Max Brown best candidate for City Council

Two good people are running for Position 4 on the Olympia City Council. I am voting for Max Brown and hope you will too.

On his Facebook page, Max’s opponent recently posted, “In my heart Olympia is 50,000 people living in community, hoping we can age gracefully and stay in town.”

But, as a Council incumbent Clark knows that the state’s Growth Management Board has mandated that Olympia must prepare for at least 20,000 more residents by 2035, with 5,000 living downtown.

Some reasons I’m supporting Max: He already has ideas and proposals for policies that will help Olympians meet big challenges like this. He knows that good public policy is not a product of piecemeal thinking or of leaders who ignore the realities of our rapidly changing world. After two years chairing the Olympia Planning Commission, he understands the myriad impacts a 35% population increase will have on Olympia, as well as the opportunities that come with the challenge. Rather than denying change, he knows that we can actually end up living in a stronger, healthier city.

In response to the Growth Management directive, this year the Council adopted the Downtown Strategy, reflective of the involvement of 3,200 local citizens. It’s a road-map to a safer, sustainable, economically revitalized downtown. The implementation phase recently began, but years more work and continued Council support and funding must continue.

Max Brown is fired up and ready to go. He’s actively committed to nurturing Olympia’s greater good and its best future.

This story was originally published October 5, 2017 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Max Brown best candidate for City Council."