The View From The Left

From the Olympian:

Ed Hildreth has sat behind the dais in the Tumwater City Hall council chambers countless times during more than a decade of service as a city planning commissioner, including a stint as chairman.

But Hildreth acknowledged Tuesday evening that it was intimidating doing so for the first time as Tumwater’s newest council member.

Moments earlier, the Tumwater City Council voted unanimously for Hildreth to complete the unexpired term of Karen Valenzuela, who resigned Feb. 17 after being appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire as the new Thurston County commissioner. Mayor Ralph Osgood administered the oath of office.

Of course you can read what I wrote about Ed’s application seeking the appointment to the seat.

You may note that I never posted on candidate Tom Oliva, but Oliva withdrew from consideration.

Candidate number one seeking to fill the vacant Tumwater City Council seat is Ed Hildreth, a resident of Tumwater for 14 months who has lived at his current address for 26 years. I’m guessing Ed lives in an area of the city (like I do) that was recently annexed. He’s also a small business owner.

In answering the question about why he is interested in serving on the Tumwater City Council, Ed points out that he lives here, tries to shop here and has raised his family here. Ed also states a desire to see the city be a “healthy and vibrant community”.

By serving on the City Council I feel that I could give direction to the future of the City so that not only I, my family, my children, grandchildren and the citizens can continue to have a community that I have come to know.

I think what Ed was inarticulately saying is that he likes living in Tumwater and wants to be a councilmember so he can ensure that other members of the community like Tumwater as much as him and want to live here. It’s a great statement of pride for his city, but not so much a mission statement for service to the city. To be fair, Ed’s comment about wanting the city to be healthy and vibrant is a reason to want to serve on the council, but not unique. I’m guessing all of the candidates want the city to be healthy and vibrant. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Question two for the candidates was what their three highest priorities are for the city and how they would address those issues. Ed’s response:

My three priorities are: the Town Center, Balanced budget and the environment. I listed the Town Center as one of my priorities for several reasons. Tumwater needs an area that people can not only work but have as a destination for entertainment, both formal i.e. theater, and informal such as parks and community centers. The center will also provide locations for employment and residences. There are currently pressures on and around the Town Center that need to be addressed. I placed a balanced budget as one of my top priorities. The City not only now has to have a balanced budget but for the future as the economy continues to struggle and recover. Tumwater must focus its revenue flow and expenses on maintaining the services that the citizens expect and at the same time continue the sustainable community that Tumwater should be. And the third priority is the environment. We not only have many natural resources to protect but we need to provide a community that is safe in all aspects.

Let’s take this one by one. First, the Town Center. Ed claims there are “current pressures on and around the Town Center” that need to be addressed, but gives the reader no clue as to what he thinks those pressures are or how he might deal with them. As a councilmember Ed, you’ll have to be able to explain things in better detail to your constituents.

As for priority number two, the budget, I wonder if the City of Tumwater ever ran a deficit. Aren’t cities required to have a balanced budget like the state? If that’s the case, then doing what is required under law isn’t something you aspire to, it’s an imperative that goes without saying.

What puzzles me though, is Ed’s statement that we “continue the sustainable community that Tumwater should be.” How can you continue something that should be? If it doesn’t exist, how can it be continued? I’m willing to give Ed a pass for being inarticulate at the beginning of his application, but with the way he’s talking about his priorities, I’m starting to feel like I need some waders and a shovel, because it’s starting to pile up. It’s almost like Ed believes throwing out a few buzzwords (Town Center, balanced budget, sustainable) might wrap this thing up in his favor.

Ed’s past community involvement includes service on the Tumwater Planning Commission since 1993, including serving as chair. Ed is a Board Member of the Washington State Employees Credit Union, past board member of the Thurston County Fair Board, and he’s been active in the Kiwanis service club.

Question four asks about the candidates’ impressions of the Tumwater Comprehensive Plan and its goals and policies, and whether or not the candidate has been involved in the city’s planning process. Ed acknowledges his familiarity with the comprehensive plan through his service on the planning commission. He also states his opinion that the plan needs to be continually updated to reflect the curent needs of the city (a position I’d agree with).

Candidates are asked about what they hope to accomplish between getting the appointment and November 3 (when the term expires). Remember that Ed’s three priorities are: the Town Center, a balanced budget and the environment. In eight months, Ed hopes to complete the Strategic Plan, resolve the manufactured home park issue,  balance the budget and continue work on the neighborhood retail. It sounds like an ambitious agenda to me. But Ed believes he has time, because he plans to run for the seat upon appointment.

I have to say that for someone who has served on the planning commission, and presumably made recommendations to the city council,  I’m surprised that Ed didn’t take the time to ensure he spelled Commissioner Valenzuela’s name correctly. It also wouldn’t have hurt him to take care of some of the other misspellings and wrong verb tenses in the application too.

If Ed can’t pay attention to those details, would he pay attention to other more important details?