By Bill Sheets
Edmonds Enterprise Editor
EDMONDS — Rich Demeroutis and Al Rutledge each had a different system to help them decide which seat to pursue in running for Edmonds City Council.
Demeroutis says it was incumbent Michael Plunkett’s statements of support for a proposed convention/performing arts center near the waterfront that led him to file against Plunkett.
Rutledge flipped a coin.
"They’re all good council members, they’re all good people," he said.
Rutledge and Demeroutis are perennial city council watchers who have filed to unseat Plunkett, who is seeking a second term. Plunkett was heavily critical of the city during his 1997 campaign, the result of which was a narrow victory over incumbent Roger Myers.
Now, he says, "I’ve grown to appreciate the consensus that’s developed on the council. Attributes that each member brings to the issues impact the issues more than I could on my own. That’s something Ive learned over the last four years."
Not that Plunkett always agrees with his fellow council members. He voted against the 6 percent property tax increase for 1998. In the other years since, the tax limit has been kept to 3 percent or no increase at all, except for the available tax revenue captured after the passage of Initiative 695, Plunkett said.
"Property tax rates have gone down every year I’ve been on the council," he said.
Demeroutis, who ran a campaign for mayoral term limits in 1991 (approved and since repealed) and joined in the fight against ambulance transport fees in 1997, criticizes the city on several fronts. He points out that the city is being sued over delays on the public safety complex, that delays in construction of the fire station have driven the price up, and says the city spends too much on consultants and studies.
Plunkett points out that the city is countersuing over the construction delays on the public safety buildings. He said the city’s position is that the contractors made the mistakes that slowed the work. If the city did not fought the lawsuits, it would "have to eat millions of dollars," he said.
Rutledge says he’s running to "make the city more solvent" and keep property taxes down. "I am for no increased taxes," he said.
Rutledge is executive director of the United States Amateur Baseball Association, which organizes youth tournaments. He frequently attends city council meetings, has been involved with various city causes and most recently worked to help pass the library tax measure.
Rutledge would like to see the development of an athletic complex in the downtown area, such as at Civic Center Playfield. Such a complex within walking distance of the downtown business district could help the city’s economy, he contends.
On the convention/performing arts center proposal, Demeroutis especially opposes the Sunset Avenue location being studied by the recently formed Public Facilities District. The 60- to 70-foot height required by a performing arts center would require a variance from the current 30-foot limit, which could open the door to others claiming a right to the same, Demeroutis contends.
Plus, "I don’t see that Edmonds has the infrastructure to support such a facility,’ he said.
Plunkett says what he supports is putting the convention/performing arts center up for a public vote. He personally likes the Sunset Avenue location, on the site of the current Waterfront Antique Mall, but only if the building would line up with the Ebb Tide condominiums to avoid blocking east-to-west views, he said. Demeroutis responds that a large building on the location would still block views from south to north.
All three candidates oppose use of the Unocal site for the Brightwater regional sewage treatment plant.
However, Plunkett said that when a jurisdiction such as King County offers $40 million in mitigation money, "I have an obligation to say, ‘Let’s talk.’"
But so far, he is unconvinced that the benefits of the money would outweigh the disadvantages.
Demeroutis said he will fight the project. To bring in revenue, he’d like to see a hotel on the Unocal hillside — "a big one," he said.
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