Mayoral candidates want to get the job done

  • Jenny Lynn Zappala<br>Enterprise editor
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 6:50am

LYNNWOOD — Mayor Mike McKinnon said he is seeking a second term because he is qualified and he can get the job done. He noted that the Lynnwood Convention Center, the Alderwood mall addition, 196th and 44th road improvements and other projects have been completed under his watch.

“I like being mayor and I want to continue. I have learned a lot,” said McKinnon, a 57-year-old accountant. “I am the better choice for mayor. And I think I have proven that in the last four years as mayor in the work that I have done, the success that I have had.”

To keep the job, McKinnon has to defend his seat from Don Gough, a city councilman since 1996 and a longtime rival. Voters will decide between the two by the general election on Nov. 8.

Many of the city’s successes really belong to city employees and the city council, according to Gough. As council president in 2000 and 2001 and a longtime councilman, Gough said he pushed to open an office of economic development, a new budget process and performance measurements for city departments. If elected mayor, Gough said he will continue to prepare the city for the future.

“While I have been on the city council, I have endeavored to make sure what the game is all about is the future,” said Gough, 54, a general practice attorney. “I am the best candidate because the city needs to elect a mayor. And we are going to move on and do the kind of things we need to get done as a city.”

The mayor has a considerable amount of influence on the city’s future because Lynnwood is a strong mayor city. The mayor, as the city’s top administrator, supervises about 365 employees, manages the day-to-day operations and crafts a draft budget for the city council.

This year’s contest is especially fierce because there is no clear favorite in September’s primary or when the two candidates faced off in 2001.

In the primary, voters split the vote three ways among Gough, McKinnon and challenger Jim Smith, another longtime Lynnwood city councilman who also tried to oust McKinnon. Less than 100 votes separated Gough and McKinnon in the primary election.

When McKinnon and Gough fought for the mayor seat in 2001, McKinnon pulled ahead by 698 votes, which was about 10 percent of the vote. Mayor McKinnon insists Councilman Gough and Councilman Smith continue to “make the mayor look bad” for political gain. In particular, McKinnon said Gough is confrontational among outside organizations and promotes a negative image for Lynnwood.

When asked what he would do to improve relations between the mayor’s office and the city council, McKinnon said the council will have to change its attitude.

“I think the council will have to simply grow up and say I am the mayor,” McKinnon said. “My door has always been open. I am always available for discussions and I look forward to working cooperatively. When I get re-elected, Gough and I will most likely sit down and chat about the future working relationship with the city council. Since Don (Gough) has controlled the council for the last six years, he will be a large part of that.”

Gough noted that Lynnwood did not have “emotional food fights” in local newspapers before McKinnon became mayor. Gough said he has already taken steps to improve relationships by drafting protocols that staff, the mayor and the council agreed upon. If elected, Gough said he will be more straight forward and follow the protocols.

“We need to have those relationships,” Gough said. “We have not had cooperation from the administrative side on those issues and I am not going to go any farther on that whole score. As mayor, I know how the city council works. … I know how this thing can work.”

The budget has also been a point of tension and frustration between the mayor’s office and the city council, which the next mayor could be called upon to smooth over. When city leaders passed the 2005-2006 budget last December, several items were left out because the city council ran out of time for various reasons.

When asked how he would improve the budget process, McKinnon noted that the city council drives the budget process by setting the budget calendar.

“The administration met each deadline and gave to the council the required information,” McKinnon said. “The only way I can see that we (the administration) can assist the council more is if they (the city council) come up with their questions sooner so we can get answers sooner to the council. The council controls the agenda. The council controls the schedule. The administration does its best to comply.”

Gough noted one of the mayor’s chief duties is to craft a draft two-year budget and present it to the city council. Gough said McKinnon put the council at a disadvantage by outlining a budget where expenses exceeded projected revenues by about $5 million. If elected, Gough said he will present a balanced budget and identify what city services are mandated by law or essential services.

“We have never, in my 10 years being on the council, ever been presented by the mayor with a balanced budget,” Gough said.

In response, McKinnon said he proposed balancing the budget by underestimating some revenues and overestimating costs in some areas. McKinnon noted that the city’s actual revenues for 2005 is up by about $4 million and expenses are down by about $1.8 million.

Gough wants to tie budget decisions to performance measurements, which the city started keeping track of about four years ago. For example, the city now tracks how many permits are issued and how many police investigations lead to an arrest.

“We need to connect that (performance) to making the (financial) decisions,” Gough said. “That has not yet happened. And that is a joint process, but I will be on the other side making that happen. I guarantee it.”

Whoever wins the mayor’s race will have a significant role in the city center project, a 20-year plan to build a roughly 300-acre dense urban neighborhood southwest of the 196th Street exit off Interstate 5. Lynnwood City Council recently approved land-use rules allowing mixed-use commercial, office and residential buildings as tall as 30 stories. The hope is proposed infrastructure improvements by the city, such as new roads and parks, will attract developers and investors to redevelop the site.

When asked to described his vision, McKinnon described the city center as a “vibrant, exciting,” social space with “bustling activity,” he said. By day, the city center would be the “financial center” of Snohomish County and feature street cafes, night life and luxury condominiums with panoramic views, he said.

“The number one, biggest benefit of city center is new jobs. It’s all about getting new jobs in Lynnwood. We are going to have people using the rail system to come to work in Lynnwood instead of having people from Lynnwood going down to Seattle (to work),” McKinnon said. “It’s about new jobs, it’s about a vibrant lifestyle and an exciting change for Lynnwood.”

Gough notes that McKinnon’s vision is what the city council has approved in planning documents as the city center vision. One addition that Gough noted is the importance of parks and public spaces. Gough stressed that Lynnwood has a unique opportunity to invite public agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations to move into the city center. The Edmonds School District, Sno-Isle Libraries, Snohomish County government, Superior Court and Lynnwood City Hall are a few examples of groups that could build buildings or open offices in the city center, Gough said.

“We want this to be a true city center,” Gough said. “It’s nice to have a plan, but you need to be out there putting a face on it. We need to make sure we make those connections out there. We need to continue to do that because we have a long way to go.”

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