Challengers Stephen Buxbaum and Janine Gates – both of whom sharply criticize the council’s decision to raise building-height limits on the downtown isthmus – are taking on first-term incumbent Jeff Kingsbury. They say the current council isn’t engaging the public enough in the process; Kingsbury counters that the council gave the public plenty of opportunities to offer input and is getting things done rather than studying things further. The election will be Aug. 18.
Gates, a self-employed caregiver for the elderly and a photographer, said voters should choose her because she would be a responsive City Council member who would do her own research and not “rubber stamp” staff reports.
“I’m very accessible, inclusive, a good listener and will weigh all of the information before me,” she said.
Buxbaum, a faculty member in The Evergreen State College’s public administration program, touted his more than 25 years of experience building affordable housing and helping small businesses. He has worked for the former Community Trade and Economic Development department and is a private consultant.
“I bring experience managing people and money,” he said.
Kingsbury, the artistic director at Capital Playhouse, said that in four years on the council, he has made downtown more walkable, pushed transportation projects, bought West Bay Park and made a commitment to buy a parking garage.
He also takes credit for a new City Hall and a fourth fire station, as well as funding a new Hands On Children’s Museum on East Bay, and added that some of those projects had been discussed for decades.
He said he’s “willing to make tough decisions that are not always what people believe that they want” but are in the “best interest of the city as a whole.”
BIGGEST ISSUE
Gates said the biggest issue facing Olympia is the isthmus. She has been vocal in her opposition to the council’s decision last year to raise building-height limits there for housing.
To Buxbaum, the biggest issue is the economy.
“The economy’s going to force our decisions,” Buxbaum said. “We’re going to have to make tough choices about how to spend our money.”
Kingsbury said the biggest issue facing the council is continuing the momentum to bring housing downtown, particularly middle-income “work force” housing.
ISTHMUS
Both Gates and Buxbaum oppose the decision of Kingsbury – and the majority of the council – to raise building-height limits for housing on the isthmus. They say it’s indicative of the council not listening to concerns. A majority of the people who spoke at public forums about the isthmus opposed allowing taller buildings.
“I don’t think that building high-rises on the isthmus is a good housing-development strategy,” Buxbaum said.
Kingsbury said his vote, one of five cast in favor of raising building heights, was the right move.
“We have to get some kind of housing project off the ground,” he said.
The Olympia Isthmus Park Foundation proposes turning much of the isthmus into a park. The Olympia organization passed a voter initiative that prompted city officials to study the possibility.
Gates said she supports the group’s efforts. She envisions the isthmus as an active park with plays, activities and vendors. She said she supports asking voters, sometime during her four-year term, to raise taxes to pay for it.
Kingsbury said he’s loath to support a park without a way to pay for it.
Buxbaum stopped short of endorsing a park. He would encourage pursuing “a community waterfront” during the comprehensive-plan process, he said.
REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN
Kingsbury said he approved the Triway Enterprises development to improve downtown. Supporters of the project say it will bring customers to downtown businesses and spruce up the center city.
Other candidates for the office also said they want a better downtown but disagreed on methods.
Gates said she heard the concern from voters.
“A lot of people say that they do not come downtown anymore,” she said. “We have lost our essential services.”
City studies have routinely said the key to revitalizing downtown is bringing in new housing. A 1988 report called for adding 18 to 23 units a year. The city’s current comprehensive plan, written in 1994, recommended 1,500 new market-rate units by 2010. A 2004 report called for 2,500 new units over 20 years.
Few of those have been built. The city has added subsidized or senior housing, but very few market-rate housing units.
Gates said downtown needs more housing, but she is against subsidies to bring in market-rate housing. She said she was open to the idea of the partnering with private nonprofit groups.
Buxbaum said he wants to see increased housing densities for all income levels.
He added that the city needs to beautify vacant lots and that downtown needs more businesses to support housing.
When questioned about what the city needs to do differently, he said, “we can’t force housing where it doesn’t want to go.” He said he opposes subsidies “for high-income housing.”
Kingsbury called downtown wonderful but said it could be much better. More downtown residents equal more support for businesses, he said.
Some possibilities to draw more housing are transferring development rights and a height incentive.
“We need to ... consider looking at all of our height restrictions,” he said.
CITY BUDGET
The winner of the election undoubtedly will inherit a 2010 budget that will require major cuts. City Manager Steve Hall already cut 21.5 positions in the 2009 budget, then announced plans at mid-year to cut $2.6 million more out of the budget. He said layoffs will have to be part of next year’s budget cuts, too. And the news could be more grim by the end of the year.
That leaves the council with two options: raise more revenue or allow more cuts. Gates said she favored asking voters whether they would raise their taxes to save city services, but “we need to spell it out what is actually being cut.” She particularly supports asking voters to raise taxes for Percival Landing, which is in dire need of replacement. She said the city can’t cut essential services such as fire and police.
Buxbaum said he favors asking the voters to raise their taxes for maintenance and operations for the city. He said he favors keeping, not cutting, city staff, and instead rolling back on the number of consultants the city hires.
“These are tough times,” he said. “They’re not times to cut services.”
Kingsbury said he opposes asking voters to raise their taxes and that the city should look to what non-essential services it can cut, such as discretionary spending. He said the city should look at the business and occupational tax rate and consider furloughing employees.
“I just think everything is on the table,” he said.
Both Gates and Buxbaum criticized the $35.6 million project to build a new City Hall in the 600 block of Fourth Avenue East in downtown Olympia.
Kingsbury said it’s part of his bricks-and-mortar agenda to improve Olympia.
“I have a really strong vision of what our community can be,” he said.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869
mbatcheldor@theolympian.com
Olympia City Council Position Five
Stephen Buxbaum
Age: 54
Occupation: Faculty member, The Evergreen State College, private consultant
Political experience: None
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political economy, master’s degree in public administration, Evergreen
Contact information: 360-918-1745, stephen@stephenbuxbaum.org, www.stephenbuxbaum.org
Janine Gates
Age: 44
Occupation: Caregiver for the elderly, photographer
Political experience: None
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Community Development and Communications from The Evergreen States College
Contact information: 360-791-7736, Ja9gates@aol.com, www.janinegates.com
Jeff Kingsbury
Age: 48
Occupation: Artistic director, Capital Playhouse
Political experience: City Council member, elected in 2004
Education: Attended Huron College, Huron, S.D.
Contact information: 360-790-7290, jeffkingsbury@hotmail.com, www.jeffkingsbury.com
