Highway 522, growth, taxes, top issues in Kenmore race

Candidates for the Kenmore City Council agree on one thing: Their city is both a great place to live and one that could use a little work.

Four of the seven council seats will be contested in the Nov. 4 general election, and the votes could change the face of the governing body.

Bob Hensel and Debra Srebnik will face off for Position 1, Deborah Chase and John Hendrickson will vie for Position 3, David Baker and Elodie Morse will compete for Position 5 and Glenn Rogers and Wanda Waldrop will shoot for Position 7.

The youngest city in King County has taken an active stance on hastening its own growth, recently buying more than four acres downtown that it hopes to turn into its urban core, working with state agencies to improve traffic flow on its main road, Highway 522, and starting several other projects to reshape the city.

And while those involved say Kenmore is emerging from its adolescence, the differing goals of the candidates reflect the city's inevitable growing pains.

Position 1

When Bob Hensel, 51, looks at communication in Kenmore, he sees a gap between the City Council and the business community. As an employee of one of the city's biggest businesses, the James G. Murphy Co., he believes he could be the bridge.

A frequent attendee of past council meetings, Hensel wants to open a dialogue to get the many groups to share an agenda.

Two of his goals are improving traffic and overseeing a business-community task force the council is forming.

"I'm just kind of an average guy, and as a business person and resident, I have that unique perspective," he said. "I have a great understanding of the problems that face the city today, and I think I can help solve them."

With four years on the Planning Commission under her belt, Debra Srebnik, 40, has been involved in putting visions of Kenmore's future on paper. Now she wants to help make it happen.

Srebnik said her top goals are revitalizing the city's downtown retail core, improving the five parks, increasing recreation options and communicating with citizens.

"I think I have the experience working with the whole range of issues that will come before the council," she said. "I have a lot of practical ideas along those lines for how to improve the community, the council and the city of Kenmore."

Position 3

Deborah Chase, 52, says she's worked hard to meet the many goals Kenmore citizens asked for, and that it's about to pay off.

The council is poised, the incumbent said, to deliver a host of projects to improve the city that were laid out in the downtown and parks plans. And she'd like to see them through.

Improving traffic along Highway 522 and ushering in a community gathering place are two of her goals, and she said she'd pay careful attention to the city's scarce resources to make them happen.

She's been working outside the community to involve the city in regional decisions as well, she said, and she's a member of several regional committees charged with managing the area's growth and transportation issues.

"I have a much broader depth of understanding on the many issues we face as a community," she said. "I've worked very hard to become respected regionally and I've developed relationships there that are important to our city."

John Hendrickson, 46, did not respond to interview requests. But in a questionnaire submitted for use in The Seattle Times Voters Guide, he said his strong accounting background would be an asset to the city, adding that if elected, he would practice financial discipline to control overhead costs.

He also indicated he'd like to form an online community to foster citizen participation and would not increase taxes or city debt without voter approval.

Position 5

Kenmore has been a city for five years and David Baker, 59, wants to know what it has to show for it. Supporters of the area's incorporation advocated for no additional taxes, small government and traffic improvements, and he says he's seen none of it.

If elected, he'd like to shift the city's attention to the bottleneck at 68th Avenue Northeast and Highway 522, rather than current plans that address the highway's through traffic. As the south side of the city's only link to the highway and downtown, 68th has become a problem that begs immediate attention, he said.

"To me, that's a much more pressing issue than putting a median down the center of 522 and planting some trees," he said.

He'd also like residents to vote on any big capital expenditures, such as the recent downtown-property purchase, to ensure they're getting what they want.

He also would work to keep the city staff small to ensure that the council sets the city's direction.

Incumbent Elodie Morse, 60, says the council has been doing some good work toward improving Kenmore, but that it's just begun.

She'd like to continue to have a hand in issues such as attracting new businesses to the city and working with any potential developers to break ground on the stalled LakePointe project, a mixed-use development along Lake Washington.

Transportation improvements along Highway 522 are also of concern to her, and she said she'd use leadership skills honed by her experience on the council to be a watchdog on the project.

"I listen very well to people, and I'm not afraid to not always be in agreement," she said. "I'm not just a 'yes' person."

Position 7

Glenn Rogers, 55, said the Highway 522 traffic plan and any vision for Kenmore's downtown are important issues, but he'd like to start with the basics.

"We need a plan as to how we're going to better communicate with the citizens of Kenmore," he said. "I want to give our people an ability to be heard."

If elected, Rogers said he'd organize a network of Kenmore's many neighborhood associations and create a liaison between them and the council.

It's the best way, he said, to make sure the council's agenda matches the people it serves.

Wanda Waldrop, 33, knows that cities depend on businesses to increase revenue, and she wants Kenmore to be an attractive place for new businesses to settle.

Part of that means treating current businesses well, she said, and past council actions that nearly ran current gambling establishments out of town haven't set a good example. The council ultimately opted to grandfather current businesses in and bar new ones from arriving, though city staffers are currently examining the legality of that decision.

"Although I don't want to encourage more gambling in Kenmore, I do think that legally established businesses should be protected," she said.

She said she'd also protect businesses by fighting against the proposed median bisecting Highway 522, which she believes would cut businesses off from customers.

Lisa Heyamoto: 206-464-2149 or lheyamoto@seattletimes.com