The ouster of Gold Bar interim Mayor Steven Fuller in the primary election leaves the spot wide open for the two remaining candidates in the Nov. 4 general election.
The finalists are former planning commissioner Colleen Hawkins and political newcomer Jerry Wood.
Fuller, 44, was appointed interim mayor in August 2002 when Ken Foster resigned because of illness. Before that, he had served as a city councilman since 1999.
Wood, 55, has lived in Gold Bar for 23 years. He said he is the best candidate because he would donate his services "five days a week" by returning the mayor’s salary to the city budget.
Wood, who co-owns a coffee business, said his experience managing groups would help him ease tensions among the city’s staff and council members.
"I feel I have better skills at getting along with every type of person," Wood said. "I feel that I have some real good solutions for dealing with that kind of tension that we have."
Wood said he didn’t want to mention those solutions now, because they might be misinterpreted.
The bottom line, he said, is that he’s a problem solver who can handle the city’s tight budget. And he has the time to devote to the job.
"I’ll be serving as mayor in the town five days a week. I’ll be here so people will have access to me every hour of the day," Wood said. "I think the biggest issue of this campaign is having a mayor that’s here full time serving the community with no personal agenda."
Hawkins, 41, said just because she works full time doesn’t mean she will be an absentee mayor. Her employers have assured her flexibility, she said.
"As far as what the most important thing is, the city needs a strong leader," Hawkins said. "Whether that person is there full time or as time permits, the bottom line is that time spent is nothing if that person is not strong leader."
Hawkins said as mayor she would encourage the City Council to be more professional and reduce "drama" in meetings, and would make sure residents are treated more like "shareholders" than "cash cows."
"It seems like this city is so invested in keeping the citizens at bay, and I want to change that," she said. "And, based on the primary returns, so do the citizens."
In the race for City Council Position 5, two-term Councilwoman Dorothy Croshaw is being challenged by local activist Robert Amenn.
Amenn, 37, a five-year resident and member of the Gold Bar Citizens Committee, said he feels he knows the pulse of the community and that the town’s relationship with its government has gone downhill.
"I understand that the City Council, to function well, needs to be very much accessible, to value input and to be flexible in setting policy to find a consensus among all the citizens," Amenn said.
He has taken the city to task on several issues — including its ban on fireworks and dog fees — not necessarily about the issue at hand but about the way the city "harshly" implemented both policies. He calls the two issues symptoms of the problem.
"The major issues I have are that actions the council takes can negatively or positively affect a community," he said, adding that he’d like to see more positive actions.
Croshaw, 72, a 24-year resident, said she took the other side of Amenn on the fireworks issue. She said he is running the issue into the ground.
"This is my first encounter, I guess, with someone who has been angry with me," Croshaw said. "I’ve always loved this town, and I’ve always wanted what’s best for this town. When you’re a councilman for a number of years, you sort of get a feel for the way the city runs. If you don’t, you get a lot of complaints."
Croshaw said she works well with staff and donates time to issues, including advising an area teen council.
"I feel like I have a lot to offer," she said. "I’m retired and have the energy to put into it."
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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