Click here to read the candidates’ answers to the previous forum question…
Ferndale mayoral and city council candidates, including those running unopposed, answered questions posed during a public forum Tuesday, October 13th, at the Pioneer Pavilion Community Center hosted by the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
Each candidate was offered 2 minutes to respond to questions asked. Ferndale High School social studies teachers, Scott Browne and Jennifer Kubic, served as moderators. Many students could be seen in the crowd of nearly 70 attendees.
The following is a depiction of the questions and answers but in some cases responses have been paraphrased. This is not to alter the intended meaning or emphasis but due to limitations in hearing and recording verbatim.
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Click for more informationQuestion: What policies, ideas or initiatives did you bring and what differences did it make?
Paul Ingram – City council is a collective unit. It takes a majority to move anything. No one councilmember has done anything on their own. It was done as a council with staff support. I’m not going to say I did this or that.
Keith Olson – I echo Paul Ingram’s comments. Council works with administration to come up with final versions. No one person moves anything by themselves.
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Click for more informationQuestion for challengers: What fresh ideas do you bring?
Jon Mutchler – One thing that comes to my mind is giving flexibility to home builders to build on different size lots.
Rebecca Xczar – I am younger than the others up here and am hoping to bring a different perspective. Not proposing anything in particular now. I will be finding ways to get the community more involved.
Greg Hanson – I am not coming to council with any pet projects. So I can’t offer an answer to that. I’m going to get my hands dirty, work with city staff and find my place.
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Click for more informationCathy Watson – I hope to get the community more involved and meet the people. I also want to create an ombudsman position to give people someone to go to when they feel like they’ve been let down by the city. I also want to develop a volunteer corps.
Glenn Stewart – I have a laundry list of proposals. But want to reconnect with the citizens and get them more involved. Instead of spending money on projects, lets spend it on the citizens. I’d like to see a minimum wage in Ferndale. I want to see more transparency and outreach.
Teresa Taylor – I work on the Lummi Indian Business Council which has a lot more employees than the city. I will work to bring our communities and governments together to work on similar ideas.
Click here to read the candidates’ answers to the next forum question…