Primary Election: Olympia City Council

OLYMPIA – City Council candidates who oppose the council’s decision to raise building-height limits on the isthmus were running ahead of those who favored it in preliminary primary results Tuesday.

Two Olympia council seats were involved in the primary. In each three-person race, one person will be eliminated and the other two will face off in November.

In council Position 4, Karen Rogers led with 2,334 votes (39.38 percent), and the other two candidates were locked in a close race for second place. Karen Veldheer had 1,824 votes (30.77 percent), and Amy Tousley had 1,726 votes (29.12 percent). They seek the seat that Councilwoman Karen Messmer is vacating.

In Position 5, Stephen Buxbaum was leading with 2,492 votes (40.67 percent), incumbent Jeff Kingsbury had 1,892 votes (30.87 percent) and Janine Gates had 1,719 votes (28.05 percent).

Rogers and Veldheer oppose the council’s decision to raise building-height limits for housing on the isthmus; Tousley favored the change. As a planning commissioner, she recommended that the council raise the limits.

Janine Gates and Stephen Buxbaum oppose the taller buildings; Kingsbury voted to raise height limits.

Rogers, a policy specialist with the state Liquor Control Board, said the election was about the current council not listening to voters.

“I really do believe that this is about listening,” she said. “The isthmus is just one part of this.”

Veldheer said voters are making their voices heard about the isthmus.

“It looks like a change election,” she said. She is a small-businesswoman who works for REworks Homes, a start-up that arranges lease-to-own homes, and kvmall.net, a green-commerce site.

Tousley, a municipal manager for Puget Sound Energy, wasn’t optimistic about her chances of staying in the race.

“My best to Ms. Rogers and Ms. Veldheer,” she said. “They will probably move on to the general election.” Tousley said she will continue on the Olympia Planning Commission if she’s not elected, a post she has held for 12 years.

Buxbaum, as others, thanked his volunteers and said they set him up for a win this November.

“I think tonight residents showed considerable support for a change of direction on the council,” said Buxbaum, a consultant, part-time faculty member at The Evergreen State College and former longtime state worker.

Gates said there are more votes to be counted and that she’s not out of the race yet.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled by the trust Olympia voters have put in me,” she said. “I just want to thank everyone.” Gates is a self-employed caretaker of the elderly and a photographer.

Kingsbury, the artistic director for Capital Playhouse who was elected to the council in 2005, said his campaign is ready to work hard.

“I think, you know, we have our work cut out for us,” he said.

The future of the downtown isthmus, the shrinking city budget and whether downtown needs revitalizing are key issues of the campaign for City Council. But the fate of the isthmus is perhaps the linchpin issue.

The council voted 5-2 last year to raise building height limits on the isthmus, which would allow developer Triway Enterprises to build five- and seven-story mixed use buildings with high-end condominiums there. The issue deeply divided the community, and much emotion was expressed at public forums last year about the issue. Opponents said the buildings would block views of Budd Inlet and the Capitol dome. Supporters said the new housing was needed to revitalize downtown.

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869

mbatcheldor@theolympian.com