Four More Years For Ives; Grubb, Cole Back In, Too

REDMOND - Mayor Rosemarie Ives returned to City Hall today, assured she'll be chief executive officer of this booming city for a second term.

Redmond voters re-elected the former City Council member and planning commissioner by a nearly 2 to 1 ratio.

Voters responded primarily to her "open and responsive" government, Ives said last night in her victory speech.

In her first term, she had reminded voters, she pushed to preserve Redmond's small-town character, reduced per capita spending and opened the popular Old Firehouse as a center for teenagers.

Ives' challengers in the primary election both came from the City Council and criticized her stormy relationship with the council. Ives said she's already making plans to improve mayor-council relations.

Ives' opponent, Mark Denton, campaigned as an experienced businessman who once owned a frame shop and now runs a small manufacturing company. But Ives pointed out that Denton also worked for the city and left after admitting he took home city supplies for personal use.

As the campaign grew heated, Denton accused Ives of playing the "nasty card."

Denton, midway through his first term on the council, must continue to work with the mayor for the next two years. Ives said it will not be a problem. Denton agreed, but said Ives should not interpret her win as a mandate.

"My biggest fear is a return to the last four years where it's been all special interests," he said. "I'm disappointed. I ran a good, solid campaign. My opponent played a different kind of game, and that's too bad."

The mayor's job is full-time, paying more than $70,000 a year.

In other Redmond races, City Council incumbent Richard Grubb was re-elected handily to a second term with three-fourths of the vote. Grubb, 56, has a reputation as an eloquent speaker, though he is frequently on the losing side of council votes.

His challenger, Robert Counsell, had served as an alderman in Illinois and moved to Redmond a year ago. He said he hopes to somehow be involved in local government.

Incumbent Richard Cole won a third term, defeating Robert DeWolf, a member of the city's Design Review Board. Cole is a certified public accountant and self-described fiscal conservative.

DeWolf, Cole's challenger, has attended council meetings for two years and had said Cole served long enough.

Two other races were not contested. Incumbents Sharon Dorning and Jim Robinson ran unopposed.