Contending for Position 1 on the Shoreline City Council is the often-expected mixture of an incumbent and newcomer, each with their own concoction to win the race.
The two contenders for the position, incumbent John Chang and Keith McGlashan, will head to the Nov. 8 General Election.
John Chang
Incumbent Chang, 47, who has served four years on the City Council, has decided to seek a second term. Chang, who has owned the Quest Inn for 23 years, said he hopes to unify the Council and residents in the next four years.
“With all the experiences and things I have learned, (I want) to bring our Shoreline together,” Chang said. “Shoreline is very polarized, very divided and I think it is time to have a leader who can bring the community together.”
Chang favors growth and development in the city, saying the key is balancing the interests of neighbors and the city.
“Not all growth is received by neighbors and the community,” Chang said. “And some developments have been a failure.”
Chang said there needs to be more creative and innovative ideas for doing business in the city. A project he has been working on is an “Education City,” which would entail marketing Shoreline to large education-related stores like bookstores. The “Education City” would be comprised of an anchor business and smaller businesses, as well as a learning institution where education-related tournaments could be hosted, Chang said.
“We need to utilize our strengths by putting out an attractive business like that,” Chang said. “And create America’s first ‘Education City.’”
As a Council member, Chang said it is his job to create an environment that supports business. The council has attempted to understand, research and learn what the business community wants, he said.
“As a Council member, it is our job to treat the environment for businesses to come,” Chang said. “That is where the leadership needs to play the right role here as a Council.”
Chang favors cottage housing, but said he is not satisfied with how it has been implemented in the city. After touring cottage homes in Shoreline, he said a few are decent and some are poorly built.
If the developer’s only objective is to make money, he said that is not the way the Council should function. They need to be the “watchdog” for neighbor interests, he said.
“I do favor cottage homes,” Chang said. “However, not the way it has been done at this time; the R4 and R6 areas need to be looked at much more in-depth.”
The city needs to bring in additional revenue in order to maintain or lessen the tax burden on senior citizens, Chang said, who need help maintaining their quality of living. Chang said he has also met with state representatives to discuss the possibility of affordable housing in Shoreline, possibly at the Fircrest School site.
The city’s public input process necessitates putting the community first, Chang said, and he has always been an advocate of the public process, which he said has improved during his time on the Council.
“In the last four years it has gotten better,” Chang said. “We will continue to work on this until we feel that we have the right process.”
Chang said he believes he has put the community first at all times. The public wants to participate in the process and to feel they are accounted for, he said.
“We have more information than the public and are given facts and research materials,” Chang said. “What the public is saying is we need to share this information with them.”
Chang supports the Aurora Avenue Redevelopment Project, but said he has issues with the project as a whole. The city is spending $32 million on the first mile, which is the least expensive of all three miles, Chang said, while other similar redevelopment projects in other cities cost $9-13 million per mile. He also knows of other similar projects where businesses failed after construction ended.
“We have to look at other people’s mistakes so we don’t make the same mistake in Shoreline,” Chang said. “I would like to get all three miles done as early as possible, but if we need an additional $70 million to $100 million to do the next two miles, it really jeopardizes our ability to do it.”
Chang said even when people have attacked him he has remained positive. The city is polarized, he said, and he wants to work toward bringing Shoreline residents together. He is used to overcoming challenges, Chang said, due to being legally blind and having people tell him he can’t do certain things.
“There is a tremendous negative energy out there toward me,” Chang said. “But I have survived and survived well; I have been very positive.”
Keith McGlashan
Newcomer McGlashan, 51, has been active in the Shoreline community for 26 years. For the last six years he has owned the James Alan Salon, which he previously managed for 20 years.
He decided to run for office because he would like city projects to move ahead. McGlashan is co-president of the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation and president of the Shoreline Community College Cosmetology Advisory Board.
“I am looking at this event as taking my community service to the next level,” McGlashan said. “The salon is very big in the community and we completed more than 200 hours of community service last year; our philosophy is that the community is very important.”
McGlashan favors growth and development in Shoreline and thinks residents are burdened with property taxes, which he said are quite high, although the city only collects 11 percent. The retail tax is low, he said, at $107 per person, while the state average is about $200 per person.
“Even if we get it up to the average, it would put $5 million in the city’s coffers,” McGlashan said. “With money, we can deal with issues in the neighborhoods and social services.”
McGlashan said there needs to be sensible balance with development in the city and he envisions redeveloping small areas where people can walk from store to store, similar to the layout of Fremont. He said he would like the Sears lot developed into a mixed-use, with businesses, restaurants and other services for citizens.
He is pleased with the North City Project and said the area will have improved aesthetics and also more services, which will likely bring more people and businesses to the area.
McGlashan supports cottage housing, saying it fills a need in the community for divorcees, widows and first-time home buyers. He said it is about the “right house in the right place” and a method needs to be implemented to determine where cottage housing can be built. He said he may support cottage housing in R4 areas, dependent on the neighborhood. McGlashan also has issues with other zoning.
“I can’t see a difference in cottage housing in R4 and the short platting done in Shoreline,” McGlashan said.
Shoreline does not have much affordable housing, McGlashan said, and the city needs to support people who cannot afford rent or who are homeless.
“We need to consider some subsidized housing,” McGlashan said. “To make sure those people get a roof over their head.”
The Council does a good job of receiving public input, McGlashan said, although it could be improved with even more public comment.
“I have a track record of listening, weighing pros and cons and coming to a consensus,” McGlashan said.
Most residents who speak during Council meetings have some disconnect with the Council, he said. Many people who speak say they represent the majority opinion when in fact they may not, he said.
“As a council member I would listen to those attending meetings,” McGlashan said. “But seek more of the actual pulse of the community.”
McGlashan supports the Aurora Avenue Corridor redevelopment project, but said it unfortunately puts a burden on smaller businesses. The redevelopment is being done with longevity in mind, and he supports the next two miles of the project.
“It won’t attract business the way the Aurora Corridor looks now,” McGlashan said. “The cost we are putting out is minimal compared to what we are getting.”
McGlashan said he is the best candidate because he believes in the vision that was set by early management of the city and the early council.
“I want to see Shoreline continue to invest in itself, it must continue to invest,” McGlashan said. “And not poorly, that won’t last.”
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