EDMONDS
Strom Peterson, a downtown business owner and twice a failed city council candidate, has won his long-sought seat.
Peterson was appointed by a 4-2 vote to fill the vacancy on Edmonds’ city council after former councilmember Deanna Dawson resigned Dec. 31 to take a job in Washington, D.C.
Peterson will keep the seat until the November 2009 election, when he will have to run for a full, four-year term. He ran unsuccessfully for council in 2005 and 2007.
The council spent about six hours interviewing 17 prospective candidates last week, and spent nearly two hours casting 37 ballots Tuesday before they settled on Peterson.
Councilmember Michael Plunkett finally broke the ice, and cast the vote that put Peterson into office.
Peterson is a past president of the Downtown Edmonds Merchants Association, and is a current Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce board member. He owns the Resident Cheesemonger cheese shop.
The city needs Peterson’s business connections, said Ron Wambolt, one of Peterson’s most staunch supporters on council.
“What we need is somebody who can help us most quickly in terms of revenue generation,” Wambolt said. “We need to look at the business community for new revenues; we cannot ask taxpayers.”
Peterson’s association with the business community was not universally popular.
Councilmember Steve Bernheim, who together with Dave Orvis voted against Peterson’s appointment, strongly criticized the fact that voters had rejected Peterson, a clear pro-business candidate, twice.
In his application for the vacancy, Peterson called himself “a strong proponent of environmental issues.” He said he would work to implement sustainable building codes, protect open space, clean up Puget Sound, promote alternative fuels and educate citizens on environmental issues.
Peterson’s application also stated that he supported rough proposals that would send a new tax levy to voters to create a more consistent revenue stream.
Options
Twenty people applied for Dawson’s position, including two former councilmembers.
Before finally selecting Peterson, Edmonds’ six councilmembers nominated and voted on nine candidates. Of those, three — Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, a state employee; Stephen Schroeder, a former federal prosecutor; and Richard Senderoff, a pharmaceutical researcher — got the closest to winning the appointment.
Edmonds’ council members are paid $600 per month, and an additional $50 per meeting with a maximum of $1,000 per month. Councilmembers also get health benefits for themselves and their immediate family members.
Strom Peterson ran for council in 2005 and 2007, not 2003 and 2007, as an earlier version of this story indicated.
Reporter Chris Fyall: 425-673-6525 or cfyall@heraldnet.com
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