EDMONDS — Whatever difficulty voters may have in choosing between the three candidates for mayor of Edmonds, it won’t be lack of familiarity.
Mike Cooper, 59, the current mayor, has lived in town most of his life and served as a Snohomish County councilman and state legislator.
Dave E
arling, 68, has lived in Edmonds for more than 30 years and served three terms on the City Council.
Roger Hertrich, 75, has lived in town for more than 40 years, served a term on the council and has been a persistent presence at city meetings for decades.
Still, the three candidates have very different takes on how to move the city forward from here.
Cooper won appointment to the job a year ago this month following the resignation of former Mayor Gary Haakenson, who became deputy county executive.
“I grew up here, it’s my hometown and I felt like I had a lot offer the community,” Cooper said of his decision to leave the County Council and apply for the mayor’s job.
He’s now running for a full, four-year term. The job pays $113,000 per year.
Earling served for a time as chairman of the board of Sound Transit while on the City Council from 1991 through 2003. He ran that year for county executive and was defeated by Aaron Reardon, who still holds the position.
Earling said he was encouraged to run by many who said the city needs more leadership.
“There’s an alarming lack of direction that’s going on with city government at this point,” he said.
Hertrich, who served a term on the council from 1987 to 1991, said he decided to run partly because he didn’t think the other two candidates offered a good-enough choice.
“I was going to offer that choice with my long involvement in what goes on in the city,” he said.
Earling said the City Council needs more direction from the mayor regarding details on a levy to help preserve city services, such as which departments should be included.
Council members have discussed asking voters to approve a levy that would cover either parks, road repaving, building maintenance, some combination or just having the money go to the general fund, Earling said.
“The mayor should bring to the council a preliminary budget that gives some clarity as to what the real needs of the city are,” he said, noting that the deadline for getting a levy on the fall ballot is Aug. 16.
“It’s that indecision, the lack of focused leadership at the top that for me is an incredibly important issue.”
Earling said he has few preconceived ideas about what should be in the regular budget and what ought to be in a levy, but said road repaving must be a priority.
Cooper said he has been doing exactly what Earling says he’s not. He submitted a balanced budget last fall and plans to do the same this year, he said.
“I did that without any layoffs and preserved all of our existing programs,” Cooper said.
This year, he said the staff has already begun working on the budget and on the possibility of saving money through not filling vacant positions.
Cooper and Earling also both stressed the need for long-term economic planning and development. Cooper said the city is working on long-term strategies and said he helped recruit the Dick’s hamburger chain to town.
Earling said, for example, that he would work to cooperate with the Port of Edmonds on possible plans to redevelop the Harbor Square business park with more shops and residences.
Hertrich said the city needs to take a harder look at its departments and consider cutting more out of the budget.
“We’re hurting for dollars,” he said.
Cooper, he said, is “a good politician but I don’t know how good a manager he is. You can’t make a decision on a levy unless you have all the answers and know where you stand before you go.”
Hertrich also said his longevity in observing city government is an advantage.
“I know all the troops, I know the staff, I know the operations of the various departments,” he said.
Earling leads in fundraising so far with more than $27,000, according to state public disclosure reports. Cooper has raised more than $10,000. Hertrich’s report shows no money raised.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
Edmonds mayor
Mike Cooper
Age: 59
Website: www.mikecooper.org
Occupation: Mayor of Edmonds; former Snohomish County Councilman, state legislator and firefighter
Education: Attended Edmonds Community College and Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore.
In their words: “There are two ways to do business. One is to turn back the clock to the old days and one is to go forward.”
Dave Earling
Age: 68
Website: www.daveearling.com
Occupation: Former member, state Growth Management Hearings Board; former Edmonds City Councilman, former real estate broker
Education: B.A. in music, Eastern Washington University; also attended Washington State University.
In their words: “I received an enormous amount of encouragement from people (to run) because of their perceived lack of leadership taking place with the current city government.”
Roger Hertrich
Age: 75
Website: None
Occupation: Retired from sales and service career with U.S. Steel; part-time consultant in packaging and shipping
Education: B.A. in geography from Central Washington University
In their words: “I’m a nice guy and I’m a people person. I’m a conservative person. I’m an open-door person.”
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