Why D.J. Wilson endorses Priya Cloutier.

D.J. Wilson has invested a lot in Priya Cloutier this election. A Michael Plunkett victory means the council will restore the citizens' right to appeal land-use decisions to the council. Michael Plunkett also has a proven record of voting against taller buildings, that D.J. will not be able to overcome. He needs Priya on his side.

I say we dissapoint D.J. and keep Michael Plunkett on the council. Michael will protect our appeal rights and our historic small town charm.

References:

1) Public Disclosure Reports
2) Council minutes 6/2/09

Nothing wrong with being a finance sleuth.

Well, you can tell its election time when some newspapers grope for reasons to convince their readers not to vote for someone.

In a very biased article, the Enterprise basically wrote a hit piece on Lora Petso and Diane Buckshnis for asking questions about our finances. The newspaper article questioned Diane's "credentials" to ask these questions.

Fortunately for Lora and Diane, the public wants candidates to ask questions about the city's finances. You really can't attack someone on this point.

This isn't the first time Diane has been in trouble for asking questions. As a bank regulator, she got some looks for asking some hard questions of an investor named Charles Keating. You know, the Keating 5. Yep, Diane's job was to fight bank corruption on the federal level and she served on the investigative team that brought down Charles Keating.

Recently, she was interviewed by Dick Gordon on this investigation. It's fun to listen to. (click here)

In my opinion, no candidate for city council is more qualified to examine city finances than Diane Buckshnis.

Priya Cloutier failed to act.

We all agree that a council member should make public safety the number one priority. Michael Plunkett has definitely done that as a council member. He voted to save paramedics when Mountlake Terrace pulled out of Medic 7. He also voted to add Bational Chiefs to improve the safety of fire fighters and those they save. During tight budget times, he refused to cut public safety. Michael Plunkett has clearly passed the test of public safety.

And of course, he cast his ballot for last year's EMS Levy, a crucial measure that funds our Paramedics and our EMT's, so they can aid the public with their emergency medical needs.

Every current council member and every current council candidate, including primary candidates like Al Rutledge, cast their ballot in the EMS levy election, except one.

Priya Cloutier. She chose to blow it off, along with a lot of other Edmonds elections.

Priya will attempt to slide by this issue by pointing out her endorsements, but we all know action trumps endorsements. How can we trust our public safety services to someone who can't find the time to check the "EMS levy" box on a ballot and mail it in. Michael Plunkett "acted" to fund public safety, and Priya "failed to act" to fund public safety. No endorsement can overcome that simple fact.

Why I endorse Adrienne Fraley-Monillas.

I endorse Adrienne Fraley-Monillas for city council for the following reasons:

Adrienne supports our historic small town charm: Adrienne opposes taller buildings in downtown and on the waterfront. She sees history as a part of our future; that is, our historic downtown charm is key to the city’s economic development. Adrienne recognizes that condos may give a little money to the city, but they bring an increased demand on city services with them. The cure for our economic woes is to market are strengths: our historic character and our artistic treasures.

Adrienne will restore our rights to appeal land-use decisions to the council: This is one of the most contentious issues of the campaign. This year, four council members took away your right to council appeal. Adrienne believes in ethical, open, and transparent government. She is committed to restoring our right to council appeal.

Adrienne fights for our seniors, our children, and the disabled: She serves on the South County Senior Center board of directors and as the vice-chair for the Edmonds School District Special Olympics. She is also a member of the Snohomish county advisory board for developmental disabilities, and the Special education PTA board.

A personal note: Adrienne has a son with Down Syndrome. We all know how much effort and time it takes to raise a son with a disability. It takes a very special person to do that, but Adrienne went beyond just her own son. She made a life and career devoted to helping folks with developmental disabilities become independent and attain the American dream. In my view, she's a patriot.

If Edmonds gets a tenth of the devotion she has put towards folks with disabilities, Edmonds will get one darn good council member. She's got my vote.

Which candidates are more "refreshing?"

This is an easy answer: I don't care.

The Herald editorial staff and I have had a debate over the word "refreshing." I disagreed with how they chose to endorse a candidate for city council. To their credit, they were very gracious and printed my reply. I include links to both their endorsement and my letter.

The Herald Endorsements (click here)

My Response (click here)

Understanding the council divide on land-use appeals

This year, four council members took away your right to appeal certain land-use decisions, including variances. In short, they shut the door on you.

This means a developer can apply for a variance to waive codes regarding setbacks, height limits, and even environmental regulations. You can no longer appeal variance decisions to the council.

While you may appeal unjust variances to court, the cost is prohibitive. These four council members have essentially used financial means to shut down your ability to appeal unjust variances. Again, they have shut the door on your right to appeal.

Voters should understand the divide on the council, so they can vote to retain incumbents who want to open the door, and vote to remove incumbents who closed the door. Council members Michael Plunkett, Dave Orvis, and Steve Bernheim want to open the door. Council members Strom Peterson, D.J. Wilson, Peggy Olson, and Ron Wambolt voted to close it. Unfortunately, the "close door" council members have a one vote majority.

Here's how the candidates line up on this issue by race:

Michael Plunkett voted to keep your right to appeal unjust variances. We need his vote to restore your rights and open the door. As far as I can see, Priya has been silent on this issue, but she is endorsed by Peggy Olson and D.J. Wilson, who voted take your rights away and close the door.

Strom Peterson voted to take your rights away and close the door. Diane Buckshnis has publicly stated she will vote to restore your right to appeal land-use decisions. The distinction here is very well documented in Diane's candidate statement and website. You can also see Strom Peterson's vote in the council minutes of 6/2/09. I have previously blogged on this issue. (click here)

Adrienne and Lora both want to restore your rights and open the door. They defeated Ron Wambolt (who voted to close the door) in the primary. With regard to land-use appeals, both of these candidates have already done us a big favor.

So there it is. If we want to force the council to restore our rights to appeal unjust variances to the council, we need to elect Michael Plunkett, Diane Buckshnis, and either candidate for position 3.

Cliff's Picks

Cliff Sanderlin is a friend of mine from southwest Edmonds, where there has been much controversy over the city's handling of a new park. I think its good to have his perspective on these elections (which differs a little from mine), so I have included his letter to his neighbors in this blog entry.

CLIFF’S ENDORSEMENTS FOR EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL

Hi all,I helped produce two City Council candidate forums at the Senior Center this fall. Since I didn’t see many neighbors from SW Edmonds at the forums, I am sharing my choices. One of my criteria is the work that candidates have done on behalf of SW Edmonds, plus potential for leading Edmonds out of our current situation. I’m writing as an individual, not representing any other entity. Here’s who I support and why:

• Michael Plunkett – Was a strong supporter in getting Edmonds to buy school district property at the Old Woodway Elementary School (104th and 237th SW), where a new park opened in August. Michael is committed to listening and empowering citizens and giving us a voice in how our communities are developed. Michael knows Edmonds really well and has done many good things as a City Council member. He acts with local knowledge, courtesy and civility, which I cannot say about his opponent.
• Diane Buckschnis -- Is a no-nonsense, rock-solid community organizer with a long career in banking regulation. She has spent months trying to figure out the Mayor’s budget. Also, Diane set up the volunteer group that maintains the Edmonds Off-leash Area at Marina Park, giving our mutts a place to get some real exercise. She is a board member of the Edmonds Arts Center. And she has been very patient helping those of us who are trying to update the South County Senior Center’s website. Check out my letter in the Edmonds Beacon this week.
• Lora Petso – This one is hard. I really like Lora and Adrienne and would like to see both on the Council. My wife (Heather) and I are voting for Lora. She and husband Colin were key players in helping us save school property in SW Edmonds for open space (now Hickman Park.) By means of a lawsuit, Lora has stalled land developers from building 26 or so houses on the half the city failed to buy, based on shoddy permitting by the City. Lora knows what can be accomplished and where to find the money to make things happen. Neither Lora nor Adrienne would put up with bullying by the Mayor or his staff, which is another reason I wish both could be on the Council!