Voters in Arlington face one of those enviable choices in the only contested City Council race this year. Both candidates are dedicated and well-qualified. Regardless of which candidate wins and which loses, Arlington’s citizens will be winners.
Dan Anderson, a Washington State Patrol trooper and Army reservist, has served on the council for six years, and advanced from the primary in a 2003 bid for mayor, a race eventually won by Margaret Larson. His challenger, Rob Pattermann, recently retired as assistant superintendent of the Arlington School District. He has served on the Arlington Planning Commission and Gleneagle Homeowners Association board, and is president of the Everett Symphony Board of Directors.
The deeply principled Anderson has built a reputation for independent thinking and outspokenness, perhaps to a fault. He has been at odds with fellow council members on several issues he has championed, like creating an independent salary commission and televising council meetings on public-access cable. Fellow council members have complained that Anderson digs his heels in too deeply on pet issues, and he is unapologetic. “If I feel I’m being shut down and the subject isn’t seeing the light of day,” he said, “I’ll speak out.”
Anderson also has criticized the council for going on retreats far from town where citizens have a hard time attending, and said he blew the whistle on the council for allowing unratified city contracts to be signed improperly behind closed doors. His action prompted a finding by the state auditor but no sanction, he said.
Pattermann’s experience would allow him to hit the ground running. He is well familiar with development issues, having seen them from the city’s position on the planning commission, and from the receiving end as an administrator in a growing school district.
Another point in Pattermann’s favor is that his recent retirement gives him time to serve. In fact, the main reason he gives for running is to continue being an active part of the community, part of a team taking on challenges. Anderson, because of his rotating work hours, sometimes has to miss early morning committee meetings.
Both candidates are bright and energetic. Both know the city well, and don’t disagree much on issues.
We believe that Pattermann’s talent, experience and the time he can devote to the job make him the slightly better choice.
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