Richmond Beach stages two candidate forums October 11, October 18

By Tom Petersen

In order to hear more from office seekers and field more audience questions, the RBCA Candidates Forum will be expanded to two nights this year. The Forum is one of the longest-running and best-attended events of its kind in the area, and candidates for all offices say they relish visiting such an active, aware and interested neighborhood. All candidates for all offices appearing on the ballot for Richmond Beach residents have been invited.

The Candidates Forums are held in the basement of the Richmond Beach Congregational Church, at the corner of Richmond Beach Road and 15th Avenue NW and start at the special, early time of 7 p.m.

The Forums are a panel presentation format with moderated questions and answers. Candidates for the same office make their statements, then respond to questions, lending a “debate” flavor. The questions are screened for relevance, fairness, interest, and clarity. Similar questions from multiple audience members are consolidated.

Tuesday, October 11: Shoreline City Council and Public Works Night

The first forum features the races for Shoreline City Council. Council races are always hotly contested in Shoreline, but this year the stakes – and emotions – are extremely high for Richmond Beach. The current councilmembers issued a “Letter of Intent” to the Point Wells developer, expressing the desire to negotiate mitigations and allow the project to proceed, with the hope that Point Wells might annex to Shoreline someday. Richmond Beach residents swamped a public hearing in August, a Council meeting in September, and the RBCA meeting that same month, overwhelmingly demanding firmer opposition in the form of litigation or other delaying tactics. Incumbents have been at pains to explain that the City has limited and unpleasant options, filled with hard-to-explain nuances. Meanwhile, some challengers have come out squarely against a Point Wells project, while others have pledged solidarity with Richmond Beach but without specific plans of action.

There are also several lively races for Fire Commissioner and the Ronald Wastewater Board of Directors, so the sparks should fly all night on the 11th!

Tuesday, October 18: School Board, County Posts, and Ballot Measures

The second forum’s centerpiece is the three Shoreline School Board elections. The excitement of the high school remodels is tempered by ominous budget news out of Olympia that will squeeze operating budgets and teacher salaries in every district. The public expects the school district to maintain its high standards and full programs at the same time the state keeps issuing unfunded mandates. The district is also amid some reassessment of its student technology programs, which have been generally popular with students but have gotten mixed reviews from parents and have yielded mixed results.

Representatives for the various levies, bonds, and initiatives will be on hand to speak for, against, or on an “information only” basis and distribute literature. Various candidates for various other offices, boards, commissions, and posts (consult the sample ballot) will be on hand to make statements and answer questions, but the final list was not confirmed at press time. Candidates for county-wide posts often have numerous date conflicts.