MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Longtime resident and community volunteer Michelle Robles is challenging longtime City Council member, community volunteer and current Mountlake Terrace Mayor Pat Cordova in the Nov. 4 general election.
Robles, a political newcomer, said she decided to run for City Council because she wants to give back to the community which has served her all her life. She also said she is discouraged by what she has seen on the City Council the past two years, with the City Council not being able to get along.
“There are too many bickering matches and a lot of what I have seen can be avoided,” Robles said.
She said she would help this by dealing with any personal issues outside the meeting setting and saying in public, “I disagree with your view and I respect your view but I’ll be voting a different way,” she said. “I would be more of a moderate person on the City Council.”
Robles is a pharmacy manager at the Bartell Drugs store in Mountlake Terrace. She said she has been a lifelong member of the American Legion Auxiliary, a member of Rotary club, an honorary member of the Garden Club and soon to be a member of the Lion’s Club.
Cordova, who is retired from real estate and has been on the City Council for 16 years and served on many regional boards and committees, said she wants to serve another four years because there are more things she wants to accomplish that have been in the works. These include a new fire department and other items.
“I want to stay on to help support the staff and I serve, like I always have, all the citizens, not just a certain group,” Cordova said.
Regarding the negative relations between many of the Council members, Cordova said she has lived it and been frustrated with it.
“I have to respect the office, it’s been real difficult when the citizens have elected two people who have been a real negative to the group,” she said.
Cordova said the Council has taken steps to try to help relations and she said some headway has been made. “But one (Council member) is so chaotic and just needs to keep the mouth shut and learn city government,” she said.
Because of her stance against certain Council members and her rapport with the city manager and staff, Cordova, along with a majority of the other Council members have been pegged as a rubber stamp of the city manager and staff.
“Over the years I have voted for a lot of things recommended by the staff and some that wasn’t,” Cordova said. “But, in general, the reason why it may look like I favor the (city manager/staff) is because there are others on the Council and citizens who attack them and act inappropriately. I think of Connie Fessler (the city manager) as the city’s CEO and I give her a lot of respect and the rest of the staff. I think our staff is the best I’ve ever seen and I support them.”
Robles is supported by a group of Mountlake Terrace citizens who call themselves “Concerned Citizens for Mountlake Terrace.” Robles said that while she is supported by this group, which represents about 300 of the more than 20,000 Mountlake Terrace citizens, she is an independent thinker. She said the reason she became associated with the group is because of her deep involvement in trying to stop Brightwater from coming to the city. She said if elected she would easily be able to make decisions based on the greater good, not just for this group.
“I’ve gone out of my way to talk to all sorts of people about issues and I would weigh out who are the ones most being affected,” Robles said. “I’m not easily swayed, I have a mind of my own and I have my own voice.”
The two don’t vary much on how they feel about a new fire station or the possibility of a new city hall.
Both Robles and Cordova said they don’t think the current main fire station is adequate for the firefighters and that city officials do need to build a new one.
Robles said she is happy with the way the Council decided to fund it – planning ahead and using councilmanic bonds.
“I’m glad it didn’t go to a vote of the people because it probably would have failed and that would have been a great loss,” Robles said.
She said she was unhappy to see how a minority of the Council dealt with the proposal of a new fire station.
“Some of the council members acted very inappropriately – it was a bunch of hooey, all the hoopla over it,” she said.
Cordova agreed and said she has been for a new fire station from the beginning.
“It has never met the needs for the firefighters and we’ve done things in the past to try to fix it and still it’s not enough,” Cordova said. “Now we’ve planned ahead and are going to do the right thing for the city and the firefighters.”
As for the city hall, each sees a need but is unsure how it would or should be funded.
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