Many apply for Shoreline seat

Forty-six Shoreline residents have applied to fill the Shoreline City Council seat left vacant by Linda Montgomery’s resignation earlier this month.

They include former Shoreline Mayor Connie King, current Planning Commission Chair Brian Doennebrink, planning commissioners Marlin Gabbert, Robin McClelland and Bill MacCully and Fire Commissioner James Fisher.

Also among the list is former Shoreline School Board member Paul Grace and former school board candidate Walt Hagen; along with former Shoreline City Council candidates Janet Way, Cindy Ryu and George Daher. Former Planning Commissioner Bill Monroe has also tossed his hat in the ring as has former state legislator Donn Charnley.

The position was left vacant when Montgomery made her resignation effective Dec. 1. Her resignation comes two years before the end of her term. She plans to move to Dallas to join her husband there. Her resignation has caused some controversy at recent City Council meetings. A majority of those who have crowded the chambers to speak during the public comment time at the Nov. 21 and Dec. 1 City Council meetings demanded the Council delay in appointing Montgomery’s replacement until after the new year, when newly elected City Council member Maggie Fimia will replace Mayor pro-tem Kevin Grossman, and could weigh in on the decision.

The City Council moved instead to appoint Montgomery’s replacement by the end of the year and set Dec. 8 at the deadline for applications and will begin reviewing them at the Dec. 15 meeting. Interviews are scheduled to begin on Saturday, Dec. 20.

King was elected as the first mayor of Shoreline in 1995 and served on the Shoreline City Council from 1995 until 1999. As a council member she served on the King County Water Quality Committee and various other boards and committees. She is currently retired and is president-elect of the Shoreline Lunch Rotary Club.

King said she is applying for the position “to provide some breathing space after a contentious election and to carry forth many of the plans of Council member Montgomery.”

King said her goals are similar to Montgomery’s: “To get Aurora cleaned up and looking like something besides a strip mall, finishing the Interurban Trail, and focusing on parks,” she said.

Charnley served as a state Rep. from 1970 to 1980, as a state Senator from 1980-1982 and a Rep. again from 1982 to 1984. He chaired the House and Senate Local Government Committee and has been a 45 year resident of Shoreline.

Charnley points to his experience in government and says he wants to again, “serve my community.”

Doennebrink has served as Planning Commission chair since 2002 and on the commission since 2000. He is a transportation planner with Community Transit and was a recent candidate for Shoreline City Council this year and ran against Bob Ransom and Janet Way in the primary election this year. He says his background on the commission and involvement in the city would aid in mending divisiveness in the city.

Gabbert served as Planning Commission chair for two years and on the commission for seven years. He is an architect consultant and says he wants to serve on the Council because “I agree with the vision the Council had for the City at its inception…(which) needs to be preserved” including completing the Aurora Corridor project as designed.

McClelland has served on the Planning Commission since 2000 and is an office manager. She points to her experience on the commission: “I have a clear understanding of how policies and ordinances influence the city’s budget.”

MacCully has served on the Planning Commission for the past two years and is past president of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a property manager and says he wants to serve his community further by becoming a City Council member.

Fisher has been a Fire Commissioner with the Shoreline Fire Department since 2002 and is a retired captain with the department. He points to his Fire Commission experience and his eagerness to serve.

Grace served on the Shoreline School Board from 1996 until 2001 and works in airport conveyance business. He says his experience would assist in deepening the city’s partnership with the school district.

Way, an environmentalist and artist, ran against and lost to City Council member Ransom in the Nov. 4 election. She is applying for the vacant seat to be “an advocate for environmental quality.”

Ryu, an insurance agent, challenged Rich Gustafson for his seat in the Nov. 4 election. She says she should be selected for the seat because she garnered the most votes of the unsuccessful candidates.

Daher owns City Vacuum in Shoreline and ran against Gustafson and Ryu in the primary election this year. He wants to be on city council to increase public comment time and redirect funding from the Aurora project, he said.

Hagen is a retired engineer and ran for Shoreline School Board this fall against Mike Jacobs. He is a member of the Shoreline Merchants Association and Concerned Citizens for Shoreline and wants to serve because he believes he has the skills and experience to do so, he said.

Bill Monroe is a retired planner and served on the Shoreline Planning Commission for six years. He said he wants to make the city become more responsive to its residents.