Editor’s Note: Renton City Council has Position No. 2 and 6 on the upcoming August primary election.
Armondo Pavone is the incumbent for Position No. 2 and he is running against Diane Dobson and Max J. Heller III.
Ruth Perez is the incumbent for Position No. 6 and she is running against Carl Eshelman and Jami Smith.
These six candidates are participating in an in-paper debate. The candidates had the opportunity to respond and rebut to their opponent’s answers. Below are their rebuttals to the first two questions. Max J. Heller did not send in his responses for this round of the in-paper debate.
The second round of rebuttals will be published in July 7 edition of the Renton Reporter.
Ballots for the August election will be mailed out on July 12 and election day is Aug. 1.
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Question No. 1: Explain why you are the best candidate for this position. Why did you choose to run?
Armondo Pavone (Position No. 2)
To evaluate the qualifications of a candidate it is important to fully understand the role of a council member. The principle job of a city council member is to make policy on behalf of the residents. It is important to recognize the constraints of the position and understand it is not the council’s role to administer city affairs. Strong personal convictions about an issue are only as valuable as the ability to achieve results. It takes collaboration and the ability to gain support of your colleagues to move a policy forward.
As a member of the Renton City Council, I have proven my ability to listen to all my constituents, whether I agree with them or not. I have effectively worked with my fellow council members through difficult and sometimes divisive issues. In addition, I have displayed a willingness to change my mind after listening to input from constituents and my council colleagues.
Diane Dobson (Position No. 2)
The Renton City Council is the legislative forum for our city. My training and 28 years experience working in our family law firm directly relates to the responsibilities of a council member — contract review, budget oversight, reading and understanding legal documents, property acquisition and sales, leasing and property management, and having the foresight to understand how all factors can and will impact a situation. The very first step in that legal process, however, is to listen to our clients, understand their challenges and then work together toward solutions and common goals.
My volunteer service and giving back through local nonprofits, city boards and commissions and working with the youth in our community gives me a varied perspective on our city operations and how it truly impacts all levels and demographics of our citizens.
The council works on adopting ordinances of all kinds. My professional work, together with my philanthropic work, provides not only the intellect to understand the same but the wisdom to know how it can best be applied to our city in order to protect the interests of the constituents.
The ability to make a difference in our community lies within all of us — not just those in city government.
Ruth Perez (Position No. 6)
As your City Council member, my focus has been and will continue to be fighting for Renton and our residents. When our state legislature was passing a transportation budget, I fought to ensure that we saw our fair share of projects in our community to reduce traffic and make sure that we can get around the region. When our city faces road blocks or challenges, I work with our community and with our regional partners to find solutions and get results for Renton.
I am running to continue to put Renton residents first and at the forefront of the city council’s decision-making. If re-elected, I will continue to fight for you on the issues that matter the most: Improving public safety so all our residents can feel safe and comfortable in their neighborhoods
Building a strong local economy and continuing to create jobs right here in Renton.
Advocating for better transportation options so you can get to work, school, and home to your family
Working to ensure we have affordable housing so every resident of Renton can continue to live and thrive here.
It has been my honor to serve as your city council member for the last three years and I look forward to continuing my service to our community.
Carl Eshelman (Position No. 6)
The residents of Renton are fortunate to have three highly qualified people running for city council position 6. Our backgrounds and experiences make us each qualified in unique ways. While we agree on some topics and disagree on others, we all share the common goal of doing what is best for the city and people of Renton. Where we differ most is in how we believe this goal would best be achieved. I believe strongly in individual rights, freedom of choice, and a limited government role in our day-to-day lives.
Jami Smith (Position No. 6)
I believe that government has an important role to play in the lives of residents, and I believe that residents are best served when their community leaders listen to them, and based on that feedback, create and maintain a municipal environment that allows residents to succeed.
To do that, it requires leaders who are dedicated to a community that works for all residents, and who will not only work with residents to define that, but can be relied upon to implement those plans in a communicative and collaborative way with people of many different backgrounds and perspectives.
I have a long track record of creating these high-functioning coalitions, as shown by my endorsements by Mayor Denis Law, Renton Council Members Ed Prince, Armondo Pavone, and Carol Ann Witschi, King County Executive Dow Constantine, State Senator Lisa Wellman, former State Representative and Renton School Board Director Marcie Maxwell and former School Board Director Joy Poff, and my business experience in leading cross-functional teams to deliver new technologies such as Microsoft’s Digital Supply Chain, and defining new measurement programs for support of science and health research at the Allen Institute. I can bring those same skills and talents to Renton’s city council.
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Question No. 2: Is the recent increase of economic development in the city addressing the needs of all Renton residents?
Position No. 2
Armondo Pavone (Position No. 2)
Over the past 15 years, Renton’s economic development efforts have resulted in significant investments in our community that has boosted our tax base. In return, this has helped pay for police, fire and medical services, parks, roads and other city services, while also providing thousands of new, local jobs. IKEA, Wizards of the Coast, Seattle Seahawks, Federal Reserve Bank and the Landing are some examples of this effort. More recently, Kaiser Permanente corporate offices (formerly Group Health), Providence Health & Services corporate offices and Hyatt Regency Lake Washington are just three examples of companies that have invested hundreds of millions in Renton. In total, they have brought thousands of living wage jobs to our community and significant tax revenues that support city services.
Identifying homelessness in our community is not a valid way to evaluate the success we enjoy from Renton’s economic development efforts. The homelessness issue is a national crisis that every major jurisdiction is struggling to address. In a joint effort with local service groups, Renton is taking a comprehensive approach to provide wrap around services to our homeless community while working collaboratively with other cities in King County to develop a sustainable plan to address these issues.
Diane Dobson (Position No. 2)
We have a wide range of citizens who call Renton home — who are proud to call Renton home. The different demographics contained within our city all contribute to the charm and uniqueness and makes Renton such a wonderful place to live.
The increase of economic development is fantastic in some areas but how is it directly impacting our citizens? Traffic congestion, construction delays and disruption, property values and property taxes increasing. We have neighborhoods undergoing rapid transformations impacting the seniors and individuals on fixed incomes who live there, who have retired there and who call Renton their “forever home.” Neighbors are feeling those hits as property tax statements are being delivered this week. We have small businesses who cannot afford their increased rents or trying to compete with corporate franchises. Some might call it gentrification. Growth is unavoidable but foresight toward responsible growth to protect our citizens and communities is CRUCIAL.
We have the ability to work together to make Renton the better place for all of our citizens — to improve the health of our streets, to care for those less fortunate and to maximize our ownership to reduce the impact on our resources. To make Renton a better place for everyone.
Ruth Perez (Position No. 6)
Economic development has been going well here in Renton but there is always room for improvement, particularly in being thoughtful about the diversity of businesses based here and how they fit into our community and the community we want to be. I believe that we must focus on retaining quality jobs that provide a living wage for workers and their families. We must retain our place as the center of the aerospace industry and I will work to keep those jobs right here.
I believe that we must be intentional about the businesses we recruit to Renton, ensuring that there is enough variety in the kinds of businesses and the kinds of jobs they offer so that every resident can work here. Whether a tech CEO or a frontline manufacturing worker, we should be looking at ways to expand the job market and create jobs across the spectrum of work.
Additionally, I believe that we must cut red tape for small businesses and support business ownership by our very own residents here in our city. Small business ownership makes up the fabric of a strong, vibrant, and prosperous local economy and I will continue to fight for our small business owners on the Renton City Council.
Carl Eshelman (Position No. 6)
As I read my opponents responses to the question asking if the recent economic growth is meeting the needs the residents of Renton I was pleasantly surprised but how much we agree. We all agreed that encouraging economic is a positive thing for Renton and more growth needs to be encouraged. We also agree that with economic growth come new challenges and issues that need to be considered and addressed. Renton needs to encourage small business as well as large enterprise, continue revitalizing the downtown area, and improve our transportation infrastructure. As stated in my previous response, I believe our differences lie in our beliefs on how to best accomplish this. We can accomplish these goals while maintaining tight fiscal standards, without raising taxes, and without intruding on individual rights and freedoms.
Jami Smith (Position No. 6)
I love Renton and I’m so proud to call this city my home. As a Renton Planning Commissioner and a member of the Mayor’s Inclusion Task Force, I’ve seen Renton’s growth first-hand, and I believe that Renton is now and will continue to be a great place to live, learn, work, and play.
It’s easy to see that things are changing around us. Renton’s population is growing. High-tech and life sciences companies are expanding in our region. Our residents depend on local government more than ever for their continued safety and well-being.
We need a strategic vision for the Renton we want to be, and we need leaders who can create plans with specific, actionable goals to fulfill that vision.
I see Renton as the future of Washington. I see Renton as the center of new American technological and vocational development and education, training the skilled workforce that wins jobs. I see Renton as a center for startup development and small business growth, particularly in our Downtown Core. I see Renton as a model for government innovation in balancing growth with services and ensuring the safety and protection of all our residents. I look forward to fulfilling that vision.
