PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles Deputy Mayor Brendan Meyer highlighted his record on the Port Angeles City Council during a debate with challenger Kalli Mae Jones, a political novice who’s challenging Meyer for his Position 7 seat on the City Council.
“I got a lot of stuff done last four years,” Meyer said at a Port Angeles Kiwanis candidate forum on Thursday. “Downtown resource officer; updated building codes; incentivized development to ensure continuing maintenance of the (Olympic Discovery Trail), supported established programs through (American Rescue Plan Act) funding.”
Meyer said he had the experience to continue serving on the council and has shown a willingness to both work with and go against his fellow council members.
“I have a few 6-1 votes,” Meyer said. “Over the years, I’ve learned there’s a time to push, there’s a time to compromise, but there’s also a time to stand firmly.”
Originally from New York, Meyer moved with his wife and daughter to Port Angeles six years ago. A self-employed media and marketing advertising consultant, Meyer said he was attracted to the city council after seeing an increase in homelessness and empty storefronts downtown.
Jones is a former pediatric nurse practitioner with no political experience. A Port Angeles native, Jones left for college but eventually returned to raise her family of five children.
Over the years, Jones said she noticed several troubling trends locally, such as increased, crime, homelessness, drug use and a dwindling economy.
“What these trends are indicating is that what’s been done, what’s being not done to fix them, are not working so I’m hoping to be a change agent for that,” Jones said.
“I’m from here, I love it here and I’m a mom. And moms can get angry and protective of their kids, not that I’m necessarily angry. But I’ve got five little kids that I hope will grow up here in Port Angeles and stay here and raise their kids, so I’m really invested in the health and safety of the city.”
Candidates were asked about many of the same issues that have been brought before other city council candidates, namely housing and homelessness but also about priorities for seniors and what can be done to bolster downtown.
On homelessness, Jones said she favored a “tough love” approach and suggested banning camping in public parks and on sidewalks and adopt a zero-tolerance policy for certain areas of the city.
According to Jones, Port Angeles has a reputation for offering a lot of services to homeless people. She said the city attracts homeless from other parts of the state.
“There’s a fine line. We have to be careful about enabling and helping, and I am a firm believer in consequences for actions,” Jones said. “I would like to see more support for the police department to be able to make arrests for people who are repeat trespassers, for criminal activity.”
Jones cited research from the National Institute of Health that found treatment within the criminal justice system can successfully change attitudes and behavior toward drug use.
Meyer noted that the city has a limited ability to influence many of the issues facing the community, and said the entire country is grappling with homelessness. The city needs to work with county, state and federal governments to try and tackle the issue.
“There’s no silver-bullet solution,” he said. “This is not something where we can just say, ‘Hey, I’m going to pick up all the homeless people and figure it out,’ I promise.’
“The reality of the situation when you’re on council, the compromises you have to make, working together to figure out a solution, has to be real.”
Candidates also were asked what they could do to support a revitalized downtown. Meyer said he had supported the creation of a dedicated downtown resource officer to support local businesses and helped to install 24-hour bathrooms.
He also said the city needs to do more to bolster its infrastructure, which is in dire need of repair.
“We need to get rid of our policy not to take on new debt; that is our longstanding policy,” Meyer said. “We could get some 1 percent loans and I think that’s a wise investment because $2.3 million spent today is probably equal to $5 million spent 10 years from now. We need to do it now.”
While she agreed that infrastructure needed to be addressed, Jones said her top concern is public safety.
“My priority is safety. I think if we keep our streets clean and safe, that’s going to encourage business because ultimately we need this town to be prosperous again,” Jones said.
Jones also said she heard numerous complaints about the difficulty of starting a business in the city.
“You hear about red tape a lot,” Jones said. “I would like to look into it on the council somehow; how could we just clear the path, basically, to encourage businesses to come to Port Angeles and make this their home?”
Port Angeles City Council members do not represent a particular district or area of the city and are elected to serve four-year terms.
In addition to the Position 7 seat, Positions 5 and 6 are up for election this year. City Council races are non-partisan.
Election Day is Nov. 7, and ballots will be mailed to voters Oct. 18. Voter registration is available until 8 p.m. on Election Day, but online voter registration ends Oct. 30.
Online voter registration and additional election information is available at Washington’s election website, votewa.gov.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
