City Council member Rich Zwicker was among those grim-faced council members who listened as Mayor Denis Law unveiled his 2010 budget proposal Monday night.
Like Law, Zwicker’s No. 1 priority is basic government services. Those priorities include public safety, a good transportation structure, good clean water and toilets that flush, among others, he said.
“The infrastructure is key,” he said.
Zwicker was appointed to the City Council in early 2008 to replace Dan Clawson, who resigned. Now Zwicker is running for a four-year term in his own right.
Before the budget proposal was announced, Zwicker said he had faith that Law would “come up with a good preliminary budget and give us a good starting point,” he said. Zwicker said he has a “ton of confidence” in the city’s administrators, too.
Law says his priorities are preserving basic services, including public safety.
In the end, the budget, reflects both the mayor’s priorities and the council’s, Zwicker said.
Zwicker, a paralegal for the Washington state Attorney General’s Office, is involved in a number of community organizations. He is also on the Board of Trustees of Renton Technical College, from which he has earned degrees.
He’s passionate about the college. He resigned from the board after college President Don Bressler was fired; Zwicker later rescinded his resignation.
Cuts in Renton city services are inevitable, including Community Services because of its size, Zwicker said. “How that actually comes down will be the subject of debate,” he said.
Those cuts potentially include the loss of the Summer Teen musical and the closure of some parks facilities.
“Community Services is going to take a hit, unfortunately,” he said before the budget was announced.
Law wrote in a message to city employees recently that 30 to 35 layoffs will be required to balance the city’s 2010 budget. The final number was 35.
Zwicker said avoiding those layoffs “would be great.” But he can’t see how the city can avoid layoffs, because the budget hole is “too big,” he said.
The city is facing revenue shortfalls in the millions of dollars.
“We have been very lucky to get as far into this recession as we have and not have to make deep cuts,” Zwicker said.
Zwicker said the members of the City Council are “very thoughtful” and are willing to explore all avenues for action. The council, he said, “is definitely working on all cylinders.”
Other topics:
• Zwicker said he’s a “big fan” of the city’s Neighborhood Program. “That is great outreach that we need to continue,” he said.
• Renton is a “great place” to do business, he said, but the city needs to become even more efficient in efforts to attract new businesses to the city. He said other cities often point to Renton as an example for how to work with the business community.
• Zwicker said he doesn’t think the city’s police and fire crews are stretched too thinly. He hasn’t heard such concerns expressed by the public, he said.
His opponent, Jim Flynn, has made ensuring that the fire department is fully staffed and equipped a top priority.
Zwicker said it’s “an absolute plus” for cities to work together to respond to major fires or police incidents. Cities in the Green River Valley are coordinating their response to potential flooding of the Green River, another example of the value of working together, he said.
• Zwicker agrees with the city’s open-door policy for an annexation – “if it pencils out and doesn’t cause a reduction in services to current residents,” he said.
As of Wednesday, Zwicker has raised $9,643 for his campaign and spent $9,362. His biggest single contributor is the Renton Police Officers Guild, which contributed $1,000 to his campaign. He has received other union support, plus has a long list of local contributors.
RICH ZWICKER
Position: Renton City Council, Position 2
Age: 45
Family: wife Martha
Community involvement: Trustee for the Renton Technical College and member of the Renton Technical College Foundation and Alumni Association; current board member and the past president of the North Renton Neighborhood Association; served as a member of Piazza Renton and the Renton Airport Advisory Committee.
Political background: Renton City Council member, appointed in early 2008; Serves on the Regional Water Quality Committee as a representative for the Suburban Cities Association, the Cedar River Council as Renton’s representative, and on the WRIA 8, Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed Committee as Renton’s representative.
Municipal League rating: Outstanding
Website: richzwicker.com
