The mismatch in this year’s race for Snohomish County executive gives voters an easy choice, but, unfortunately, little in the way of serious debate.
The incumbent, Democrat Aaron Reardon, can point to some key accomplishments in his first term, and makes a compelling case for continuing to build on them. His challenger for the county’s top government post, political newcomer Jack Turk, was a last-minute recruit by county Republicans who has no experience in public office — though he is smart, earnest and engaging.
We strongly endorse Reardon as the best choice to keep county government on a firm financial track, and to tackle the tough issues the county will face in the next four years regarding growth, transportation, public safety, agriculture and the environment. That is not to say, however, that Reardon doesn’t have substantial room for growth and improvement as a leader.
The race became so one-sided after the previously announced GOP candidate, Sheriff Rick Bart, dropped out in March after campaigning for the job for two years, citing a lack of financial support. At the time, Reardon held a 10-to-1 edge in fundraising. Another potential contender, County Councilman John Koster, declined to jump in, saying it was too late to mount a credible campaign.
So after a quick search, the party talked Turk into running, and announced his quixotic candidacy in May — less than two weeks before the start of the filing period.
Turk’s private-sector background includes almost 30 years in the computer industry, including time as a project manager at Microsoft. He’s also done technical writing, and has started businesses of his own — he currently runs an e-commerce Web sites and holds training seminars for magicians.
But it takes experience and know-how, not magic, to effectively steer the bureaucracy of the state’s third-largest county, one whose growth rate is among the nation’s top 15.
Turk admits that his No. 1 challenge as executive would be to establish his own credibility, to become familiar with government operations and determine whether they’re running effectively. That’s too much on-the-job training for such an important, powerful position. Turk’s learning curve would be far too steep.
In truth, any Republican would have had a hard time beating the fiscally conservative Reardon, who can point to several key accomplishments in his first term, such as: tight financial management has resulted in a significant budget cushion and a higher bond rating for the county, lowering its borrowing costs; creation of a forward-looking program to speed street, sidewalk, parks and other infrastructure improvements; and the consolidation under county control of the Department of Emergency Management, which is showing improvements in efficiency.
Reardon has managed Snohomish County government aggressively, shaking things up for the better in some departments, such as Planning and Development Services. But he’s been unnecessarily ruthless in some cases — workers in the county clerk’s office have been without a contract for more than two years, a dysfunctional situation that Reardon could and should have been handled more constructively. Currently, he’s appealing a ruling by a state examiner that his office broke state law by delaying contract negotions with the clerks’ union.
Repeated friction with the County Council, which is controlled by members of his own party, is a sign of a lack of effective leadership on both sides. In a second term, Reardon should resolve to earnestly seek reasonable compromise with the council, to bend over backwards to communicate effectively with the council, and to share credit for accomplishments. It will be up to council members to reciprocate. For Reardon, it’s a matter of modifying his style in a way that’s more inclusive and more humble.
Reardon is a talented and highly capable executive who can accomplish much more for Snohomish County. How much more is largely up to him.
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