SEQUIM — The Sequim City Council will consider on Monday six candidates for appointment to fill the unexpired term of Troy Tenneson.
Eight Sequim residents applied for Tenneson’s seat after he resigned due to a family emergency on Aug. 21. Tenneson ran unopposed in November 2019. The person who fills his seat will serve until the next election for the seat, which will be in November 2021.
Virtual interviews are scheduled during the regular session that begins at 6 p.m. Monday and a new council member could be named after an executive session that night. For the full agenda and details, see www.sequimwa.gov. Candidates are Janine Bocciardi, Kathy Downer, Keith Larkin, Vicki Lowe, George Norris and Lowell Rathbun.
City Clerk Sara McMillon said applications from two candidates — David Herbelin and Joshua Washburn — are not valid because the candidates do not live within city limits. Applications for vacant positions with the city council members determining the appointee have drawn larger interest than many elected positions in recent years. Four of the six current Sequim city council members started as appointees, with Mayor William Armacost and council member Dennis Smith later being re-elected.
Sarah Kincaid and Mike Pence were selected in late April following the resignation of Jennifer States (who was elected in November 2019) and the death of longtime council member Ted Miller. The last time any city council member was opposed in an election was in 2015, when three of four positions were contested. Former mayor Ken Hays ran unopposed but shortly thereafter resigned his post in December 2015.
• Janine Bocciardi moved to Sequim more than five years ago. She has a background in educational technology and works in educational database design for the University of Hawaii P-20 Partnership for Education.
As for her goals if chosen for the council seat, she said she’s interested in ensuring residents feel heard and that a majority of citizens are served by existing and new laws. She also looks to bridge the gap between newer and older residents by connecting more with them about their concerns and finding common ground.
• Kathy Downer moved to Sequim in June 2020 after serving on the Marietta (Ohio) city council from 2014-2019 and working as a nurse for 43 years. She currently serves on Sequim’s planning commission. As for her priorities if appointed, Downer said she will look to continue the council’s work, search for light manufacturing jobs to relocate here while continuing to support small businesses, consider creating RV short-term parking and more workforce housing.
• Keith Larkin has lived in the city fulltime for two years after retiring from California state service in December 2015. That included six years as fire chief for the Fresno County Fire Protection District. Larkin said he has no agenda but feels rapid growth in and around the city will have long-term effects on the city and its residents. He said the “best decisions are made when there is open discussion with a variety of viewpoints.”
• Vicki Lowe has lived for 50 years in the city limits and says she is descended from both pioneer families and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. She works as executive director for American Indian Health Commission for Washington. She said if appointed her biggest priority would be ensuring businesses are getting support needed to continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lowe said she also looks to attract and keep more diverse jobs and medical professionals while pursuing community partnerships, promoting quality schools, affordable housing families and more.
• George Norris has lived in Sequim since January 2017 and retired as a scientific and technician intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army National Guard after 29 years and 11 years as an Army field artillery officer. Norris said he believes Sequim needs to promote its identity as a tourist destination more, such as by “supporting the groups that organize and host such events while minimizing the stress such tourism places on the city and its natural resources.”
• Lowell Rathbun has lived in the city for more than two years and is a retired radio frequency design engineer from Tektronix, Inc. in Beaverton, Ore. Rathbun, an active member of the Clallam County Democrats, said he wants to bring some political balance to the council as it’s “currently dominated by Republicans and needs to be balanced by the presence of more Democrats with progressive views.”
If appointed, his top priority would be the health and safety of citizens, including promoting mask wearing and social distancing. He also seeks more support local businesses, the homeless and those afflicted with mental illness, and workforce housing.
To see candidate applications, go to sequimcandidates.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
