CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Candidates for two Bremerton council positions square off in primary

Kitsap Sun - 7/24/2017

July 24--Two Bremerton City Council positions drew three candidates this year. The top two vote-getters in each race during the Aug. 1 primary election will advance to the Nov. 7 general election.

We asked each candidate a few questions about the race. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

District 1

The candidates:Suzanne Griffith, Olympic College English professor and volunteer in her first run for public office. Allen Mathews, Navy veteran and electrical and safety supervisor at Talgo-Inc., also in his first run for public office. Pat Sullivan, accountant and incumbent councilwoman appointed when her husband, Mike, died in 2015.

Why are you running?

Suzanne Griffith: I've lived in Bremerton a long time and I'm retired now. I'd like to give something back to the community that has supported me. I was born here and moved back in 1982. I have time and I have experience and I think that would be a good combination. I haven't participated heavily in city council but I have the time, energy, knowledge and skills.

Allen Mathews: The reason I decided to run was finding out about the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) and utility taxes. The PILOT is important because it is a means that the city uses to justify the tax on the water utility. If you look at your water bill you don't see what the tax breakdown is.

Pat Sullivan: I've been on the council for the last two years I've enjoyed being an independent voice but I want to go forward. At first I was a deer in the headlights, but I can go forward. I'm focusing on mental health funding, how are we going to help the homeless, how are we going to give back to neighborhoods. ... There are houses abandoned and neglected. I want to make somebody accountable for vacant properties.

Do you think the City Council should've passed an ordinance declaring itself a "welcoming" city?

Griffith: When I heard all the fear that individuals are going through since the Trump administration started, my understanding that people who came here in the unofficial manner should not be afraid and I think all avenues to citizenship should be encouraged but I think they should be living here as well as any of the rest of us do.

Mathews: For the oath of office in the military, due to state and federal laws, I can not vote yes on that as much as I would like to. I would like to help change the federal law. I would vote yes now if I was able to.

Sullivan: No. For one, it is a federal law. Members of public who have taken office will support the laws of Washington. This is a federal law, it needs to have the opponents work towards getting the law changed. ... Bremerton is a welcoming city. We have Juneteenth, Pride, and an ordinance is not going to stop ICE from coming downtown. It has no legal basis. ... President Trump has threatened to cut back on (federal funding from sanctuary cities). That's one issue. If there's a background opening (PSNS and IMF) could be shut down.

What does the city need to do about its parking problem?

Griffith: My district does not really have parking problems. It is a problem when it comes to people having too many cars. The neighborhood was built to have one car (per house).

Mathews: I'm not too familiar with it.

Sullivan: In our specific district we have lots of parking. As a council member, you're responsible for the entire city. So, while our district doesn't have a parking issue, downtown does, and we need to fix it. If effects our local businesses and visitors coming. You're a resident downtown and you come back from work and you can't park, that's an issue.

How would you encourage business growth, to fill in empty storefronts around the city?

Griffith: I would like to see the city working with business owners and the chamber of commerce and finding out for sure what other issues there are. I know the high tax is the problem and I'd like to talk to others about those issues. In general, I'd like them to be family businesses rather than pawn shops and strip clubs. Places where anyone in the family can go.

Mathews: I would recommend we take a look at Title 20 again, the building code. I know the city council votes on certain regulation that makes it hard to open up businesses because of design requirements. The sewer connection fees are way too high so for business startups, I would work to lower that.

Sullivan: I think we've made a lot of progress in downtown and we recently changed some of our city coding to allow for auto repair down Wheaton Way, so it's working with the coding and trying to see if codes allow changes. We need to work with our business owners while they come in while looking towards the future growth of Bremerton.

With people moving across from Seattle, how does the city ensure its poorest residents aren't priced out?

Griffith: I'd love for every house to look nice and be painted, but I don't want it at the expense of normal working people. We have a lot of things going on here and we need compromises (and) compassion ... along with profit.

Mathews: Bremerton is more of a blue-collar town and there are a lot of veterans and elderly, which means fixed income. A lot of it deals with county level, a lot of it deals with property taxes. I have no issue with build-ups. In the more dense residential areas like downtown, we need to build up.

Sullivan: I don't know that you can. It's supply versus demand. When someone comes in and they invest in a city and then they build and sell houses that's what they do. It's really difficult to manage keeping houses at an affordable price.

It's a non-partisan position, but do you think your politics would be helpful on council?

Griffith: I'm a progressive Democrat and I've been endorsed by the Kitsap County Democrat Central Committee and 23rd Legislative District Democrats. I have no problem working with others and listening to their point of view. My grandmother and mother moved here in the 1920s, I have deep roots in the community and I love this community. My daughter and granddaughter were born here as well.

Mathews: I have tried to formulate a non-partisan platform and I plan to represent my constituents. I'm not going to let my political preference speak for me I'm going to speak for them.

Sullivan: I believe that they have, because we are nonpartisan, but you don't look at just how it will affect you. We go from one district but we effect the entire city. I try to see what future consequences our choices will make. I'm there to ask the questions that make us think 'are we doing the best now not just for the future of Bremerton but quality of life for everyone that lives here?'

District 3

The candidates: Adam Brockus, shipyard employee who served on the council from 2006-20013. Kevin Gorman, Coast Guard veteran with more than 14 years of experience in federal and municipal government. Deborah McDaniel, technical writer, volunteer and member of the city audit committee.

Why are you running?

Kevin Gorman: I believe that we need more youth in politics. I've spent more than half my career in public service and am ready for a leadership role in Bremerton.

Deborah McDaniel: I was asked by a former council president and that was a big motivator for me. After the presidential election last fall, my passion for my district and Bremerton grew. I Moved here in 1999 and was on the transit committee and the Manette commission. This is all just a part of the progression.

Adam Brockus: My daughter and wonderful grandchildren live with us and I want Bremerton to be the best place for them to grow up and live.

Do you think the City Council should've passed an ordinance declaring the city a "welcoming" city?

Gorman: Instead of focusing on a resolution, we should focus on reaching out to the communities. In the meantime we should focus on partnering with Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center and get the message out that we have a policy that makes us a welcoming city for immigrants.

McDaniel: Yes, I think if we are a welcoming city we shouldn't be afraid to state that. We need to support our police. The biggest thing is to let people know they're safe. If we act out of fear then we let the bullies win.

Brockus: It would have been a resolution, not an ordinance, and I thought they should have passed one that says what we have always stood for as a city: "Bremerton workers are treated with dignity and respect."

What does the city need to do about its parking problem?

Gorman: I think the city is doing the right thing right now. The person we have completing the project knows what he's doing. We should get committee together and start making progress on action. Its going to be something we have to explore from every angle.

McDaniel: If I knew that answer I could retire today. Not enough people have read the study results. The first mention of a parking problem was in 1917, we've had this for 100 years and it wont be solved overnight.

Brockus: Parking meters or pay-and-display parking would not work. I would keep the 3-hour parking for movie-goers but make parking anywhere in downtown for longer in a day to be an offense. I would also add park and rides for workers in downtown and the shipyard to use and free programs with Kitsap Transit to bus workers into downtown and leave parking spaces for shoppers.

How would you encourage business growth, to fill in empty storefronts around the city?

Gorman: We're on a path to reduce taxes for local businesses opening. I'm supportive of the artwork in windows that we see downtown. Its all about marketing and getting people excited to come here.

McDaniel: The city is on the right track now with reducing the taxes for business owners, we should accelerate that. The loss from budget could be offset by business growth.

Brockus: The council has already made a first step by hiring a Economic Development Director. We should concentrate on small businesses that can find a place in one of our underused areas. they do not necessarily need to be retail. Also improve infrastructure to encourage movement and hiring. That includes improving transit.

How does the city, during this growth spurt and people moving in from Seattle, ensure its poorest residents aren't priced out?

Gorman: Affordable housing is a big issue right now, what we need to do is partner with the Bremerton Housing Authority and Kitsap Housing Authority. They've been in this game longer than Bremerton and we need to make a strategic plan to help it from getting worse. We also need to look at all the options to see what will work for the city. Its going to have to be a partnership and the first step will be starting a committee as soon as possible.

McDaniel: We need to help maintain existing affordable housing. This means incentives for landlords to not raise rent for people who have lived here, extend rent control and property taxes caps.

Brockus: We'll need to try to encourage large apartment buildings, condos and housing developers to build a percentage of their units as affordable housing. It was done in the BHA in West park and we should continue it across the city. We'll need to keep it to 30 percent of the current median income, which is about $1,150 per month in 2017.

It's a non-partisan position, but do you think your politics would be helpful on Council?

Gorman: I do, I'm the only truly non-partisan candidate. To me its refreshing for the state of affairs for our nation. Streets and sidewalks, quality of life, police protection aren't very political to me. I'm not concerned with the things that divide us.

McDaniel: Personal politics will absolutely go into it. I will represent all the people in my district, but also need to amplify those who support me and the progressive movement.

Brockus: It used to be that even though I was left of center and Councilman Cecil McConnell was very right of center, we still got together to work projects, make budgets, and even play golf once or twice. I've worked with Mayor Bozeman and Mayor Lent and Councilman Wheeler and their politics are all across the scale. But we all came together with one idea: that we wanted to leave Bremerton better than we came to it.

___

(c)2017 the KitsapSun (Bremerton, Wash.)

Visit the KitsapSun (Bremerton, Wash.) at www.kitsapsun.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.