LAKE FOREST PARK — Lake Forest Park City Council incumbent Roger Olstad is being challenged for his seat by Nigel Keiffer.
Olstad, 69, is finishing his first term on the council.
“There are challenges ahead the city of Lake Forest Park faces and based on my background, experience and commitment, I feel I can contribute to helping the city face those challenges,” Olstad said.
“Obviously the big one has to do with finances and our ability to continue to provide the services that residents of this community expect in the face of declining revenue and loss of state backfill money. It’s not something we can solve in one year, it will be a long-range solution.”
Olstad said he is proud that the city approved a plan for senior housing, but more is needed.
“We need to take a good sound look at the shopping center and economic base of this community and see if that and senior housing can be combined in a way to rethink what the city center is all about and could become,” he said.
Olstad is also in favor of maintaining support of Third Place Commons.
“I am a founding member of the Friends of Third Place Commons and co-chair of the board and that community asset needs to be nurtured and developed further. It is a real deal to have that kind of community center at next to nothing cost, and we need to make sure that continues.”
Keiffer, 57, is an engineer with King County and has run for city council twice before.
“I am running for city council for the same reasons I have run before: the concern is that there is a credit card mentality at this city that has to be curtailed. Increasing debt is not a solution to the problems,” Keiffer said.
“I have been very concerned about the waste involved with the acquisition of real estate and the diminished tax base by the new city hall we have. Taxable property was converted into a city hall and there was a lack of oversight on that.”
“Another issue is the public works site. They don’t want to go to the voters on it they just went to the bank for a loan. I want some financial accountability,” he said.
“Another issue that really triggers me is the number of sexual predators moving into Lake Forest Park. The city council raises its hands and says there’s nothing we can do about it, it’s state law, courts have imposed it on us, but I just don’t think that’s right,” Keiffer said.
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