EVERETT – The top two issues of this election – traffic and growth – were echoed in a Snohomish County Council candidates forum Wednesday night.
About two dozen people attended the forum sponsored by The Herald at the Snohomish County Administration Building.
Most of the politicians said growth was inevitable and parroted the familiar “growth should pay for growth” mantra. Where fees can’t solve traffic problems, new taxes will be needed.
“If we want to have major improvements in our transportation system … it is going to take new revenues,” said Dave Gossett, a Democratic council member from Mountlake Terrace.
Highway 9 needs about $450 million in work, he said, “and we’re not just going to find that by shaving money off what we spend on paper clips.”
Gossett faces Republican challenger Eva Davies of Bothell. She did not attend the forum.
With fewer than two weeks before Election Day, the contrast between politicians was not as stark as in some recent debates, where talk of development and the environment polarized the candidates.
If a Democrat challenger wins the election, control would shift away from Republicans, who have held a 3-2 majority since 2002.
The most competitive is District 5, where Republican incumbent Jeff Sax of Snohomish faces Democratic challenger Dave Somers of Monroe, a former County Council member unseated by Sax in 2001.
“This campaign is about who has a vision, and the character and leadership to get there,” Sax said.
Greg Stephens is an independent candidate in the District 5 race.
Republican incumbent John Koster of Arlington said growth is a choice between “evil sprawl” and development inside neighborhoods that leads to homes packed like sardines.
“The trick is to balance that,” said Koster, who is seeking a second term.
Somers and Koster’s opponent – Democrat candidate Suzanne Smith – said the line between urban land and rural land must remain a clear one.
Smith said she favors developments within urban areas.
A wide-ranging discussion also covered shifting the tax burden away from property taxes. Instead, tolls could help pay for the road system and income taxes for government operations, the candidates said.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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