Statements from candidate Al Rutledge

When we published the questions and answers from Edmonds City Council candidates last week, Position 2 candidate Al Rutledge hadn’t responded.

Here are his answers to our questions:

How should the city handle its financial problems?

Today we have a kind of neighborhood-city to break out into pedestrian-friendly streets. People know and talk to each other; locally owned business; small business instead of “Big Boxes” downtown. People love the idea of being closer to their neighborhoods. Want community to be a community where everyone is working together. Big money and folksy appeal will develop and threaten our area’s congenial feel. Shop Edmonds small businesses. Protecting our neighborhoods is an important issue to the greater Edmonds community.

What is the most important issue in Edmonds?

We need to continue to enhance our public safety services and responsiveness to citizens needs. Loss of revenue from visitors and residents when the Edmonds Beach Pier was closed; providing seniors and youth programs. Protecting residential neighborhoods and convenient public health services. All need to be addressed without additional taxes. We must find new ways to provide quality services more cost effectively. Our challenge is doing more with less, while maintaining and enhancing Edmonds’ quality of life.

How should Edmonds react to a Point Wells development?

I want to apply my 23 years of experience to the development area; the individual who owns a piece of property — the home in which he or she resides in — knows and understands their community future. The Port Wells development should generate needed tax and business revenues for Edmonds and surrounding cities.

Big money in Edmonds Council races

Two weeks before the primary, candidates for the Edmonds Council had already raised $16.45 for every person who voted in the last city general election.

State records showed Tuesday morning that Edmonds candidates had already raised $74,029 and spent $48,601.

The two biggest fundraisers are the candidates who don’t have to run in the primary — Priya Cloutier and Michael Plunkett, who will meet in November for Position 1. Cloutier reported raising $18,984 and spending $6,615. Plunkett repeated raising $17,266 and spending $6,515.

Among candidates in the primary, the leading fundraisers are Councilman Strom Peterson and challenger Diane Buckshnis. As of Tuesday, Peterson had raised $13,154 and spent $9,691. Buckshnis had raised $8,784 and spent $8,027. Rutledge, the third candidate for Position 2, had raised $1,842 and spent $2,023.

Position 3 incumbent Ron Wambolt reported raising $7,587 and spending $6,658. Challenger Adrienne Fraley-Monillas reported raising $6,322 and spending $1,504. The other challenger, Lora Petso, reported no money raised or spent.

Evan Smith can be reached at entpolitics@heraldnet.com.