Beth Asher is a woman set on solving difficult problems that have been dragging Renton down. With 38 years as a resident, she has seen the positives and the negatives in the town she loves. The City of Renton has done many things well, but there are some areas that seriously need improving. First is city budget. Beth has been working with other residents in getting ideas, practical solutions to improve the productivity of the quarter of a billion dollars that is the city budget. While Beth is very savvy on ways to save money through better analysis and expenditure controls, her great ability of bringing others into the problem-solving solution gives her fresh perspectives and creative ways to get a lot more service out of the same dollar. Beth’s encouragement of residents to share their collective insight brings new ideas on ways to effectively and economically solve nagging problems such as the lack of new affordable housing in Renton.

There’s a building boom beginning in Renton with many new projects under construction. But, though the Growth Management Act and the city’s housing regulations require at least 20 percent of new construction to be affordable housing, there’s almost no Renton housing being built for residents in the lower half of the median income. It will take cooperation with the city government, which Beth is capable of creating, to encourage the private sector to build the needed new homes. Beth can attract caring, trained, well-educated people to create solutions that will solve this housing shortage and bring Renton’s citizens an equitable, thriving community. Beth will work for improving downtown Renton, encouraging a regulation environment that is friendlier for the small businesses providing the bulk of employment for the people of Renton. Small businesses will find the improving Renton interaction less limiting. With an improved business climate, more jobs and better compensation will provide a better quality of life for Renton residents. Beth’s proven track record with the Cedar River Library shows that Beth knows how to get things done by inspiring people and getting them to work together. We are blessed to have Beth Asher running for City Council.

Howard J. McOmber Sr.,
Renton