Mountlake Terrace has no more room to grow in terms of land, but its residents are fortunate to have three city council members who want to continue to help it grow responsibly within its existing boundaries.
Residents should vote on Nov. 4 to keep incumbents Pat Cordova, Laura Sonmore and A.J. Housler.
Cordova, a 16-year council member, has a clear understanding of the need for solid budget planning to carry the city through current and future economic difficulties. She is a strong proponent of working with the Snohomish County Economic Development Council to attract businesses that invest in the city. Cordova also lists quality of life as one of the major issues facing the city in the next four years and would like to see more investment in the community’s parks and pavilion.
She is being challenged for the Position 5 seat by Michelle Robles, a local pharmacist and member of the city’s Planning Commission. Robles knows that the city must accept its share of growth but still maintain its parks and environmental areas. She also wants to address the city’s aging infrastructure needs and bring the city’s sometimes divided neighborhoods together. If she weren’t up against such a solid incumbent, Robles would be a good choice.
For Position 6, voters must choose between a lifetime resident with an understanding of the city’s history and a newcomer with fresh ideas and a desire to be involved. Laura Sonmore has plenty to offer voters. She researches and is involved in issues ranging from fire services consolidation to the environment, to looking ahead at the city’s pending need for a new sewer system.
Sonmore is being challenged by Eric Teegarden, a civil engineer who wants to use his science background to contribute to the city’s political process. Teegarden would like to see Mountlake Terrace become a more pedestrian-friendly city with a niche-shopping retail market. He says he will take concerns presented to him in writing and bring them before the council so residents feel they are being heard by the city.
In Position 7, incumbent A.J. Housler is being challenged by John Zambrano. Housler offers voters a financial background that is beneficial at any time, but especially during a rough economic stretch. He identifies inevitable growth issues and maintenance of city facilities and infrastructure as his top concerns. He’d also like to the see the city tackle another survey of residents to help the council set guidelines and policies to follow for the next several years.
Zambrano, a community activist who lists his work against Brightwater as one of his accomplishments, says he’s running because Housler didn’t keep his campaign promises, but he doesn’t say what those promises were or how Housler failed to keep them. Zambrano emphasizes listening to the residents and drawing more people to council meetings as the most important part of the job.
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