Aberdeen Mayor Pete Schave’s tenure as mayor is almost over, so that leaves the question of who will next take the city’s top spot.

Aberdeen’s two mayoral candidates, Douglas Orr and Debi Pieraccini, sat a few feet from many voters on Tuesday to speak about the city’s issues and their ideas to repair those issues. Grays Harbor County’s General Election is set for Nov. 7.

Lynnette Buffington, CEO of Greater Grays Harbor, Inc., moderated the event. Carl Schroeder, deputy director of governmental relations for the Association of Washington Cities, spoke about how when people think about cities in Washington state, how they usually think about Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. They don’t think about the smaller cities, such as Aberdeen. But they face similar issues.

“One of our big things is to reinforce to the state that one solution is not going to fit for all communities,” Schroeder said.

After Schroeder spoke, Orr started with his opening remarks. He thanked the attendees for coming because it shows they care about the city. He does too.

“I joined this race to become your mayor … because like many residents in the city I’m kind of frustrated about some of the things that are going on right now,” Orr said.

Orr wants to solve some of the city’s issues

“I believe some of the current problems in our city is because we set roadblocks and stifle creative change,” Orr said. “I think that’s something that’s going to take a lot of courage for us to accept those changes and move on. … I also believe there is no one solution for our problems that our city is facing right now.”

For example, Orr used the Gateway Center, the project that was tabled after years of research and procuring much of the needed financials. He pointed at it because it cost the city.

“I believe that was us putting all our eggs in one basket,” said Orr, who would rather take small steps.

“It just so happens I’ve got a lot of ideas that are small ideas,” Orr said. “That with those and the help of the community, I think those ideas can come to fruition and put us in a more positive direction. I think we can find money to solve a lot of our problems without raising any taxes.”

Orr then passed the microphone to Pieraccini, who gave her opening remarks:

“My name is Debi Pieraccini,” she said. “I am a mother, a grandmother, business owner, and I want to be your mayor. It’s my honor and privilege to currently serve the city of Aberdeen as a city council member. Presently I serve as the Finance Committee chair. I’m the Homeless Response Committee chair.”

Pieraccini then listed a few more of her roles and her completion of the Advanced Municipal Leadership Course through the Association of Washington Cities.

“I’m very proud of that,” Pieraccini said. “The advanced municipal leadership course provides more than 60 hours of training in multiple areas of city leadership and a demonstrated local community service. As a successful local business owner, my establishment provides financial support for my employees, including seven families. I have experience running a business and I know the skills I’ve developed will give a tremendous benefit as mayor.”

Pieraccini continued with her successes as a city councilor and then she went into how she would be if elected.

“We all wish for Aberdeen to be safe, healthy and welcoming to visitors and to industry,” Pieraccini said. “I am committed to leading us in that direction. We have amazing staff at the city, incredible citizens and an open opportunity to be part of Aberdeen’s transition from a drive-through city to a drive-to city destination. Aberdeen has a bright future ahead if driven in the appropriate direction.”

Buffington asked about infrastructure investments

“The new infrastructure is very exciting,” Pieraccini said. “We have the railway project, we have the flood levee project, we have the Young Street Bridge. All of these things will complete the community. It’ll make us the the drive-to community. I think one of the biggest problems we have is the homeless issue. We are now at the very brink of finding a solution and location for the unhoused. That does stop a lot of production downtown. It’s very difficult for a lot of people.”

Pieraccini wants to “usher in healing in our community.” She said the projects will bring in more infrastructure and “people will want to invest in our community.” She wants to lead that.

Orr followed.

“We have a lot of infrastructure projects planned,” Orr said. “I think one of the best opportunities we have is we have many of these things planned that could be joined with other projects. What I mean is we have the dike project and we have the Young Street Bridge project. Both of those can be combined if they’re looked at together as far as what other grants?”

Orr said he thinks “there are a lot of opportunities where we have different projects going on that could also be added to rather than just having a dike. Part of that dike could be used for other projects that our city needs, like creating more parks and more river access, things like that.”

Orr used the Young Street Bridge project as an example.

“I think the same with the bridge project — recognizing our music and our history and our heritage,” Orr said. “Adding more opportunity for young people to go to that park and do something like play music or have concerts there, rather than just have the park what it is right now.”

Buffington asked the candidates about political divisiveness, since it’s a national, state and local issue, and what their approach is to building consensus, overcoming differences within the council and what examples of leadership they’ve shown in their past. Orr went first.

“I think one of the biggest problems in our nation, not just in Aberdeen, is this partisan ‘my way is the only way’ kind of an idea,” Orr said. “I think reaching out to both sides, I like to consider myself a non-partisan person and so everybody in the community, their opinions have equal value to me. You need to listen to all sides and then come together on some consensus. There’s always something that interests both parties that we can come together on. I think reaching out to the community, hearing what the community has to say and then including that in whatever process is going on is the key component to being non-partisan and getting things done. We all have big dreams and sometimes those dreams have to be pared down so that it better meets what the community needs are as opposed to just your party or ideology.”

Pieraccini said she’s changed since she started as a city councilor

“When I first started, I walked in because I knew I was right, I knew everything I wanted should go my way and after a couple years you learn when you walk in you have to listen to everybody,” Pieraccini said. “You have to be able to meet people halfway. We’re not always going to get our own way. One of the things is the $15 million. When you have something jammed in your mailbox three hours before a council meeting and you didn’t have time to read it because you usually have two or three days, you don’t make decisions quickly like that when there are questions being asked. When seven people say ‘no’ out of 12, you have to respect that and then you have to walk on. You don’t drag it through the mud for six months. You realize that was an opportunity that maybe was missed because it wasn’t presented properly, and then you move on.”

As far as bridging the political gap, Pieraccini wants to get to know people, why they believe what they believe and “maybe try to find compromise.”

The candidates also provided concise, closing statements. Orr went first.

“I believe Aberdeen is a gem, it’s a jewel,” Orr said. “We’re all blessed to live here. I feel bad that when I was a kid and I lived here before that I didn’t recognize the value in what was here. My goal was to leave. I think most young people from our community grow up and that’s their goal. They want to leave this community. I think we have so much. We have historic buildings, we have parks, miles of waterways, great fishing and hunting. We’re the center location of the Harbor, so it seems like a natural launching point to everywhere else in the county.”

Orr said he’s visited “hundreds of small towns that were like Aberdeen, many of them successful and some not.”

One of the biggest issues he sees is how Aberdeen is “stuck on being a lumber town.”

“That is, from things I’ve read, one of the biggest holdbacks that keeps small towns that are under financial distress from moving forward,” Orr said. “We have to give up that idea that we’re ever going to be a lumber town again and find out what our assets are, embrace those assets and move in a new direction. We have to identify what we want to become. I think a destination is a great spot. Our No. 1 asset is 10 million tourists who drive through our community every year and we don’t harvest those. But you look at all the fast food places when you come into town. Those are big businesses, they realize the potential that 10 million people have. That’s why they’re all parking their businesses in the entrance to our town.”

Orr sees a lot of opportunity for Aberdeen

“We have to create an identity for ourselves and we’ll never move on if we don’t do that,” Orr said.

Orr also wants to see more pride in the community.

“We need everybody in this community to be able to say ‘we’re proud to be from Aberdeen,’ and hopefully work to make Aberdeen better,” Orr said “And all those people from county and state who bad-mouth Aberdeen can choke on their words.”

Pieraccini talked about why she’s the best candidate.

“I’m approachable, I’m willing to do the work, I’ve put in the hours and I’m ready to do the job,” Pieraccini said. “As we look to our future in Aberdeen, I will continue to focus and support projects currently in the works as well as several others. I will promote economic development, new business and a rejuvenation of our business district infrastructure. We’ll partner with the county on directly addressing the unhoused community and mitigating the impacts on our business community.”

Pieraccini wants to explore “further options for city events, a potential designated community space for family entertainment, concerts, maybe special markets, and more.”

In addition to an amphitheater, which Orr also championed on Tuesday, Pieraccini also wants to add food trucks and to invite “our local, wonderful artists to sing and play their music.”

“I’ll tell you what, if I was driving through a little town like this and I saw people up on a stage playing music I would say ‘Babe, let’s stop there, let’s go stop there and see what’s going on,’” Pieraccini said. “And we would be that destination city.”

Both candidates positive

“I feel very confident in my answers,” Pieraccini said. “I feel like I was prepared and I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak to the community. I really enjoyed it.”

Pieraccini complimented Orr’s performance.

“I like Doug,” Pieraccini said. “I think I’m the stronger candidate. I think he’s got great ideas. I think him being on city council for a couple years would fine-tune his ideas and the understanding of what goes on in the background. You don’t see that when you’re just a citizen. You see it when you get on council. You see ‘oh I see why they do that.’ I enjoyed his comments though.”

Orr was confident too. He also complimented Pieraccini.

“I think it went really well,” Orr said. “I was really nervous. I’m still nervous, I’m still kind of shaking. I thought it went really well. I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to say, but I’m really happy with it. You know, Debi and I, we agree on a lot of things. Even though we’re running against each other we’re not really enemies or anything like that. We’re still friends. Whomever of us gets in office, I think the other’s gonna work hard to help. I’ll work hard for her and I think she’ll work hard for me.”

Orr said Pieraccini’s knowledge of the inner-workings at the city helped her keep her answers “a little more concise” than his.

“But I’m all about thinking out of the box and not kind of sticking with what has traditionally been done,” Orr said. “I think her responses are kind of leading us in the direction we’re already going in and I think I might change that direction a little bit if I get elected.”

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.