s talked to are concerned about environmental preservation but don’t see it as a top priority compared with other issues.

“I’ve not bumped into one person who said, ‘I don’t care about our parks or I don’t care about the environment,’” he said. “Mukilteo does not own Japanese Gulch, so we really don’t have any control over the disposition of it until we actually own it.”

Kunigonis said he’d strive to be a good listener and work to ensure council meetings are focused.

“I’ve been doorbelling the last three months and I know how many homes I can reach in a day,” he said.

If each council member reached out to more residents, they’d also have a better sense of how to set their priorities, he said.

“I think that would give you a pretty good idea of what the majority position is on a given hot-button issue,” he said.

Emery’s campaign Web site is www.richardemery.org. Kunigonis’ campaign Web site is www.kunigonis4 council.com.

Oscar Halpert: 425-339-3429, ohalpert@heraldnet.com.

Mukilteo City Council

Position 1

Patty Cooper

Age: 56

Occupation: Retired 911 dispatcher

Kevin Stoltz

Age: 48

Occupation: Computer networking consultant

Position 2

Richard Emery

Age: 61

Occupation: Landlord and real estate investor

Ed Kunigonis

Age: 55

Occupation: Senior security manager, Boeing