MILL CREEK — Voters here face a quiet city election on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Three incumbent council members are running for re-election, but only one has an opponent.
That’s in sharp contrast to the last city election two years ago when one council member gave up her seat to challenge a
fellow councilmember, and another council member won election with less than 51 percent of the vote.
In this year’s race, the one contested council election matches two candidates who describe themselves as friends: Councilman Mike Todd, who presides over the council as mayor in this city with a council-manager form of government, and city planning commission member Charlie Gibbons.
Most of the issues that divided the city in the past aren’t factors this year.
A decision on where and how to build a senior center is on a hold with the city using space in the city annex until it has money to construct a new building.
The fight over annexing an area between Mill Creek and Lynnwood is awaiting a court decision, and the city is no longer fighting over what kind of signs local businesses can have.
One new issue appears to find little disagreement. The council discussed giving up its police department in favor of contracting with the county sheriff, but dropped the proposal due to opposition from residents.
Todd and Gibbons both say that voters have told them to keep the city police department.
The one area where Todd and Gibbons do disagree is over economic development.
Todd says that he wants to wait for a report from a committee on strategic planning while Gibbons says that the city should build infrastructure for business and seek out businesses without waiting for a committee report.
Both say that the city is in excellent financial condition, having a reserve fund equal to 50 percent of the annual city budget, compared to 10 percent in many cities.
Councilmen Mark Bond and Mark Harmsworth are running unopposed.
Mill Creek City Council, Position 6
Charlie Gibbons
Age: 64
Occupation: CEO, Multi Fish & Seafood
Website: None
Priorities: Lower taxes through economic development; no utility tax without voter approval; protect essential services; full staffing of police department.
Mike Todd
Age: 57
Occupation: Retired senior manager, Fluke Corp; presently a stay-at-home-father and community volunteer
Website: www.millcreekmike.com
Priorities: Maintaining Mill Creek’s character of Mill Creek; keep responsible fiscal planning and budget management; continued emphasis on mixed-use development opportunities in northeast Mill Creek; developing and implementing a long range strategic plan to guide Mill Creek in its second 25 years.
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