Candidates for Aberdeen City Council Position 1, a three-way primary race between Tawni Andrews, Robert J Rodgers and Dick Murchy, were asked by The Daily World to answer three questions, limiting their answers to 600 words total.
Murchy declined to participate. Following are the answers from the other two candidates:
Tawni Andrews
Occupation: Inside Sales/Accounting, Columbia Electric Supply in Aberdeen
Public involvement: Aberdeen City Council Person and current Council President. Support (Radio Operator) for Grays Harbor Volunteer Search and Rescue. Chair of Aberdeen Art Walk. Board Member of Grays Harbor Historical Seaport and ReHABerdeen.
The City Council can’t fix every problem in town, but what is the one it should consider as top priority and what should be done about it?
In order for new businesses and residents to populate our area we need to continue the work on the flood protection levee that we are already working on with the City of Hoquiam. Once the levee is in place and insurance rates are lowered there is so much more growth that can happen.
Do you support the plan to build what has been called the Gateway Center, which would likely be operated by the city? Why or why not?
I do support the Gateway Center. The building is not a visitor’s center, although one corner of the building will house the visitor’s center. The center would allow the centralization of so many great programs and community organizations for new businesses and current businesses. The location on that corner would be such an eye draw as you first enter Aberdeen. If you were from out of the area, imagine coming into town and seeing that center, it would make you want to stop and look around inside. Inside you get to learn about not only the natural wonders that our community offers but the local businesses and the products and services they could provide. Don’t think of it from just a tourist prospective, think of it as a community perspective.
Some people think that better services, and perhaps financial savings, could be realized if the city combined with Hoquiam and/or Cosmopolis in areas such as police and fire protection, record keeping or public works. What are your thoughts on that?
I wouldn’t be opposed to it, if it would assist all of the communities I think it’s a great idea. If we could provide optimized services to the citizens let’s go for it. I know that the subject has been broached many times in the past. But if you now look at the cooperation that our cities are already doing through new local projects I think that with the leadership changes that have happened in the past few years there may be a more open path of communication to work toward these goals. I’ve always thought that anything good that happens in the county is good for all of us. We all are connected currently, we all cross those city borders every day without a thought.
Robert J Rodgers
Occupation: Clinic Supervisor at a Substance Use Disorder/Mental Health Outpatient Program.
Public involvement: I have not held public office and have decided I want to be part of the solution. I have, in the past, volunteered for a runaway teen center and a food bank/second hand store.
The City Council can’t fix every problem in town, but what is the one it should consider as top priority and what should be done about it?
The City of Aberdeen needs to develop a program that will increase the amount of jobs that are available to its citizens. The Aberdeen Revitalization Movement is a start, but the focus of this movement is basically on the downtown area. Aberdeen has more areas than just “downtown.” The ARM movement is dependent on tourism. Unfortunately, tourism is seasonal and our citizens need year-round employment. The city council needs to focus on the policies that attract businesses (especially small business) to the city that offer year-round employment to the community.
Do you support the plan to build what has been called the Gateway Center, which would likely be operated by the city? Why or why not?
The Gateway Center is part of the plan for the Aberdeen Revitalization Movement and would be a huge commitment to the city budget. As it stands, I believe that it is putting the cart before the horse. If the visitor’s center is to be built, let’s have the business infrastructure built first. We need to improve commerce before we complement it with taxpayer money. A compromise is to have the city hall relocate to the Gateway Center, along with having a visitor’s center. That would save the city from the unwise purchase of the old Seafirst Bank that they have shown interest in acquiring.
Some people think that better services, and perhaps financial savings, could be realized if the city combined with Hoquiam and/or Cosmopolis in areas such as police and fire protection, record keeping or public works. What are your thoughts on that?
That would have to be an issue that would have to be studied. It appears that it would save money to consolidate city services with other cities, but the impact on services could be severely affected. Before I would even consider consolidation of city services, it would need to maintain the same level or exceed the current level of services that are provided to Aberdeen. This would have to save the citizens money and not be a bigger burden to the city budget.
