The primary election Aug. 21 will include three names for Shoreline City Council position No. 4, each belonging to individuals who believe they have the community’s best interests in mind. The Enterprise invited candidates Maggie Fimia, Doris McConnell and La Nita Wacker to meet together at one time to discuss several topics relevant to the city of Shoreline.
Current Deputy Mayor Fimia said she is running for reelection because she believes that Shoreline is a “terrific place” and said she has the most experience of the candidates. She would like to help the city “figure out what it wants to be when it grows up” and that there is tremendous potential to develop a community identity. Doris McConnell, a Shoreline resident for the past 20 years, said she is not afraid to make timely or difficult decisions and hopes to “bring integrity back to the council.” A retired real estate broker and Shoreline resident since 1964, La Nita Wacker said she is seeking a council seat because she believes in giving the voters a choice and that working as a team is important.
Each candidate said they believe future economic development in the city should be addressed as well as projected budget shortfalls. As a small business owner herself, Wacker said she thinks she should contribute her own ideas about economic growth.
“I support vertical development,” she said. “I specifically support mixed use (development) where you get retail and housing options.” She added that revenue from property and retail sales taxes represent 40-50 percent of the city’s budget. She believes in analyzing priorities to address shortfalls and would specifically like to look at ways to cut jail costs by looking at alternative sentencing methods.
Fimia said managing a budget shortfall is a challenge, but a possible one.
“We are ahead of the curve in terms of seeing this coming and making adjustments earlier rather than later,” she said. “…We have an excellent city manager and an excellent staff that’s helping us identify alternatives to increasing revenue and decreasing spending. I think we have a very engaged council that’s going to be able to help look at what are the priorities and what are the basic steps that we should be taking.”
She said keeping streets maintained on a daily basis is a huge potential money saver for the city. Volunteer opportunities in the city, such as block watches, adopt a park and adopt a street programs where citizens are involved also reduce overhead expenses for the city as well, she said. Those programs create a sense of community where citizens are not customers but rather respond to and maintain their surrounding environment, she said.
Although McConnell agrees that the city needs to be managed in a fiscally responsible fashion, she said she would need to do further research in order to decide how city money would best be allocated and how to increase sources of revenue. Both Fimia and Wacker said that increasing the retail sales tax base and property tax base would increase revenue.
When it comes to the Aurora Corridor, funding the design of the next two miles was also a point of some discussion.
“I don’t think the citizens realize how little was out of the city’s pockets,” McConnell said about the cost of the first mile of the Aurora Corridor Project. “We’ve been able to multiple every dollar by about eight. I think that’s a huge accomplishment and speaks to the fact that we need to complete those last two miles in a timely more expedient manner because the longer it takes, the more it’s going to cost.”
Wacker said completing the Aurora Corridor is “absolutely essential” and that in financing the first mile the city spent $2.9 million and received a $31 million dollar improvement.
“The way you get that is in a representative government,” she said. “I think it’s the responsibility of the council to get those federal dollars back for us to use and the same thing is true of state tax dollars.” She added that passage of a Regional Transportation Investment District proposal on the November ballot will secure $40 million for the remainder of the Aurora Corridor.
Fimia said money to finance the project may be a challenge but she has been very pleased with the process of design of the next two miles and feels that collaboration with businesses along the final two miles during design and construction phases will save the city both time and money.
If money can be saved in an area, McConnell and Wacker would like to see more funds go toward human services.
“Human services are an extremely important asset for every one who lives here,” McConnell said. “Community mental health services are very important especially in this time. Mental health will be an increasingly hot topic because it is not readily spoken about and people do not even want to acknowledge it.”
Wacker said she is a strong proponent of helping those who cannot help themselves and said a council should lobby other levels of governments to ensure that funds are allocated toward human services.
“I think it is our responsibility to be the squeaky wheel when it comes to the county development of their budget,” she said.
Fimia said a tendency for each government body to pass the responsibility of funding human services to another form of government means people don’t get the services they want or need. She suggested the city host an annual summit, where service providers throughout the city can meet, discuss available services and ultimately create a six-year master plan to help address community needs.
She said collaboration between individual council members, staff and community has improved and believes that when it comes time for a council vote, a super majority decision consisting of 5 or more votes, is the best thing for the city.
“One of the things we haven’t been doing are town hall meetings where people actually get up and ask questions of the whole group,” Fimia said. “It’s been more funneled to a one on one and I don’t think that fosters community at all.”
Wacker said she’s seen divisive votes and a lack of respect at council meetings. Attempts at micro-managing and disrespect, she said, usurps citizens’ time.
McConnell said one reason she was asked to run for city council is because council “dynamics are somewhat dysfunctional” and it is apparent in person at meetings and in community television broadcasts.
“I believe independent thinking is very important and I would like to see council members doing a lot of homework and asking a lot of questions,” McConnell said. “I come here to encourage a collaborative council.”
Voters will also make a choice for city council position No. 6 this month. Mayor Bob Ransom is seeking reelection along with first-time candidates Sherry Marlin and Terry Scott.
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