PORT TOWNSEND — Each of the three candidates for a seat on the City Council said he or she has a unique connection to the city in the first public forum of the season.
“Port Townsend saved my life, and I would like to return that favor,” said Amy Smith, who is opposing Paul Rice and Todd Wexman for the open Position 6 seat.
“I came to the city at age 18 as a homeless youth. Since that time, this town has nurtured me, giving me solace, hope and care.”
Smith, 32, is now executive director of the Boiler Room, which she credits for turning her life around.
More than 100 people attended Wednesday night’s forum at the Port Townsend Community Center, moderated by Superior Court Clerk Ruth Gordon.
It was sponsored by the Jefferson County League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, KPTZ-FM and Port Townsend TV.
The three are seeking to fill the seat now held by Mayor David King, who declined to seek a third term.
The City Council race is the only one on the Aug. 4 top-two primary election ballot.
Other races on the ballots that will be mailed next Wednesday are two Sequim School District contests — although largely in Clallam County, the Sequim district includes a small number of Jefferson County voters — and a Clallam-Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 3 commission seat.
The top two vote-getters in the primary races will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
Connect the dots
“As a child, I loved playing connect-the-dots. Connecting the lines between seemingly disparate spots, eventually a picture would emerge, and that was very exciting to me,” said Rice, 32.
“In Port Townsend, I found the community I was missing, 9,000 dots to connect, and I am ready to help people connect the dots and to help people see how their government works for them.”
Wexman, 77, a retired architect, said he could “bring a lifetime of hands-on experience in many fields to council proceedings.”
Wexman served as mayor of Earlville, Ill., in the 1980s, while Rice and Smith have never sought public office.
Cost of living
“The cost of living in Port Townsend has skyrocketed over the last 15 years,” Wexman said.
“The richest amongst us may be little affected as such, while those living on the edge, families and those with fixed incomes, struggle to make ends meet.”
Another council race will appear only on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, since it has only two candidates.
David Faber and Travis Keena are competing to succeed retiring Deputy Mayor Kris Nelson for Position 7, while Deborah Stinson and Robert Gray, respectively Positions 3 and 4, are unopposed in their second-term bids.
Wednesday’s 90-minute forum was split into two parts. Candidates answered questions first from the League of Women Voters and then written questions from audience members.
Avoiding cutbacks
All of the candidates said they favored “creative” ways to finance city programs to avoid cuts.
“You can lessen taxes and be careful about spending your money and still provide the needed services,” Wexman said.
“The problem here is that nobody has put their minds together to make some very hard and imaginative decisions.”
Said Rice: “There are so many creative ways to balance, but the things we end up cutting are things we end up missing later.”
Smith added: “You need to make sure that you have exhausted all funding possibilities before you cut a program.
“The only time you should cut a program is when it is not meeting a predetermined set of markers, which need to be built into the program.”
In response to a question about dealing with conflicting ideas, Rice and Smith stated the intention to listen carefully to their potential antagonists.
“I will never be unavailable to anyone no matter how much I disagree with them and would never put myself in a position where I could not be in the same room with someone and discuss our differences.” Rice said.
Listen carefully
Smith said it is important to listen carefully.
“Sometimes, the words that someone is telling you don’t represent what they are trying to say,” she said.
“In many cases, you need to look underneath the words they are saying to understand what they mean.”
In his response, Wexman said he can become impatient with others who don’t listen to him.
“I can come into a situation with a good idea. I have lots of good ideas because I have lots of experience,” he said.
He told of making a presentation to which his audience was unresponsive.
“When I have an experience like this and nobody cares, I get mad, and I think deservedly so,” he said.
Smith said addressing issues separately is counterproductive.
“All of the important issues are intrinsically tied together,” she said.
“If you don’t have a house, you can’t have a job and can’t maintain your quality of life. If there is no transportation, you can’t get to your job or your house.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
